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is no Filter with Zach Peter your go to source for all the latest pop culture and reality TVT serve fresh all week long. Now let's dive in.
C
Happy Tuesday, Zach hi Donna.
D
Bowling.
B
What an exciting day after day.
C
It's not only Cinco de Mayo, it's Taco Tuesday.
B
It is Taco Tuesday and it's the day after the Met Gala. And I think you saw we had a someone stole the red carpet looks at the Met Gala yesterday. Yesterday. I feel like we had such whiplash with all the breaking news that was coming out.
C
Yesterday was a wild day, like a very fever dream situation. You and I had just started the day doing a normal thing and then of course the settlement gets announced and the statement and then we went live and talked about it and we were, we were in our feelings all day yesterday.
B
We I mean I feel like even through today I feel like we've been in a time warp that I'm like, wait, what is like what has happened in the last 48 hours? We, we left Friday being like, okay, we're gonna do a two week count countdown to tour. We were gearing up for this podcast that we were planning on launching where we were gonna chronicle everything that's happened in this saga and we weren' end and I don't know about you, I have a lot of questions still about this case, about this settlement, about this statement and how we got here. And I feel like we deserve answers
C
do and kind of fell into our lap this morning that we were going to have an opportunity to sit and have a conversation with the lead attorney on the Wayfarer side, Brian Friedman. So that is what we're going to be doing today. We're we're just waiting a couple minutes for Brian to wrap something else up and he's going to be joining us. But if you guys are new here, welcome to the show. Both Donna and Zach. We are both streaming on our own channels so you can subscribe to both of us. And we have been covering this case pretty Much. Almost daily, if not weekly. Since December of 2024.
B
I mean, it's been a two year saga. Well, but by the time.
C
Yeah, yeah, we're very, like, fresh on all the dates because Zach and I were just in the process of putting out a recap podcast of the trial. So for the last weekend, Zach and I were spending all our time, like, researching. We scripted this podcast and now we know everything. Like, we know the dates of every interview. We know the dates of the premiere. We know exactly when this happens. So I feel like we're. We're very schooled.
B
We are very schooled. We. We did. We did our history lesson. And I don't know, should we still release the podcast? Do people even care about it anymore?
C
Really? Good question. I think that I've gotten a resounding amount of people saying, yes, we need closure. Like, I want to hear the. The story. Almost like a documentary, right? Like, what happened? What were the facts? How did it end?
B
This is how it end. It ended with the settlement, and it ended on the Met Gala red carpet.
C
Hopefully she ended on the red carpet.
B
I just. Well, I mean, I thought it was also very interesting that she stood on that red carpet solo. There was no Ryan Reynolds by her side.
C
This is a very interesting thought. Yeah, Ryan made the active choice to not attend. Look who's here. To not attend. And, you know, it wasn't. It was a choice. I. Either it was the choice of let's let Blake have her moment. Like, all eyes on Blake, or there could be a reason behind it. I don't know. I don't know. So if you guys are new here, make sure to subscribe. Brian's going to be joining us any minute. Would love to hear any questions from you guys. If you have any burning questions, there's obviously going to be things he won't be able to answer, but we can always try. We've never.
B
I think. I think I'm gonna ask all the questions. I mean, I want to know about the settlement. I want to know about the statement. I want to know about. I mean, he got wrapped up into this litigation himself. Like, he was. He had, you know, we had his affidavit where he talked about, you know, talking to somebody on Taylor Swift's case camp. Like, I have so many questions for Brian Friedman.
C
That part is still such a crazy moment. I'll never forget getting that. That, like, piece of information that someone in Taylor's camp reached out to Brian saying that she was being blackmailed to delete all the text messages. Like, what was the craziest. What is one of the craziest moments for you in this trial? I mean, in this case, I think the.
B
Well, the sexual harassment getting gutted like that, when that day happened, that was like, whoa, Blake's case is completely obl. Obliterated. The Taylor text messages and the. And the Ryan Reynolds text messages and seen all the players. We had, what was it? Matt Damon? We had Ben Affleck. We had so many people that then got wrapped into it. That was crazy.
C
That was, that was a nutty discovery when we were reading those text messages. The fact that Ryan Reynolds writes text messages that are 18 paragraphs long is illegal on its own. Like, he should be held in some sort of contempt for that. Like, that is insane. But also, I see your super chats. We're going to get to your super chats in just a moment. But also very, very interesting. The, the, for me was the day, it was a Friday night when we received word that Justin was releasing his updated or amended complaint. Do you remember that I went live that Saturday for like six, six hours and talked about everything and that's when we discovered the perineum.
B
Oh, the perineum.
C
Never ever forget that. Just that Ryan Reynolds talks about his perineum in this court case.
