New York, New York – In newly unsealed text messages, Jenny Slate slammed her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni as a “fraud” and claimed that the production felt “really gross and disturbing”.
Per People, the 43-year-old actor’s texts to her team were unsealed on Tuesday ahead of a summary judgment hearing amid Baldoni’s court battle against Blake Lively, who played the female lead in It Ends With Us.
Slate told her team that she did not want to do any promotional events with Baldoni, who directed the movie in addition to starring as its male lead.
“Justin is truly a false ally and I’m unwilling to do anything that promotes the image that he’s crafting as a ‘male feminist’ … like … honestly i have no words to describe what a fraud he is,” Slate said.
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Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character, further slammed the 41-year-old filmmaker as “the biggest clown” and “the most intense narcissist.”
Perhaps most notably, Slate alluded to some of Lively’s allegations against Baldoni in another message that described It Ends With Us as “a really gross and disturbing shoot, and I’m one of many who feel [this] way.”
The Parks and Recreation star added that both she and Lively had “both complained directly” to the studio about the director’s behavior.
Slate had previously said in a deposition that Baldoni had told her she looked “sexy” on set – a remark she called “unwanted” and “not appropriate” for a work environment.
She added that she “didn’t feel comfortable” complaining about the comment at the time, explaining, “He was my boss, and I just wanted to do my work and leave.”
Lively and Slate both avoided Baldoni during press events for It Ends With Us when the film debuted in August 2024, and the Gossip Girl alum went on to sue Baldoni that December.
In her initial lawsuit, Lively accused the actor-director of creating a “hostile work environment” and sexually harassing her.
The suit revealed that an “all-hands-on-deck meeting” was held to demand changes in Baldoni’s behavior on set, with Lively’s team adding in an updated claim that other women involved in the production had also felt uncomfortable around him.
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She further alleged that Baldoni attempted to “destroy” her reputation by hiring a PR team to lead a retaliatory smear campaign against her.
Baldoni, who has denied the allegations, subsequently sued Lively for defamation and extortion, but his case was tossed by a judge a few months later.
The co-stars are currently scheduled to go to trial in May, but the judge presiding over the case has recommended that the parties attempt to reach a settlement.
