Blake Lively’s brother-in-law Bart Johnson has some regrets concerning recent comments he made on social media — comments many interpreted as a slam against Justin Baldoni amid Lively’s legal battle with the It Ends with Us director.
When Lively first filed her complaint, Johnson — a High School Musical star who’s also married to Lively’s sister, Teen Witch alum Robyn Lively — took to X and posted, “He’s a fraud. He puts on the ‘costume’ of a hero, man bun and all. Used all of the trendy catchphrases & buzz words for his podcasts. None of it’s genuine. It’s all theater. And everyone fell for it. For years.”
He didn’t specifically mention Baldoni in his post, though many presumed that’s who he was speaking about. He also defended Lively in the comments of New York Times’ initial post about her complaint, saying, “The cast unfollowed him for a reason,” before accusing Baldoni’s team of trying to “bury her by any means necessary.”
After he deleted his post to X in the time since, Johnson was asked on Tuesday by a follower, “What’s your take now that Blake lively and Ryan Reynolds have been exposed as liars and egotistic narcissists? Why’d you delete that tweet?”Getty/InstagramJustin Baldoni’s Mom Urges Him to ‘Keep Your Integrity’ in Birthday Tribute Amid Blake Lively Legal BattleView Story
“My comment wasn’t for any individual. Never said a name. It was directed at a certain ‘type’ that I find performative and disingenuous when they post clips of themselves being ‘amazing’ and even add sappy music to enhance it. There’s a lot of that out there,” he replied, before following that up with a lengthier, standalone apology later.
“Anytime I’ve said anything unkind about someone I’ve regretted it. Fortunately that’s almost never and definitely not when I’m at my best. Regardless if it’s true or not, if it’s my opinion, even if I’m trying to speak truth or stand up for someone, it’s never good,” he wrote.
“Even in times where it might ‘feel’ justified and doing the right thing, it makes no difference. There’s a better way. It’s below the standard I have for myself and I regret it. I do sincerely apologize to anyone I’ve hurt or let down by saying something that sounds mean,” he continued. “I’ll do better. If you follow me you know you’ll be hard pressed to find more than 1 time I’ve criticized anyone on social. It’s not my jam.”
“You can easily find a million times I’ve uplifted, support, encourage and uplifted my family, friends, followers & strangers,” he concluded. “That’s what I’m committed to and where I find my happiness. We all have flaws and I’m definitely a work in progress and doing my best to grow and be better. Sending ALL my love to ALL of you.”GettyWhat Justin Baldoni Claims Ryan Reynolds ‘Swore’ at Him for ‘Fat-Shaming’ Blake Lively: LawsuitView Story
Some of his followers — or Baldoni supporters — however, weren’t having it.
“So you publicly rag on someone on social media, before you know any of the facts, then post an egotistical ‘apology’ then quote Buddah? Who is the fraud now?” asked one, turning Johnson’s initial post against him.
“What did I say that wasn’t true? Define fraud. I didn’t do anything phony,” he hit back.
“Oh please, it reeks of self serving damage control. You rushed to judgment (which your faith feels strongly about, yes?) and intentionally damaged another’s reputation,” the follower responded. “Just like with Blake’s behaviors, people are seeing right through it. Grab your florals and testify coach.”
Johnson responded again, saying, “Call it what ever you want. Let me ask again … What did I say that wasn’t true?” Johnson then complimented the critic’s profile photo — a still from the movie Say Anything — telling them it was one of his favorite movies and adding, “The 80s rules!!!”Getty/HandoutPhotos of Justin Baldoni ‘Being Held’ in ‘Basement’ to Avoid Blake Lively at Movie Premiere SurfaceView Story
Another critic said that Johnson “attempting to backtrack” was even “worse than the original tweet.”
“You still reposed it tho. Thanks for that,” Johnson replied. “It’s the ole….you can never do any anything to make people happy. That’s why most people never apologize about anything. It’s always met with more criticism. Oh well. I [tried].”
Someone else said they found it “strange” he didn’t include a “direct apology” to Baldoni in his message — adding, “Is avoiding litigation your ‘jam’?”
That comment got a longer response from Johnson.
“Now I’m gonna get sued? for what? I find those type of podcasts phony. I do. That’s not a crime. But I do feel bad rippin on them. That’s literally all I said,” he replied. “But … Just like you and all the toxic and hatful comments I get from his fans wishing me and my children harm and calling me all the vile names you can imagine, it’s not a crime. People are free to do so and I’m not mad.”
“I get it. It IS ironic, tho. Definitely ironic,” he continued. “I bet those commenters don’t feel bad for all their hate. But that’s different. Right? Haven’t had 1 single fan of his apologize for being mean. Gotta love the irony. That fine. I can take the beatings. You think I deserve it? Okay that’s fine too. Movin on. Can’t let it get me down. Keep bein me. 2025 gonna be great!! Let’s goooooo…”GettyA Simple Favor 2 Director Addresses Rumors Film Has Been Shelved Amid Blake Lively LawsuitView Story
The Legal Battle
On December 31, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for its coverage of Lively’s legal complaint, in which she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, as well as claiming he and others orchestrated a smear campaign against her. Lively later filed a federal lawsuit of her own, in which she reiterated the claims she alleged in the complaint.
In his lawsuit, Baldoni and the other plaintiffs — including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — accuse the publication of libel, invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract, claiming they “deliberately” misled readers. The suit also accuses the paper of relying on Lively’s “unverified and self-serving narrative,” which they say is full of “blatant falsehoods and egregious misrepresentations.”
In a statement to TMZ, a New York Times spokesperson said, “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article. To date, Wayfarer Studios, Mr. Baldoni, the other subjects of the article and their representatives have not pointed to a single error. We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well. We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”Getty/TikTokBethenny Frankel Has ‘Craziest’ It Ends with Us Premiere Story: ‘The Vibe Was Off’View Story
In a statement to The New York Post, Lively’s attorneys addressed Baldoni’s lawsuit.
“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,” the statement read. “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,” they added. “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.”20th Century Studios/Marvel/GettyJustin Baldoni’s Lawyer Says ‘No Question’ Viral Deadpool & Wolverine Scene Is About His ClientView Story
The battle reached a new level on January 16 when Baldoni filed a massive defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane. In it, the plaintiffs “set the record straight,” following allegations from Lively accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and his team of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her in the media.
In the filing, Baldoni’s team argues any backlash Lively received in the lead-up to the release of It Ends with Us were her own doing — saying, “The suggestion that Wayfarer caused the online backlash against her is absurd given the evidence of her own insensitivity.” They also accuse Lively of having Baldoni — who directed the movie — iced out of his own film, saying she took over both scripts and editing duties.
The suit is seeking no less than $400 million in damages.
Last week, Lively and Reynolds filed a letter asking the court to issue a gag order from Baldoni’s legal team, which is led by Freedman, whom the couple claims has been engaging in “improper conduct,”