B
Before we dive into that, I did just want to give some love in the club to today's sponsor because today's episode would not be possible without Casper. Cass. I just placed my order for my first Casper mattress. It is coming in this week and I'm so excited because Casper is a sponsor of the podcast this week. This podcast is sponsored by Casper. Casper makes reliable, high quality mattresses designed to deliver consistent, comfortable sleep night after night. Casper mattresses are highly rated by Consumer Reports and out of 99 mattresses, Consumer Reports named Casper Casper's the One Mattress. They have a mattress called the One. And Casper's the One Mattress is their top rated all foam mattress of 2026. So if you're in the market for a new mattress or a mattress upgrade, because that's what I'm doing, I'm upgrading my old mattress, getting me a new mattress from Casper, and I'm very excited about it. And if you want to join me and upgrade your mattress, you can head on over to Casper.com and save 20% on the. On the mattress that you deserve. Casper mattresses are built to be durable and long lasting. So you're not replacing your mattress every few years. Their products are designed to withstand the test of time. So I feel like I've now chosen my forever mattress. I don't have a ring. Well, not on this finger. I'm not married. No man has put a ring on it. So that commitment has not yet happened. But now I feel like I've made the real long term commitment, and that's to Casper with this mattress commitment. I'm very excited about it, and I feel like you guys are going to like it too. Casper offers a wide range of mattress types. So whether you like your mattress firm or soft or somewhere in between, there's something for you@casper.com so go and check them out. Listen, there's no sponsor that I. That I use more or that I will be using more than Casper because now I'm going to be sleeping with Casper every night on my bed. I'm excited. I can't wait. I'll give you all the deets as soon as my mattress comes in. I got one that's supposed to help for people that run a little warm in the bed. So it's supposed to be a little temperature controlled, keep me nice and cool. It's uber luxe, and I'm very excited. So right now you can save 20% on mattresses when you go to Casper.com one last time. That's Casper C A S P E R dot com and save 20% on the mattress you. You deserve. Yeah, I feel like all of the messages we got, like, that felt like those were private messages that, like, should have never been revealed to the public. And I don't think they ever expected any of that to come out publicly. I think they really believed that they were going to be able to conceal this and keep it all inside. And then it just continued to get worse and worse. And I feel like it completely obliterated her reputation. I don't know how anybody will want to work with Blake Lively after this. Considering how litigious she's now shown to be and how much she and her husband and her Hollywood friends and Ari Emanuel at wme, like, how they're so willing to go the distance to destroy somebody's reputation just because one of their friends says so.
C
It's kind of almost scary to think about Hollywood and the powers that be, having William Morris behind you, how you could just completely destroy someone's life, get him dropped so fast, like, that was really the darkest. Another huge discovery that we got in that amended complaint was the statement that Ryan and Blake had wanted Justin and Jamie to release. Remember, this was our fault on the set, etc. Okay, everyone, you've been waiting. You've been excited. So are we. We are so thrilled, so honored to welcome Brian Friedman to the stage. Brian, thank you.
D
Thank you. And. And by the way, thank you both. I. I like, I've been watching for. It feels like years, but I think it's probably a year and a half. But. But I. I've been watching and I'm blown away at the job that people, both of you do in different ways. I mean, you're both. And your personalities, your research, your knowledge, it's.
B
It's.
D
It's like nothing I've ever seen.
C
Oh, that's really nice. And that's crazy that you're telling us that because we're sitting here and we were fan. I'm going to say fangirling. Sorry, Zach. We were fan girling over so many of your moves in this case. I mean, we had heard of you, but to see your work in this case was really, really cool to watch unfold.
D
Oh, that's really nice. You know, it. It really. I don't know if anybody remembers at this point, but day one, when that New York Times article came out, I mean, I don't know if Justin had his family behind him at that point. I mean, it was. It was a dis.
B
It was a disaster, and it was like a huge mess. I mean, Donna and I have talked about how we fought about it. Cause Donna was so, like, you know, equipped to just, you know, believe the allegations that were laid out. And I was a little more on the side. You know, I was trying to be a little more discerning and saying I need to hear the other side of the story. I'm sensing some red flags in this article, and I think we need a little more context before I can bake a fully, you know, a full opinion about this. And I'm. I'm glad to say that despite. Despite being one of the few that came out to question some of the things in that article, I definitely feel exonerated. How are you feeling coming out of this settlement announcement yesterday?
D
Mixed emotions. But, you know, look, when. When the summary judgment motion was granted, right. That the 10 out of 13 claims and the motion for judgment on the pleadings was granted, that was kind of the moment, right? That was kind of the celebratory moment. Not that we celebrated, but it was the celebratory moment. Because what it really did was it took Justin out of the case completely. Jamie out of the case completely. Jen Abel out of the case completely. Steve Sarawitz out of the case completely. Those individuals were not a part of the case anymore. Melissa Nathan was not in the case individually anymore. And while the case continued with the three claims that were left, it ends with us, the movie llc. It was Wayfair Studios and it was the Agency Group, and that changed everything about the case. And I can't tell you, like, so many crazy things have happened that I'll just call you, you know, and I'm not exceedingly spiritual at all a little bit. But, you know, but, but like, like you, you know, when, when, when this all came down and I was going to Wayfarer Studios for the first, first time, and I remember leaving my house and it was a few days before the fires in, in the Palisades, and I remember leaving my house, and I, I, I looked at my wife and I said, you want to come? It's going to Wayfair Studios. And she's like, sure. And I said to my, my elder son, do you want to come? And he said, sure. And, you know, we watch these people and, you know, I had tears in my eyes. I mean, they, they were destroyed. They were broken. And, you know, and, and that's when we found the upside down emojis, and we found things that didn't make sense and, and, and, and, and things that weren't right and didn't line up with the evidence and whether it was the hold it, Come into my trailer. Yeah, you know, he went, he went into my trailer, and when I was breastfeeding and there was the, you know, the text message said, come in my trailer. I'm pumping. Right. And you know, and all of a sudden things didn't seem to add up. Like, nobody really looked at this all that closely was real shock. And then trying to put the timeline together, trying to say, hey, look, everybody should make their own decision on their own. Let's put the evidence out there. And I don't remember another case where that happened, but I don't also remember another case where it needed so badly to happen to put that stuff out there and let people decide.
