Jenny Slate Calls “It Ends With Us” Director Justin Baldoni a “Fraud” in Newly Revealed Texts

Newly unsealed court documents have revealed scathing text messages from actress Jenny Slate criticizing her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni, adding fuel to the ongoing legal battle between Baldoni and lead actress Blake Lively.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Slate described filming the controversial adaptation as a “disturbing shoot” and labeled Baldoni a “false ally” in messages sent in 2023. The actress, who portrayed Baldoni’s character’s sister in the film, did not mince words in her assessment.

“I’m unwilling to do anything that promotes the image that he’s crafting as a ‘male feminist’… honestly I have no words to describe what a fraud he is,” Slate wrote. She further characterized Baldoni as “the biggest clown and the most intense narcissist.”

The documents indicate that both Slate and Lively complained to a Sony production executive about Baldoni’s alleged behavior on set, though it remains unclear who received Slate’s critical text messages.

Additional court records obtained by Page Six reveal that in a September 2025 deposition, Slate referenced earlier messages to her agent expressing similar concerns. In those texts, she claimed Baldoni and his business partner Jamey Heath “freak me out” and accused them of telling “weird lies.”

“Justin and Jamey are truly unfit,” Slate wrote. “I’m not scared or anything, just repulsed and deeply irritated, and I know Blake is experiencing that on a much more serious level.”

During her deposition, Slate also alleged that Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, telling her she looked “sexy” in an outfit but qualifying it by saying it was acceptable because his wife was present.

The controversy extends beyond Slate’s complaints. Court documents filed on January 20 contain allegations from Lively that Baldoni made actress Isabela Ferrer, who played a younger version of Lively’s character, “feel sexualized.” The documents allege Baldoni encouraged Ferrer’s on-screen love interest to “get to know” her “well” with a suggestive wink.

In another incident described in the filing, Baldoni allegedly told the young actors, who were in their underwear after filming an intimate scene, “I’m not supposed to say this, but that was hot.”

Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCawley, provided a statement to Page Six directly addressing Baldoni’s previous public persona as a women’s advocate. “In his TedTalk to promote his brand as an advocate for women, Justin Baldoni said we must ‘listen to the women’…even if what they are saying is against you.’ See how he actually reacts in the bombshell new evidence released for the first time.”

The statement continues, “The newly unsealed evidence shows the concerns of Ms. Lively and others were documented in real-time as early as Spring 2023, and [Baldoni’s production company] Wayfarer understood them as ‘sexual harassment’ concerns. The evidence also documents how Wayfarer refused to investigate, but instead attempted to ‘bury’ Ms. Lively and others who spoke up through retaliation.”

Representatives for Baldoni, Slate, and Ferrer did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Freedman, previously denied the allegations in June 2025, stating, “This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened.”

The legal dispute formalized in December 2024 when Lively, 38, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages. Baldoni, 41, responded with a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which has since been dismissed.

The case continues to develop, with a hearing scheduled for January 22 where a judge will consider Baldoni’s motion for summary judgment, which seeks to dismiss some or all of Lively’s claims before the case reaches a jury.