Justin Baldoni’s ‘Gross’ Britney Spears Comment Exposed In Unsealed Texts

Blake Lively and Jenny Slate’s private messages are now stepping into the spotlight, and they paint a far darker picture of what the “It Ends With Us” set allegedly felt like behind the scenes. In newly unsealed texts tied to Lively’s lawsuit against director and co-star Justin Baldoni, the actresses appear to recount moments they say crossed professional lines, including Lively’s claim that he called her “hot,” followed by “ok sexy,” and a separate exchange where Justin Baldoni allegedly chimed in on a conversation about Britney Spears in a way that left them unsettled.

The messages surfaced as part of Lively’s 2024 lawsuit, in which she accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, claims the director denies. Lively filed her lawsuit in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, including claims of body shaming and attempts to damage her reputation. Her suit also named several of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backers, and PR personnel.

Baldoni previously sought $250 million in damages from The New York Times over a report he said was defamatory, later adding it to a $400 million suit filed in January 2025. His lawsuit named Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane, though the case was dismissed in June. All parties have denied the allegations against them.

In the court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Slate, who described the shoot as “really gross and disturbing” in other texts, tells Lively about what she calls Baldoni’s “unprofessional behavior” and the “weird stuff he pulled” during the first half of filming.

“I mean, even him recording our conversation on his phone without asking us first,” Lively chimed in.

She then called it “alarming behavior,” recalling, “You were standing there for the thing he said to me when he said I look hot. I said that’s not what I’m going for, and he said ‘ok sexy.’ Then he made a joke, asked if he crossed a line, and I said yes – he must’ve missed the sexual harassment meeting.”

The texts then turn to another alleged exchange in which Lively and Slate express admiration for Spears before Baldoni reportedly makes a disturbing comment about the singer.

“And then later when you said you used to stare at Britney Spears’ midsection for hours (before you finished and said what an athlete she was and how remarkable she seemed as a young girl) he jumped in and said ‘same’ and giggled, but then eye rolled when we just looked at him,” Lively texted.

Slate replied, “Yes, exactly. Those are two perfect examples, the first one an example of a total overstep and unwanted comment, the second is such a great example of how now I just feel inclined to shut down [because] I don’t want to invite any other comments from him, it’s just gross and stupid.”

As the texts made the rounds online, Daily Mail readers didn’t exactly respond with sympathy. Instead, many slammed the exchange as petty, immature, and wildly unworthy of a courtroom battle.

“OMG what high school drama IS this? I can’t believe it’s a lawsuit. I pity the jury and judge. Well, anyone in the courtroom, really,” one commenter raged, while another wrote, “This is getting silly and stupid. What are they in high school? Millions of men have made remarks about Britney Spears.”

Others aimed their frustration at what they viewed as behavior that should’ve been handled in the moment, not through litigation.  “Baldoni is an immature flirt. His type of behavior is usually dealt with by people with verbal rebuke, not the courts. This matter has outlived itself,” one reader claimed.

And while some took issue with the alleged conduct, others criticized the overall vibe of the messages themselves, with one commenter saying, “If this is the tone of the private conversations, it’s disappointing. The priority should have been making the film, not gossiping about others.”

The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has been ongoing for more than a year, with both sides repeatedly rejecting the other’s claims. The newly unsealed messages are the latest filings to add fuel to a high-stakes, high-profile courtroom clash tied to the making of “It Ends With Us.”