C
Yeah, I, I, oh, sorry, Zach. Just really quickly, I just think, you know, that was a moment that really changed the course of this case, at least for people like me, who was a little bit on the fence because I, my, my inclination was to believe the allegations, but seeing the evidence was so huge. It was such an important part of this case. Had, had you not put it all out there with the website, with the amended complaint, with the, all the text messages and everything, I think there would have been so many people that would, oh, no, let's Just believe her. Let's just believe her. It was such a turning point, and that was a great choice, I think. A great lawyering choice on your end.
B
A bold choice. But I think it ultimately, to Donna's point, really paid off. Now, you mentioned that Blake's case was tossed out, and that was kind of pivotal in, you know, ultimately, I assume, how you guys reached this settlement. But being that you are an attorney, Don and I pretend that we're attorneys here on YouTube, but you're an actual attorney. And what we're seeing from, from, you know, people that are very pro lively is that those, those claims were tossed out based off of a technicality. That's kind of the language that they're using that it was a technicality that got her off on that, and it wasn't because she didn't have evidence or that the truth wasn't on her side. Can you clarify or at least put it into layman's terms, from your legal perspective on what actually happened with that decision? And can you maybe combat the technicality argument that they try to make sure.
D
When people talk about technicalities, when you look at the law and you look at what claims are made up of, claims are made up of levels of proof, and claims are made up of certain things that you need to prove to move forward into a case. So for example, you may need to prove that someone, that someone was truthful in this regard, that someone had aligned with the requirements of federal law. That someone. Federal law might require on some circumstance that someone is an employee and not an independent contractor. You know, you know, there are so many different elements to each of the claims that there are that calling something a technicality because you didn't meet one of the burdens is. Is a really tortured description of what that really means. So, so it's, you know, you can call whatever you want a technicality, but the law requires that you put prove certain elements, and if you can't prove those elements, that your case gets thrown out as a matter of law. And that's, and that's really, you know, that's really what happened here. And Judge Lyman, I'm sure, you know, you've both read the opinion a number of times, maybe more than me. And, you know, when you looked at it, you know, he was very clear in what you have to prove. If you really read it, it says the elements for this cause of action are this, this, and this, and certain things can't be proven because you didn't meet those elements. And, you know, it's Funny, because you talk about. You talk about technicalities. Well, is it a technicality that she wrote the PGA letter and talked about how much control that she actually had? And assuming that's true, it's kind of hard to go back and say, oh, no, no, no. I was an independent contractor.
C
Yeah, yeah. That PGA letter was such. It was such, like a big mistake on her end to fight that whole side of. I had no power. I had no power. But look at everything I've done. I mean, it was so wild to see.
D
Yeah.
C
My question.
D
I just wanted to correct it. It's that you knew that she was an independent contractor because she controlled her workplace. She controlled the decisions. She was involved in every decision, including hr.
B
Yeah.
C
Yeah.
B
In her own words, her own admission.
C
Absolutely. Can we talk about the settlement and the statement?
D
Sure. I can talk about it as much as I can. And restrictions.
C
You can always say you can't answer. I'm just going to ask some questions that, like, the audience is really desperate to know. I think a lot of people that have been fighting for Justin Baldoni and Wayfair on that side were frustrated seeing the statement that it didn't feel like an outright apology or something along those lines, like a dream statement where Blake would say, I am so sorry, Justin, and all. Wayfair, you know, obviously, that wasn't going to happen. The coming up with that statement was that. Is that like a negotiation? Back forth, back forth. I mean, what can you say about the statement? Is there anything you can say?
D
I can say this. The most important thing. Think to Justin. And. And, you know, and this isn't just Justin, because there's so many other individual defendants that feel like they were misrepresented as human beings, as people, and tied into things that they were not involved in. But I think the most important thing to Justin is being able to speak his truth, being able to tell the story. In most cases that get settled, there's a confidentiality that is broad. Right. That you can't say anything. You can't say anything negative about anyone. You can't say this. You can't say that. I think going into the settlement discussions and everything else, I think there were lines in the sand that. That. That, you know, that Justin's always had. He's always wanted to be able, at some point to speak and to be able to tell his truth and. And never wanted to agree to anything that would restrain that from happening because there's so many other people affected by it, too. You know, Emily, I mean, you know, wouldn't Wouldn't she want to speak her truth? And Jamie, Heath and Tasha, imagine what Natasha has been through. And, boy, you know, you know, I don't know about that birthing video, but I'll tell you something, you know, you never know. I mean, the birthing video could be a movie in and of itself. Who knows, right? A short film, seriously. But everybody has so many feelings about that. I think a part of the process of healing in anything is being able to speak about it, to share about it, because there's so many people that Justin and Jamie and Natasha and Emily can help in the world by being able to share their experience because there's someone else out there who's experienced something similar. And maybe, maybe people without the resources or without the backing to be able to fight back and say, hold it, I wasn't able to stop that. I wasn't able to do that. You know, how did you do it? And I think the cathartic nature of who you can help from your experience is really what healing is based on. And, you know, there are times with my clients, and I would say more than 10, where people are so tied up in what they're going through, and it's such a difficult moment because I deal so much with crisis and in the moment, and whether it's representing, you know, anyone from, you know, Tucker Carlson to Chris Cuomo or Chris Harrison from the Bachelor, when what happened to him is, you know, a lot of times I'll say to someone when they're really in it, let's take a ride to Children's Hospital. Let's just sit in the lobby and take a look and see what's going on, because it doesn't solve your problem, but sometimes it puts it into perspective. And another thing that I demand of clients, and this may be not right because I'm not a therapist and probably going to be brought up on the board. My next sanctions motion will be. Will be the board of psychiatrists. You know, that they'll come after me for whatever. But, but, but, you know, but, but, but the reality is, is that
B
I
D
want people to heal from the experience. So, like, part of what I ask of, of them is to be able to give back.
