BLAKE HITS OUT AT 'SMEAR CAMPAIGN'

Blake Lively has described the ongoing pressure she feels from what she calls a “smear campaign” by her former It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni and his team.

The 37-year-old actress made the admission during a recent deposition in New York City, according to a transcript released after a court order.

Lively and Baldoni have been in a morsige running battle since she filed a lawsuit in December against Justin and his Wayfarer Studios team alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. 

Baldoni countersued for $400 million, but his case was dismissed by the judge in June.

According to People, which obtained a section of the deposition, she was asked by an unnamed lawyer for Justin: “When did the smear campaign end?”

Blake replied: “It doesn't feel like it’s ended.”

When the lawyer followed up by asking: “It’s still ongoing?”, Blake replied: “It feels that way, yes.”

The attorney then asked: “Who do you believe is involved in the ongoing smear campaign?”

Gossip Girl actress Blake answered: “I believe – outside of what I know through attorneys – I believe that the defendants are involved.”

And when the attorney asked her “Which ones?" Blake said: “All of them. And I believe you are.”

She also told the attorney: “I believe the act of a retaliatory lawsuit and the press that you have done and the statements that you have made about me and my character have felt incredibly retaliatory.”

A portion of the deposition was made public following Judge Lewis J. Liman’s order from 8 August, revealing the tense exchange between Blake and a lawyer representing Justin, 41.

The trial in the case is scheduled for March 2026.