In a significant development, text messages between Blake Lively and Jenny Slate, her co-star in “It Ends With Us,” have come to light, suggesting troubling behavior by their director, Justin Baldoni. Among the discussed incidents is an unsettling remark involving pop star Britney Spears.

These messages were revealed in connection with Lively’s 2024 lawsuit, which alleges sexual harassment, retaliatory actions, and emotional distress inflicted by Baldoni—allegations he firmly denies.

According to court documents accessed by the Daily Mail, Slate characterized the filming experience as “really gross and disturbing.” She confided in Lively about what she perceived as Baldoni’s “unprofessional behavior” and the “bizarre antics” he displayed during the initial stages of production.

Slate specifically mentioned his unexpected recording of their conversations without prior consent, labeling it as particularly worrisome.

Lively echoed these concerns, describing Baldoni’s conduct as “alarming.” She recounted an uncomfortable instance where Baldoni complimented her appearance, to which she replied it wasn’t the look she intended. He responded with “ok sexy,” followed by a joke about crossing a line, which Lively confirmed he had. She noted he seemed to have missed a crucial meeting on sexual harassment.

The conversation also shifted to a moment when both actresses were discussing their admiration for Britney Spears. It was then that Baldoni allegedly made an inappropriate comment about the singer, adding to the list of grievances detailed in their exchange.

Blake Livelyand her It Ends With Us co-star Jenny Slate appear to discuss director Justin Baldoni’s alleged on-set misconduct in newly unsealed texts; (Lively and Slate in August 2024)

In the court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Slate, who described the shoot as ‘really gross and disturbing’in other texts, tells Lively about what she calls Baldoni’s ‘unprofessional behavior’; (Baldoni in 2017)

The texts include another alleged exchange, where Lively and Slate discuss their admiration for Spears before Baldoni reportedly made a disturbing comment about the singer; (Spears in 2018)

‘And then later when you said you used to stare at Britney Spears midsection for hours (before you finished and said what an athlete she was and how remarkable she seemed as a young girl) he jumped in and said “same” and giggled but then eye rolled when we just looked at him,’ Lively texted.

Slate replied, ‘Yes exactly. Those are two perfect examples, the first one an example of a total overstep and unwanted comment, the second is such a great example of how now i just feel inclined to shut down be i don’t want to invite any other comments from him, it’s just gross and stupid.’ 

Daily Mail has not received a response to its request for comment from reps for Baldoni.

The unsealed texts come almost a year after Baldoni’s awkward hug with Spears in 2017 resurfaced, following Lively’s decision to drop her sexual harassment lawsuit against him in December 2024.

Speaking with Fuse, Baldoni reflected on Spears’ guest appearance on Jane the Virgin, where he appeared in 99 episodes.

‘I know she was a fan of the show,’ Baldoni said. ‘We were shooting, and then a few of us who weren’t in her scenes came to watch one of them.’

Baldoni noted he had been ‘a huge Britney Spears fan in high school,’ adding, ‘What adolescent boy wasn’t?’

He said he and the Grammy-winning pop star had exchanged social media messages in the past, leading him to think she would react differently to him than she did.

‘Because I had tweeted her and she had tweeted me back, I went up to her thinking we were friends — but we weren’t,’ Baldoni explained. ‘I gave her a big hug, and I think I scared her.’

‘And then later when you said you used to stare at Britney Spears midsection for hours (before you finished and said what an athlete she was and how remarkable she seemed as a young girl) he jumped in and said “same” and giggled but then eye rolled when we just looked at him,’ Lively texted; (Spears in 2002)

Baldoni added that his fellow cast members were laughing at the awkward exchange, and he wondered, ‘Did I just harass Britney Spears?’

The newly unsealed messages from Lively and Slate follow other texts attributed to Slate, which suggest she also had a negative experience working on It Ends With Us.

In messages sent to a confidante, Slate described the shoot as ‘really gross and disturbing’.

According to court records obtained by the Daily Mail, the 43-year-old actress was questioned about those texts during a deposition on 26 September in New York, as part of the ongoing legal dispute.

During the deposition, attorneys reviewed messages Slate — who played Allysa in the film — sent to her former agent, in which she criticised both Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath, raising concerns about their professionalism.

In one message, Slate wrote: ‘It’s like fascinating and also so s*****. Justin and Jamey are truly unfit.’

She repeatedly referenced Lively, expressing concern for her friend and colleague while filming under Baldoni’s direction.

‘I’m not scared or anything, just repulsed and deeply irritated, and I know Blake is experiencing that on a much more serious level,’ Slate wrote.

The unsealed texts emerge nearly a year after Baldoni’s awkward 2017 hug with Spears resurfaced, as he later reflected on her guest appearance on Jane the Virgin where he appeared in 99 episodes

Baldoni said he went up to Spears and gave her a big hug, noticed his castmates laughing at the awkward moment, and wondered, ‘Did I just harass Britney Spears?’ 

Slate further questioned Baldoni’s public image, saying she was surprised he had previously delivered a TED Talk and alleging his behaviour on set conflicted with that persona.

‘He is worse than most of the bros I’ve encountered,’ she wrote, adding that she viewed him as ‘a false ally’ and rejected what she described as his ‘male feminist’ image.

The actress also said she was uncomfortable participating in promotional activities alongside Baldoni or Heath, calling Heath ‘truly unprofessional’.

In additional messages, Slate predicted escalating problems during production, writing that she feared things were ‘about to get really bad’ and alleging that Lively had already endured ‘a lot of crap’ on set.

‘Justin and Jamey freak me out,’ she added, claiming they told ‘really weird lies’ and that Baldoni was ‘astoundingly wrongheaded’. 

Slate’s texts were unsealed alongside Lively’s messages with her It Ends With Us co-star Brandon Sklenar, where they appear to slam Baldoni.

In the exchange obtained by the Daily Mail, Lively texts, ‘He’s bats***,’ while Sklenar responds that Baldoni is ‘definitely scrambling’ and ‘totally f***ing himself for any future work’.

Lively then fires back, ‘Oh, you don’t know the first of it,’ before making further claims against Baldoni.

In messages sent to a confidante, Slate also described the shoot as ‘really gross and disturbing’

According to the unsealed messages, she wrote: ‘Yeah, the crazy thing is I would’ve continued to let him take credit for everything. He would’ve been handed a career. He would’ve been f***ing on his next job, but at least he would have been a big success.

‘And he’ll still hit. But the word is out. And I’ve been protecting it from getting out because all I want to do is focus on the work and not be pulled into the f***ing mess they make.

‘But they wreak havoc everywhere they go. And everyone sees it. Then they come to me.’

Lively then recalls a moment on set when Baldoni allegedly leaned in and told Sklenar he had something to say but stopped himself, warning he would ‘probably get canceled’ and adding that ‘you can’t say anything on this set anymore’.

Sklenar replies that he vaguely remembers the exchange but does not recall whether Baldoni ever explained what he meant.

Lively also claims Baldoni frequently tried to pull others into what she characterizes as his ‘messiness,’ framing the comment as her personal impression of his conduct.

The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has been ongoing for more than a year.

Lively filed her lawsuit in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress, including claims of body shaming and attempts to damage her reputation.

Lively filed her lawsuit in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress, including claims of body shaming and attempts to damage her reputation 

Her suit also named several of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backers, and PR personnel.

Baldoni previously sought $250 million in damages from The New York Times over a report he said was defamatory, later adding it to a $400 million suit filed in January 2025.

His lawsuit named Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, though the case was dismissed in June.

All parties have denied the allegations against them.