B
Yeah.
D
So, for instance, and, and it's been, you know, Chris has talked about it, so I'm not speaking something that would. But, you know, when, when, when Tucker Carlson was, was fired and, and, and Chris already went through what he went through at CNN in helping his brother, I said, hey, Chris, guess what? You got your first person to help. And you know, and he kind of looked at me and, and he said, why would I help him? We have nothing in common. Like, he's the other side of the spectrum. And I said, you have everything in common. You have a shared experience where you were plastered all over and made to feel worthy of something and you lost something mattered to you. And they ended up having a two hour conversation, and it was a beautiful conversation. And, you know, I have no idea whether they're still friends, probably not, but. Or anything, but they were able to be on each other's shows. And I think it was really like a healing moment for both of them. And that's, that's the only way I've been able personally to balance kind of like what I do is kind of like being tough and being this litigator with also hoping that you're making a little bit of change for people in their worst moments.
B
Absolutely. Now, Brian, there was one, I think, one sentence in the statement that a lot of people were kind of fixated on that I think you can probably give us a little more clarity on. And that was the sentence that says, we acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognized concerns. Concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserve to be heard. And I think some people took that as maybe some sort of admission of guilt in some way. Can you give us some clarity on what you meant in that part of the statement? Because obviously this was a statement that both parties had to really come together and decide to put out together with respect to the settlement.
D
Not just women, but all people should be heard, no matter what.
B
Yeah.
D
And no matter what they're feeling, it's not inorganic to Justin, to, To, you know, to believe that people should be heard for sure. And he stood for that. And he's, he's like the real deal. He's like a sweet, loving, kind person. Like, I, I, you know, I'm not really sure what happened in childhood. You know, I. Maybe I fell off my bike and lost that piece. Right. But. But this guy is re. Like, like really cares and really matters. And that's part of the reason this was so tough is because he was one of the. He's one of the good guys. He is.
C
When you would talk about him in the interviews that you would do throughout the last couple years, I really felt that from you. And, you know, I've heard that, of course, but I really felt that from you that you genuinely liked him as a client. I'm sure you've worked with people on all sides of the spectrum, so I really believed from you when you said that these are good people, that these are good people that were really thrown into an awful situation, an absolutely horrendous situation, that, and you were working hard because you liked them. I thought that that was really evident.
D
I also thought that there was so much good coming from his message. Right, because not, you know, as men, I speak to myself growing up, but as men, you're taught, don't be vulnerable. You know, hide your weakness because somebody's going to take advantage of it, of you or pick on you or something like that. And, and, and here was someone willing to really take a look at that and say, you know, and, and, and I guess there's been a lot of jokes about, made about man enough. But, but here was someone willing to really say, you know, was I right about this? And, and, and, and even to the degree where, look, when I was growing up, talking over someone that was like you at my dinner table. Right? Like, if you didn't talk over someone, you were not going to be listened to. Right. I didn't even know it was a thing for a while. And, and, and, and you, you know, you can, you can see in, in the, the evidence in the case, you know, where Justin apologizes for speaking over people and, and, and that's who he is. It's not, it's, you know, and back at my dinner table, I think if you did that, they'd say, aha, I gotcha. You know, you've admitted it, right? But, but that's not what we're here for. We're really here to get better and to be better. And I keep going, Marco's gonna love this. Right on the be better thing. But I, I think I, I just think that, that that's what we're here for. We're here to learn what we could do better. And, and, and he's a real example of that. And, and, and it's impressive.
B
Will we be hearing from him soon?
D
For sure.
B
Good.
C
I can't wait for that.
B
Do you feel like now that this has all come to an end and we've reached a settlement, I say we as if we're even. Though it does feel like all of us content creators were going through this with you. Do you feel like justice has been served now?
D
So I, I, you know, I am hardly the arbiter of justice, that's for sure. I mean, like, you know, and, and nobody would want me to be. That's the funny thing, right? Like that. That would be nuts. But, but I, I, you know, I feel like, first of all, I feel incredibly, a sense of gratitude to be able to have been involved in this and play some small part in it. And, you know, because I think culturally, socially, in every way, it's been an amazing case. The most amazing part of it has been the content creators, has been the intelligence, their willingness to fight the system. And I don't just mean the ones that are pro Justin, but the ones willing to dig into it. And I. And I'm amazed at how intelligent people are and even whether they get it right or not. I mean, and both of you are so. You're like. You're like, not just bright, but really, like, talented personalities. I mean, really interesting to watch. And I've learned that, you know, this isn't just about, like, law school didn't teach me what you guys learned. I mean, you. You. You both have uncovered stuff and dug through stuff and figured stuff out and had opinions and haven't been afraid to express them. And. And God knows you've been through a lot of, you know, vitriol. Yeah.
