Justin Baldoni detailed an alleged “aggressive” confrontation he had with Ryan Reynolds about Blake Lively last year — in his new lawsuit against the New York Times.
Baldoni, 40, claimed that Reynolds, 48, “berated” him during a heated meeting at the couple’s Tribeca penthouse in New York, in which he accused the director of “fat shaming” his wife.
The “Jane the Virgin” star allegedly asked how much Lively, 37, weighed before he was supposed to life her in a scene. Baldoni claimed he had back issues and wanted “to ensure he could safely perform the lift without injury.”
In response, Reynolds “aggressively berated” Baldoni during their meeting.
“The confrontation that followed was so aggressive that Baldoni felt compelled to offer repeated apologies,” the lawsuit read.
“Baldoni, in an effort to avoid further confrontation with Lively and Reynolds and rebuild rapport with his co-star, continued to bend to her will,” the legal filing added.
A producer on the movie who was at the meeting allegedly later said “that in his 40-year career he had never seen anyone speak to someone like that.”
Lively allegedly “refused to perform” the scene with Baldoni despite rehearsing “with a stunt double.”
Baldoni also claimed Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agency, WME, to drop him — allegedly during the “Deadpool & Wolverine” premiere in July, which took place before Baldoni hired his crisis PR team.
A WME rep denied the accusations that Reynolds or Lively pressured the company to drop Baldoni as a client.
Baldoni’s $250 million lawsuit was filed on Tuesday afternoon. The suit includes 10 plaintiffs who are suing the Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy over the Dec. 21 article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The piece painted Lively as a star who endured months of alleged sexual harassment from Baldoni, claiming she allegedly faced retaliation of a smear campaign when she voiced her concerns.
Baldoni was dropped by WME after the Times article came out.
The actor’s lawsuit states it was Lively who allegedly embarked on a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign, using false “sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production.”
Lively’s attorneys reacted to Baldoni’s lawsuit in a statement to The Post.
“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today. This lawsuit is based on the obviously false premise that Ms. Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a ruse based on a choice ‘not to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer,’ and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal.’ As demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Ms. Lively earlier today, that frame of reference for the Wayfarer lawsuit is false. While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety. We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court,” the statement read.
Lively has since filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in a New York federal court, accusing her co-star of causing her “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish,” in addition to lost wages.
The “Gossip Girl” alum is seeking punitive damages at “an amount to be determined at trial.”
