Justin Baldoni speaks out about ‘intense year’ in newly shared interview amid It Ends With Us lawsuit

Actor and director Justin Baldoni has opened up about his ‘intense year’ in a newly published interview.

Baldoni is currently embroiled in a series of complex lawsuits with It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.

Reports of a rift between the film's main stars began to circulate ahead of the film's premiere, before Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment and a subsequent 'social manipulation' campaign against her.

The actor would then respond with a lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for numerous allegations, including defamation.

Both parties have subsequently denied all allegations made in the respective suits.

Baldoni has counter-sued Lively (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

The actors are currently scheduled to face off in trial in March 2026, with legal representatives for both camps recently clashing during their first pre-trial hearing.

An interview with Baldoni - which had been recorded prior to the lawsuits in November 2024 - saw the actor open up about his 'intense year' in conversation with Samir Mourani on an episode of his Gent’s Talk Podcast.

During the hour-long podcast, Mourani asked various questions about Baldoni's life and career, which prompted the actor to give a candid response on how he was feeling at the time.

Revealing a text message that he'd sent to his best friend and the president of his production company, Baldoni said: "I told them that I was exhausted that I haven’t given myself time to recover or time to heal. I had an intense year.

"A lot of material success and a lot of emotional stress. It was very hard on me and my family."

Explaining that he'd been struggling from anxiety, he continued: "I sent this text this morning and I just said 'I love you both', I just need to you to know that I'm not in the best place.

"I realised that I just haven't given myself the time to heal from this year."

Meanwhile both Baldoni and Lively's lawyers have received a stern warning from a New York judge over their conduct while attending a pre-trial hearing.

During the 90-minute hearing, the judge told their respective lawyers Michael Gottilieb and Bryan Freedman that he would be forced to move the trial date forward if they continue to give statements to the press.

LADbible Group has approached a representative of Blake Lively for comment.