C
Oh. Oh, yeah. Zach and I, our. Our skin is so digital violence, Brian.
B
We've experienced all the digital violence.
D
There's good that there's people out there looking out for you.
C
Yeah, we've. We felt honestly, like an army. I think it was. You know, I. I remember the first time Justin posted on Instagram after months and months and months, and I think it was for Mother's Day or something. I think it was Mother's Day, and it was a picture of him and his wife and his kids. I can't remember. And I seriously was brought to tears because of the comments on his post. I realized it's like we are literally. We're all. We may be Republican, Democrat, white, black woman, man from America, from Switzerland, like, it doesn't matter. But we all shared this one feeling of we don't want to be taken down by bullies. We don't want to be taken down by the mean. The mean people at work or by the more powerful, more rich, more this, more that, like, the elite and that, you know, and we saw them all at the Met Gala last night, but we felt all a sense of, like, we got to keep going. It was an army. It was literally an army. And our chat is that army. Right now. I have over almost 5,000 people here watching. And, like, everyone is in the same. No, hate. I mean, everyone is. We've kind of connected through that. I think that's because of Justin and Wayfair and you and all of you guys. Jamie, everyone.
B
Brian, what Was your reaction to seeing Blake at the Met gala last night?
D
I, I, you know what? I didn't have one, actually. I mean, I, you know, there was. I, I had my, my, My funny one where I didn't win that sense of humor in my high school. I mean, it's not, it wasn't a vote, I think. I think I was close probably to the paper's editor and, you know, but yet you never know it today. Okay, that, that, that. It's not. Not in the resume. I should put it in there. No, but, but my, My, my reaction, My reaction is that we all heal in different ways and no doubt that she needs to heal and hurt. I don't. I wouldn't work for me. Dress was too long, so it wouldn't work for me. That was funny. But, but it would, would. It wouldn't be the way I do it. Right. Like, I would probably go off on a. And, and, you know, sit by myself and try to, you know, see how I could improve as a husband, as a father, as a. As a lawyer, as a, you know, whatever it is, because we all, we all play some part in something. But, but, you know, I can't speak for someone who's been an actress for 30 years. You know, I can't. I can't speak for someone who is who, you know, who has their own process. And so, you know, I have to give someone the dignity of their own journey. And so I don't really know how to answer that question. It's not how I would have healed.
C
Yeah, I think a lot of people agree with that. I think it was very shocking to everyone. It was a moment for her, but ultimately it was so surreal to see. How could you predict. What would you predict for the future? You're still working with Jen Abel, right, during the Abel Jones case, or.
D
No, I mean, we're still. First of all, this case isn't over until the judge says it's over. Right. So, you know, the judge has to approve any kind of resolution of this. It's Blake's, you know, it's, it's, it's her decision whether she dismisses the case or not. And, and then the judge has to approve that. So, so there'll be, there'll be some ministerial things that. They don't call them ministerial, but they're really probably not. Nothing's ministerial in this thing. And so the judge has to do is to deal with that, and there may be some other things that come up as a result of it. And then there's the Stephanie Jones case, which we're going to marshal all our resources on and really, you know, really dive into and move forward on that. There's some other collateral issues, and then, you know, and we'll see where things go from there. Because as you both know, more than. I mean, who knows what comes, what happens tomorrow, right?
C
Yeah. Yeah. It's been quite a time. It's been two years of our lives almost, that we've been talking about this, so it does feel a little bit. I don't know, I guess the word is. I mean, I'm so happy for everyone that's out of the case and done. I'm sure for them, it feels just like they can finally. You're right. Like, start to heal. But I. Yeah, I can't look at them the same. Not. Not Blake and Ryan. Nope. Not me. And look at them the same. We learned a lot.
D
Yep. I mean, I think. And I think everybody's learned a lot, but. But the. The one thing that you're both so talented at is there are so many people that you can help and you can find the answers to, and there's an incredible career, and maybe one day when this is over and I won't be accused of a smear campaign by talking to you or working with you. Maybe there's some way that we can all work together and find that person who's wrongfully imprisoned, find that person who's suffering from. From. From something else. And I'll tell you right now, I'd volunteer to work with you, you know, in whatever it is to help people. And. And I think you shouldn't let these talents that you have stop in any way. I think you should find that the next thing. The next thing, and the next thing. And we should. We should create something that really changes the world.
C
Brian, you're so lovely. Where is Nancy Guthrie?
D
I. What? I. I don't know. I mean, we may be late to the party there, but I'm willing to. I'm willing to take off the suit and put on the boots and start looking, you know, head to Tucson.
C
Oh, my gosh. Any last questions? I mean, I could talk to you forever, but I know you have a stacked schedule today, so I'm sure you have another interview or another conversation to have, but. Anything else, Zachy?
