All the explosive evidence Blake Lively is fighting to keep out of blockbuster Justin Baldoni trial... including her and Ryan Reynolds' eye-watering net worth she says could 'trigger bias against rich people'

By LUKE KENTON, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 23:18, 13 April 2026 | Updated: 23:19, 13 April 2026 As her blockbuster legal saga against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni edges  closer to trial, Blake Lively is seeking to block jurors from hearing key evidence she argues would unfairly prejudice her case. In a barrage of newly filed motions, the actress has accused Baldoni’s camp of angling to flood the trial with ‘gossip,’ character attacks and details of her and husband Ryan Reynolds’ net worth - evidence she says has no bearing on the case and risks biasing a jury. Lively is asking the judge to exclude references to negative news articles or online chatter that portray her as a ‘mean girl’ or a bully, text messages between Hollywood executives that paint her as difficult and even clips tied to a character in Deadpool & Wolverine that Baldoni previously claimed was a mocking portrayal of him. In the filings, Lively’s lawyers argue that much of the material Baldoni’s team wants to introduce amounts to inadmissible hearsay and improper character evidence. They claim his camp is attempting to put her character on trial, with evidence that is largely irrelevant to the core dispute and designed to sway jurors with ‘inflammatory’ material rather than facts. Among the other evidence Lively does not want shown to the jury is any discussion of her and her husband’s net worth. The A-list pair is believed to be worth an estimated $400 million, thanks to Reynolds’ wildly successful Deadpool film series and their various business ventures. Lively has insisted her and Reynolds’ wealth is not relevant to the case and risks ‘influencing or triggering biases against wealthy individuals’ among jurors. Blake Lively's legal team has asked the court to exclude references to her and husband Ryan Reynolds' net worth  Baldoni is also seeking to have witness testimony excluded - as the May 18 trial date looms Lively and Baldoni starred together in the 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It Ends With Us, which Baldoni also directed. But the drama spilled off-screen when Lively sued Baldoni that December, accusing him of sexual harassment on set and alleging his production company, Wayfarer Studios, retaliated against her after she complained about the alleged misconduct. Baldoni and Wayfarer have denied all of her claims. He later filed a countersuit against Lively and Reynolds for $400million, alleging defamation and extortion, but the case was eventually dismissed after a judge ruled his claims failed to meet legal standards. Lively’s case against Baldoni is also markedly narrower than the dramatic, sweeping lawsuit she first filed. Earlier this month, US District Judge Lewis J. Liman tossed out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including all of her claims against Baldoni - such as sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy. However, the case is still scheduled to go ahead in Manhattan Federal Court on May 18, centered on Lively’s three remaining claims: breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation against other defendants. The lead-up to trial has been marked by a barrage of legal activity, with more than 70 filings hitting the docket between April 10 and April 13 as both sides race to shape what jurors will ultimately see and hear. Among Lively’s requests is an objection to the jury being shown any news articles that paint her in a negative light. The 38-year-old said a jury would ‘draw adverse conclusions about her character’ if they were allowed to see the articles being submitted for trial by Baldoni, 42, because they make her look like a ‘bully’ and a ‘mean girl’, court documents seen by the Daily Mail show. Lively and Baldoni starred together in the 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, It Ends With Us, which Baldoni also directed - but she sued him after filming wrapped  Baldoni and Wayfarer have denied all of her claims. He countersued her for defamation but the case was thrown out  The stories, according to the filings, include a 2009 article in which Lively used a  transgender slur and another from 2014 with the headline ‘Blake Lively Wants to Return to a Time of Cute Hats and Slavery,’ which criticized her wedding with Reynolds on a southern plantation. Lively is also objecting to Baldoni calling Kjersti Flaa as a witness to recount the Norwegian journalist’s infamous 2016 interview with the actress, which resurfaced amid the It Ends With Us controversy. In the interview, Flaa began by congratulating a then-pregnant Lively on her ‘little bump.’ Seemingly offended by the remark, Lively sarcastically returned the sentiment, even though Flaa was not pregnant. The reporter later claimed the exchange made her want to quit her job. Objecting to Flaa testifying, Lively’s lawyers wrote: ‘Ms Flaa’s testimony “about her interview with Ms Lively” will inevitably echo her numerous public statements describing Ms Lively as “rude” and exuding “mean girl energy.”’ Baldoni’s lawyers have claimed the unfavorable news coverage of Lively and Flaa’s interview resurfaced ‘organically’ amid the fallout between the pair, while Lively has accused his camp of spearheading a smear campaign against her. Lively’s legal team claims Baldoni’s plans to reference the coverage in court are an attempt to ‘smuggle into evidence a combination of gossip (and) rumor… while misleading the jury into believing that their curated laundry list of old events must have played some role in the overwhelmingly negative shift in public sentiment against Ms Lively in August of 2024’. Admitting the articles and Flaa’s testimony into evidence should not be allowed because it amounts to a ‘character assassination’ meant to ‘paint Baldoni as the victim,’ her attorneys argued. Lively also wants no mention of the ‘Nicepool’ character featured in Reynolds’ film Deadpool & Wolverine (shown left) which Baldoni's team believes was a mocking portrayal of him Lively is also moving to bar internal text messages from executives at Sony Pictures - the studio behind It Ends With Us - discussing her behavior on set, including her attempts to ‘edit and improve the film.’ Her attorneys claim the messages are incomplete and one-sided, making them ‘highly misleading’ and prejudicial. Some of the texts from numerous Sony executives were made public in January after a flood of documents in the Baldoni-Lively case were unsealed. In one such message, Sony Pictures’ executive VP of production and senior creative Andrea Giannetti referred to Lively as a ‘f***ing terrorist’ in a conversation with producer Jamey Heath after learning she threatened to exit the production if a 17-point list of demands was not met. Lively also wants no mention of the ‘Nicepool’ character featured in Reynolds’ film Deadpool & Wolverine, released in July 2024. In the movie, Reynolds portrayed Nicepool as a caricature of a ‘woke’ feminist before the character is killed by ‘Ladypool,’ voiced by Lively. According to Lively, any reference to Nicepool is ‘irrelevant’ and intended to make Baldoni appear like the victim. Her lawyers accused Baldoni’s team of attempting to ‘perpetuate the same character assassination of Lively as a “mean girl” and a “bully.”’ ‘It would be manifestly unfair to permit the Defendants to use the Nicepool video to imply or advance any argument because it would be predicated on an undeveloped record,’ the filing states. Lively has also moved to exclude testimony about how Baldoni has been personally affected by the legal battle, as well as any statements made by her or her attorneys about prior court proceedings. The Gossip Girl alum is expected to testify at trial and is calling husband Ryan Reynolds as a witness. Lively and Reynolds are believed to be worth an estimated $400 million, thanks to Reynolds’ wildly successful Deadpool film series and their various business ventures Other witnesses listed include her co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, Baldoni’s former publicist Stephanie Jones, his former podcast co-host Liz Plank, and crisis PR executive Melissa Nathan. Author Colleen Hoover is also expected to testify via deposition. Baldoni’s team, for their part, has also sought to bar testimony from figures including Hoover, arguing her involvement in the film was limited, as well as Slate and Ferrer. In a filing on Friday, Baldoni's team requested the judge block evidence 'of the alleged bad experiences' seven women shared with their client. One of those experiences involves Slate, who complained to Lively that Baldoni had told her she looked 'sexy' in her character's costume during filming. Baldoni's lawyers said the Slate incident - which they say was resolved with a 'prompt apology' - and the other alleged incidents are 'are so attenuated from any actionable discrimination claim that they will serve only to waste time and confuse the jury about what is and is not relevant.' Taylor Swift is expected to feature in the case as she is mentioned on a list of people ‘likely’ to come up during the trial, according to a filing, but she will not testify in person. That means the jury will likely see text messages between Swift and Lively that were filed exhibits and have already become public. They include Swift telling Lively during the film’s promotion: ‘No one. Should ever. Get into a war of wills with you,’ while Lively described Swift as ‘wickedly smart.’ In another message, Swift said Baldoni’s ‘misogyny runs so deep he thinks women are incapable of winning chess matches or making long game power plays.’ The trial is set to begin in New York on May 18. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? 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