Lively Takes the Stand: Blake Lively's Testimony in the Rising Trial
Set to provide sworn testimony in the upcoming trial - Set to provide sworn testimony during trial proceedings.
Gear up, folks! It's about to get heated in the courtroom as actress Blake Lively (37, y'all) is set to take the stand in the sensational trial against her "It Ends with Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni (41). And guess what? Her lawyer Mike Gottlieb confirmed it all to good ol' U.S. People mag!
"You bet your sweet bippy!" Gottlieb said when asked if Lively would testify. "The crunch time for a plaintiff's case is right there in the courtroom. You can bet your bottom dollar we expect that to be the case here. No doubts, we expect her to be a witness in her trial. And yeah, she'll testify."
Witness Call: Sizeable Lineup
But Lively ain't the only one stepping up to the hot seat. Gottlieb also hinted at a sizeable witness lineup. "There are people who've seen some shenanigans or experienced 'em themselves, which is right up Mrs. Lively's alley," he underscored. "We reckon their accounts, especially those about on-set happenings, are gonna jive with her stories."
Rumors of Lively's involvement in the trial picked up steam in late April, after her fiery speech at the Time100 Gala. Before spilling the beans on stage about her mom surviving an attack from a "workplace pal bent on takin' her life" before Lively was even twinkle in her daddy's eye, the actress dropped a few hints about the case, saying, "There's a boatload to share about the last two years of my life."
As for whether the handsome hubs, Ryan Reynolds (48), will also lay it on the line remains unclear. He's currently on Baldoni's counter-charge list, but Lively's team is pushing to ditch those claims as "unwarranted." "Our theory is they're bogus," Gottlieb added, with a possibility of Reynolds taking the stand or not "depending on the situation."
Star Power and Subpoenas: Whose Side Are They On?
Recent whispers suggest Baldoni's team might be eyeing some heavy-hitters like Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman for the stand. Gottlieb thinks that's a waste of everybody's time: "It's a real head-scratcher why these celebrities would be of any consequence to the case. This is a case about what Blake experienced when she cried foul on set. It ain't a case about which tunes made it into the flick. It ain't a case about cartoon crusaders in Deadpool flicks."
Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman vehemently disagreed with Gottlieb's take in a statement, branding Lively as trying to divert attention from the case facts. "Folks, the truth is the last thing Lively's side wants to face. The truth's been crystal clear through raw evidence, documents, and footage," Freedman stated.
The Nitty Gritty of the Legal Muddle
It all started during filming for "It Ends with Us" in 2024 and hit the screens in August. In December, Lively filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, followed swiftly by a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and the hatchet job on her reputation. The lawsuit's aimed at Wayfarer Studios and a whole mess of folks involved in the production.
Baldoni denies the allegations and hit back with a $400 million counter-suit, accusing Lively, Reynolds, Lively's publicist, Leslie Sloane, and their firm, Vision PR, of defamation and extortion – charges Lively's lawyers dismiss as "unwarranted."
The trial's set to kick off in March 2026.
- Blake Lively
- Justin Baldoni
- Ryan Reynolds
- Leslie Sloane
- Vision PR
- Mrs.
- Taylor Swift
- Hugh Jackman
- Bryan Freedman
- Mike Gottlieb
- Blake Lively, the co-star in Justin Baldoni's movie "It Ends with Us", will testify in the upcoming trial against him.
- Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively's husband, might also take the stand, but the specifics are yet to be confirmed.
- Leslie Sloane, a publicist, and Vision PR, her firm, are also involved in the legal proceedings.
- Justin Baldoni's legal team has hinted at potential witnesses including celebrities like Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman, a move that has been disputed by Blake Lively's team as unnecessary to the case.