B
No, just. I mean, thank you. We've. Like I said, we feel like all the content creators, you know, Andy, Lauren, Elsie, who have all been good friends of ours, you know, and we've all been by your side along the way, and it feels Like, I think yesterday there may have been like a bit of a shock that it ended so abruptly as we were gearing up for trial. But I think as you've said, you know, it's, it's now time for everybody to now allow their healing process to happen and remember that this trial or not this trial, but this case, we didn't make it to trial yet, but this case itself made such a big impact culturally. You know, it changed the way how litigation is going to work. It changed the way social media impacts, you know, cases like this and reputations and, you know, and just kudos to you, Brian, for being boots on the ground and fighting off all those sanctions along the way.
D
Yeah, there were quite a few of those. So, but, but I, but I, I, look, I, I just think there's so much good that, that you can both use your talents for and, and, and we can all do, and we can talk about another time about, you know, some ideas I have and, and, and, and for the future that I think can be really great and, and also lucrative and lucrative for the right people. And, and, and, but I, I just, you know, I continue to be mesmerized by the role that the content creators have played in it. And, you know, and I wish if there was a way that, you know, somebody spent money on a ticket or something that we could reimburse them or something. I never want somebody to suffer a loss from it. But I will continue to believe in humanity. I'll continue to believe that there was, you know, a change and a cultural change by this and that people saw who was genuine and who was right and who could make change. And I'll continue to hope that they learn from it too, and change and realize that, you know, just having power, you know, absolute power, sometimes corrupts absolutely, without a doubt.
C
I think you're giving us a lot of closure. I think everyone is feeling your heart, your kindness, and we're better for getting to know you as well. So thank you so much, Brian. Really do appreciate you taking your time.
D
Yeah, I appreciate that. But I'm going to tell you this, I don't think this is closure. I think this is the start. You know, eventually it'll be closure. We'll get through some of the other, the collateral issues. I think it's the start of something that you guys have created, all of the content creator creators have created that is an insurmountable, powerful force. And I, I just think that, that it's just a matter of where do we go from here.
C
We're Calling you Brian. We're gonna, we're gonna put. Get us on your books. We're. We're taking a meeting in that office with you.
D
I'll move whatever I have.
C
I love it. Love it.
B
Thank you, Brian.
C
Thank you so much. Honestly. Thank you, Brian, for being here. Really appreciate you.
D
Yeah, thank you both. I really appreciate you too.
C
Okay. Oh, my goodness, Zach.
B
I feel like warning. The following ZipRecruiter radio spot you are about to hear is going to be filled with F words.
E
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D
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E
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B
We got so many good questions answered.
C
We did, we did. And we knew that Brian didn't have that much time with us, so that was like, so special. You guys, the day after the settlement, he sat with us and it wasn't just about the. He was saying how content creators were great, but it's honestly the audience too, because you guys are just such like an. A force of energy too. It's like if all of.
B
Yeah. And an army. I mean, look at how many people, not just, you know, here we live in la, but like people all over the country and internationally that were digging up, you know, court cases and putting on their own sleuthing, investigative hats on. And I mean, we couldn't have done it without the communities that supported us. And I feel like it's just, it's a big ripple effect that I hope will now, as I've said, you know, really impact culture and litigation moving forward. And hopefully we'll. We'll counteract what that power that celebrities used to have before, where they could just get away with anything.
C
Yeah, I really do believe we've seen through it. I don't want to live a life where the power and the money and that, you know, rules us. I think that there's so many more important things. And I really hope that Justin speaks soon. And I think he will. I get the feeling from Brian that he will, and he deserves to tell his own story. And what Brian said that is really interesting about court, about the court case. I want to pull up some super chats too, in a second about the court cases is that you really don't get your chance to like, total, totally vindicate. Vindicate yourself. You get cross examined. You get maybe your entire history gets put on the stand. Like, a lot of negative things can come out of court, too. So in a weird way, this is a place that Blake was able to skate any grilling or any, you know, attacks on the stand. But also, no one has any more time to spin anything. It's now just up to them just to kind of tell their own story.
B
Yep, agreed.
C
Lauren is here. She says, go, Zach and Donna. Lauren, we love you. Okay. Rock and roll, says Brian. Thank you for being here. Can you clarify? Concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserve to be heard. It left many of us uneasy and looking for clarity. Well, you asked that question.
B
Oh, I did ask that. Yes.
C
And what he basically said is that he agreed. I mean, Justin believes that Ms. Lively or anyone on set deserves everyone's.
B
Yeah, everyone's concerns should be heard. Doesn't always make their concerns valid. But everybody does deserve to be heard, like Amber.
C
And by the way, thank you everyone for your super chats. I want to know why Justin Baldoni's team approved the statement. It's more in Blake Lively's favor. Why not demand an apology when her back was against the wall? It's infuriating.
B
I don't think it was more in Blake's favor. I think it was even keeled. I think depending on who's reading it and what pieces they want to take out of it. I thought the statement was a very blanket statement that essentially covered both of them. You weren't going to see either one take a shot at each other in the statement because they both had to sign off on the statement in order for it to be published.
C
I agree. And also, Blake was probably someone that was just knowing who she is and seeing her through this trial. It was probably so necessary for her to feel that sense of like Ms. Lively's name is in the statement. You know, Ms. Lively deserve. Those three words probably gave her such a. Such a Sense of, like, yeah, like. And I. I just think from getting to know who Justin and Jamie are and stuff, I just don't think that they're as ego driven. I don't think it mattered to them as much to feel like that. So that's kind of what I thought. Okay. Miranda, were the dailies actually deleted? She asked. I think that they were. Right. Because we. We don't have a response from Angie and Eddie saying that they weren't.
