As the legal fallout surrounding It Ends With Us drags on, newly unsealed court documents have revealed just how forcefully Ryan Reynolds stepped in on behalf of his wife, Blake Lively, during her dispute with Justin Baldoni.
And according to Reynolds’ camp, he doesn’t think he went far enough.
In a statement to Puck News, a representative for Reynolds confirmed that the actor did insert himself into the situation, framing it as a matter of principle rather than power. “What husband wouldn’t support his wife and the mother of his children?” the rep said, adding that Reynolds watched Lively “fight daily to stand up against sexual harassment in a private and respectful way,” only to face retaliation.
The statement concluded bluntly: Reynolds believes “he wasn’t angry enough.”
That context sheds light on a series of texts Reynolds sent in mid-to-late 2024 that have since been unsealed. In an August 2024 message to his WME agent, sent as the film opened strongly at the box office, Reynolds expressed frustration that Lively wasn’t being allowed to enjoy what he called a hard-earned win.
He wrote that she had “willed this weekend into reality” and criticized Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios for failing to address speculation head-on. Lively, he added, should not be saddled with a dismissive narrative portraying her as controlling.
Other messages were even sharper.
In a July 2024 exchange with a WME executive, Reynolds allegedly described Baldoni as a “predatory fraudster” and an “inexplicably toxic mess,” before unleashing a longer assessment that labeled Baldoni’s behavior “malignant, lazy-lidded stupidity and darkness.” Reynolds reportedly emphasized that he would “put Blake’s reputation on trial any day of the week,” citing her long history of working with difficult personalities without similar conflicts.
Baldoni’s legal team has strongly pushed back. In a January statement, his attorney said the unsealed messages do not support Lively’s claims “as a matter of law,” adding that the defense remains confident Baldoni will be cleared.
Baldoni has denied all allegations of harassment and retaliation, while his countersuit accusing Lively and Reynolds of defamation was later dismissed.
The Reynolds texts are only one piece of a growing trove of private communications. Previously released messages showed Lively venting about Baldoni to author Colleen Hoover, at one point calling him a “rabid pig,” and describing what she believed was an ongoing smear campaign against her.
Separate unsealed documents also revealed blunt exchanges between Lively and Taylor Swift, in which Swift allegedly criticized Baldoni and discussed timing and strategy as the situation escalated.