Celebrity News April 22, 2026
Blake Lively Alleges Justin Baldoni’s 'Smear Campaign' Cost Her $290 Million
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With their courtroom showdown only weeks away, Blake Lively is claiming massive financial loss from her legal battle with “It Ends with Us” co-star Justin Baldoni.
In new court docs obtained by “Extra,” Lively is seeking $290 million in damages, claiming that her reputation was ruined by Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign.
Citing her expert Dr. Ashlee Humphreys, a Northwestern University professor of marketing communications, Lively claims that Baldoni’s alleged use of "retaliatory phrases 'tone deaf,' 'bully,' and 'mean girl’” has caused “reputational harm” to the tune of $36.5-40.5 million.
Lively alleges that Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman’s “retaliatory” statements during the ugly legal battle cost her "in an amount calculated at $24,375,267.”
Humphreys based her numbers on online impressions.
According to her experts, her tarnished image has caused her to lose projects between August 2024-August 2029 that would have added cash to her bank account, approximately $34.3 million-$87.8 million, Fox News reports.
Lively claims that her companies Betty Booze and Blake Brown also suffered financially, losing between $39.7-$143.5 million in revenue.
Lively is also asking for $250,000-$400,000 for the "pain and suffering, physical pain, and humiliation” that she allegedly faced from the alleged smear campaign.
Baldoni has fired back at Lively, arguing that she tarnished "her previously ‘sterling’ reputation” before the legal battle even began.
Earlier this month, a judge dismissed 10 of Blake’s 13 claims, but she’s still fighting Justin’s efforts to ban certain evidence at the upcoming trail, including a comment Baldoni allegedly made about her weight.
Lively is also fighting to keep information about her net worth, estimated to be $30 million, and her husband Ryan Reynolds’ reported $350 million fortune away from the jury.
Lively and Baldoni are set to go to trial beginning May 18 in New York City.