B
Well, I think. I think some of them were. Whatever. I mean, yeah, I think some of them were. But obviously Sony couldn't delete Wayfair's dailies. They could have only deleted the copies that they had. But Wayfair, I'm sure, kept a lot of their footage. But there were two things that Blake asked to be deleted. They were the dailies, and then there were the Taylor Swift text messages. And when we look at the Taylor Swift text messages, there's so many. They're big gaps and chunks in those messages. Who's to say some of Taylor's text messages didn't get deleted in the process?
C
They have to have. Because, remember, we were just talking about that text where Taylor's like, why do you. Why do I feel like you're talking to me like a corporation or whatever? But we're not seeing any text messages that would make her think that she was being talked to. Weird. So, like, we're not seeing a lot. Yeah. Okay. Who initiated the final settlement event? It had to have been a joint thing. My gut is Blake, though. My gut is Blake. After the claims were dismissed, I mean,
B
that would have been the smartest thing. Well, they were in settlement negotiations. We saw them meet and confer and do all of that. But I. I think once her. Like you said, Donna, once her claims were dismissed, like, her attorneys had to have a come to Jesus moment with her. And then once the Wayfare parties made their stipulation, I think was just no possible way they could move forward.
C
100%. I would agree with you. Muhammad wants to say, did Brian use any info from YouTubers who dug deep? Listen, one thing I will say, and I've never seen this ever before, an attorney being so incredibly. I mean, the last time I can remember hearing this is when Karen Reed won, and it was David Yannetti and Alessi, and they went on Runkle's podcast and they were so grateful also for the content creators. It's a new world that we live in now. And when you have power, like, look at the Karen Reed case, where you have the whole town against her. And in this case, you have all of Hollywood against, you know, the little guy. We really were necessary. Not just the creators, but, like I said, the, the people on X, the, the audience, too, the Redditors, the. That were trying to find every little piece of evidence. There's no question that he used some of the YouTubers.
B
Yeah, absolutely.
C
That's what I think. Does Justin have any plans to speak to the public or this podcast? How is he feeling right now? Okay, well, I mean, just to recap, what did Brian say about that?
B
I mean, he says, yes, Justin will be speaking at some point, but I think it's when Justin's ready to speak. I think they're gonna need a minute to kind of let the dust settle. But I think he'll probably bring back his Man Enough podcast. I think that is probably, you know, him and Jamie. I think we'll sit down and do Man Enough and really talk about everything. I mean, I think they should have somebody that's willing to ask some of the. The tough questions. But I can definitely see them coming back to their podcast because then they're in control of the narrative. They're in control of what gets said and what gets edited, and, you know, they can do it at their own pace.
C
Yeah, maybe like an Andy Cohen reunion. Just kidding. Such a joke. Maddie, thank you so much, honey. She says, thank you for this interview, guys. He's amazing, and the insights are what we want. He was really awesome. I loved him. I, I, Someone was making fun of me, and they were like, donna smitten. Donna's blushing. And I kind of was like, I think I have a little bit. Oh, I don't want to say it.
B
You got a little flutter.
C
I didn't have a little flutter, but, like, he's just such a powerhouse. Like, we were chilling with Brian Friedman, and he was complimenting us.
B
That's kind of cool and just crazy to think that. Like, I feel like we were so on the outside, like, just watching this all play out from the glass, like, just trying to get a peek of what was going on inside the studio. And then to know that they were also keeping tabs on us the entire time.
C
A few people involved that, like, they are all watching all of us. Like, they are obsessed with the coverage too. I mean, we did know that. Who. Who's what? There was, like, a text message that came out months ago where they were like, I love Zach Peter. Who said that? Jed.
B
Oh, Jed Wallace. I love me some Zach Peter.
C
I love me some Zach Peter. Horror Book says she needs to get her PGA credit rescinded.
B
Yeah, I don't know if that'll happen.
C
I don't think any of that will happen, Lauren. I already pulled that up. And then Enrique here. Omg, Barbara Walters came back from the grave. Congrats. You nailed this. Baldoni's wives and gay husbands. Oh, my God. I love you, Enrique. You're awesome. Much love for you guys from Cassandra. Thank you, Maddie. Billion. I want to know what happens about lying to the Cordon under oath. Yeah. So I posted that yesterday. I was like, I'm just disgusted by seeing Blake at the Met gala right after we figure out that she lied under oath in the deposition about destroying dailies. I don't think anything's gonna happen.
B
No. They would have to file, like, a motion to sanction her. Like, and I just don't think they're gonna do any of that. I think, unfortunately, it's. It's gonna be a wash.
C
I think that, honestly, if Justin is who we think he is, I don't think he's gonna want to do anything ever again legally, again. Like, I don't think this was his. I don't think he. They care so much. Like, we gotta get Blake. I think they just want to be done.
B
Yeah.
C
Right. But that's kind of speaks to who Justin and Jamie and that side are. They're not spiteful, they're not petty, and they're not revengeful. They're not out there trying to disparage and smear and all of that. We saw that throughout all of the text messages. It was so obvious. Yeah. That one side was out to take someone down and the other side was just trying to keep themselves alive.
B
Yep.
C
You know anything else, Zachy?
B
I'm still recovering. Honestly.
