Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively Was 'Setting Me Up for a Trap' by Refusing Body Double in Intimate Scenes: Unsealed Texts

The tension between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively doesn’t appear to be cooling off anytime soon.

According to a newly unsealed private message, Baldoni claimed Lively made filming It Ends With Us especially difficult during an intimate scene. In a text sent to his former agent, Danny Greenberg, on December 30, 2023, Baldoni said Lively had given him a “really, really bad week” on set.

At the center of the dispute was Lively’s reported refusal to use a body double during s-- scenes — a decision that allegedly caused enough friction for Sony executives and producer Todd Black to get involved.

“That’s just setting me up for a trap,” Baldoni wrote, claiming Lively wanted a body double used for him instead.

He went on to say that Lively had contacted him directly and suggested meeting privately at her home, before disagreements escalated over how the film’s intimate moments should be handled.

In the same exchange, Baldoni described working with Lively as “very draining” and “time consuming.” He also referred to the situation as “a giant clusterf----,” adding that he had given The Age of Adaline star “95 percent of what she wants for peace.”

Just days later, on January 4, 2024, Baldoni, Lively, Ryan Reynolds and studio representatives attended an “all-hands” meeting to address a list of 17 protections Lively requested before filming resumed following the industry strikes.

Those protections, which were formally agreed to in mid-November 2023, were meant to address concerns surrounding on-set conduct and overall safety.

However, a source close to Lively pushed back on Baldoni’s claims.

“These messages were sent only after Blake had laid out in detail the numerous ways that Baldoni and Heath had created a hostile work environment on the set, after they agreed to more than a dozen 'protections' for the safety of the cast and crew, and just days ahead of the January 4 meeting at which these protections would be discussed before filming resumed,” the source said.

“The text chain underscores Baldoni’s retaliatory intent,” the insider continued. “It reflects his private anger over the same safeguards that he had said in public were both 'reasonable' and 'essential,' and which he later admitted in his deposition were reasonable, including his resentment for having to show up to an 'all hands' meeting he had also agreed to.”

As OK! previously reported, the former costars have been locked in a legal and public battle for more than a year. Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her, while Baldoni has denied the allegations and claimed Lively was attempting to damage his reputation.

Baldoni also filed a lawsuit against The New York Times over its coverage of the controversy, though the case was later dismissed.

Since the dispute became public, several behind-the-scenes clips from the film have surfaced — and none have reflected well on either star.

In one video, Baldoni, who starred in and directed the movie, joked about missing “sexual harassment training.” He was also heard commenting that Lively’s character’s bulky outfit was “pretty hot,” before pointing out something in her teeth and saying something inaudible.

He later turned to costar Jenny Slate and said, “Sorry, I missed the sexual harassment training.”

Additional footage revealed that Lively attempted to improvise an unscripted kiss with Baldoni in a deleted scene, further fueling the ongoing controversy.