C
We've had such a crazy day, you guys. You don't even know.
B
Two days.
C
It really has been nuts. But you know what? If you're listening to this, Justin, and if you're listening to this anyone else, we are. We are so grateful to be part of the. Of the story and the journey. And I don't think it's over. I think we will do our wrap up podcast. We have to now.
B
We have to now. But also, I just want to say prediction or, well, speaking this into the universe that when the Lifetime movie comes out, they have to have some parody characters of a blonde and a gay that are reporting on this case. I want to see some. Some really hokey, cheesy bad acting in the Lifetime movie. And we better get a fake cameo in this movie showcasing the content creator.
C
Who's playing you? I know who's playing me. I'll either be Kristin Chenoweth or Candace Cameron or Dorit from Real Houses of.
B
You do look like all three of them. No, I think it's. We're going to get like, you know, they're going to be the first time actors that are coming, like all those, you know, like the Saved by the Bell one that they did. Like all those that are so cheesy and so bad with actors nobody's ever heard of. But we need a cheesy actor, you know, recreating us, parroting us in the Blake and Baldoni Lifetime movie.
C
Oh, my God, Patty, you're so sweet. She says, I was so proud of both of you. Covered everything. I think we all wanted to know. We would have done it for. We would have kept talking to him forever. But unfortunately, he did have a little bit of a hard out. So don't you worry. We. We weren't just trying to get him off here. We would have kept. Yeah, I think Brian Friedman's praise of you too, is so well deserved. Love your coverage. Love your brilliance. Seriously. I mean, I. Chloe, that was. Thank you, Chloe. That was so nice. He was like, really here to give us flowers the whole time, which was very sweet.
B
Which also I think is just. I don't think we realized it because I think everybody was so in the thick of it for the past year and a half, almost two years now. But I think, you know, they really are grateful to the content creators and to people like us, because we were putting all of these. Everything that hit the docket, we were putting it out there and talking about all of it and dissecting all of it and trying to put the pieces together and. And then, you know, regurgitate it all so that it could be easy to digest for. For the public. Which again, is also why I think our podcast is going to be. Is going to be a good one. It's going to be a banger.
C
It will be. It will be a banger. And you and I also got those fake HR reports. I'll never forget that.
B
Oh, my God.
C
We got part of the story because we got the. We got the fake HR reports and we came on alive on a Saturday. You're like, guys, someone just said. And it ends with Perez Hilton finding Jesus.
B
Oh, my God. I know. Is he still talking about Blake or does he only talk about the Bible now?
C
Blake and the Bible, Laura. Do you guys know or ask Brian Friedman what would happen to the New York Times case. I didn't. We didn't ask him anything about New York Times. I don't know a lot about the New York Times case, so I don't. I don't feel like smart enough.
B
Well, it was the defamation case against the New York Times, but I mean, it did get dismissed. I think what they're asking is will Baldoni appeal? But at the this point, I just feel like if they weren't going to trial and they were just ready to walk from all of this, I don't think that they'll be appealing. And I also. I mean, they definitely won't appeal against Blake because I'm sure that's part of the settlement is that they'll not come after each other moving forward. And I don't think that they'll appeal with the New York Times. I think at this point, they're ready to let it be a wash. And the New York Times ruined their own reputation at this point, so there's no.
C
Yeah, Megan to he. Where is this girl going? There's no way that Megan Tohey feels good about her coverage of this us at this point. How embarrassing.
B
Truly.
C
She probably actually does. All right, you guys make sure to subscribe and like this feed. This has been so exciting. Share it with anyone who has been fighting for Justin and Wayfarer and. And all of them this whole time. Make sure to subscribe to Zach as well. And definitely subscribe to us for if you're interested in this case because we are producing right now a really exciting, like, offshoot podcast that's going to be covering this case from top to bottom. Timeline, receipts, screenshots, everything.
B
Everything.
C
All right, let's see. One more super chat and then we'll be done. She settled for a Met gala and Taylor Swift wedding invite. Lol. Bet Wayfarer got paid off by Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, Sony and Disney. Once Ryan's stuff surface. Tone deaf party girl. I don't think any money was changed exchanged if that's true. But yeah, we will see. We will see. Thank you guys so much. Appreciate the comments. I want to just, like, read them all, but we've got. We gotta go, I guess. I don't know. Zach, I'll call you in five seconds. Oh, my gosh.
E
One more.
C
Hold on. I don't want to leave. How did you guys reach out to Brian?
B
Can we get that story maybe on a members only?
C
Oh, you're gonna. I was like, Brian was on our members only. No, it was. It was a tour de force. I don't know, how do we explain
B
that the aliens came down and gave us his direct phone number.
C
That's what happened.
B
And then they told us what happened to Nancy.
C
Oh, what happened to Nancy?
B
Oh, man, I forgot we were live. And I was gonna be like Donna so and so just text me and. And following a conversation, we. We started the live.
C
God. Okay. Love you. I love you guys. Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate you guys. Justice for Justin until the end.
B
Until.
C
We'll talk soon. Thanks for the super chats too. Bye, you guys.
B
Bye, guys.
A
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Date: May 5, 2026
This episode of No Filter With Zack Peter features an exclusive interview with Bryan Freedman, lead attorney for Wayfarer Studios in the high-profile legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The hosts, Zack Peter and Donna, dive deep into the aftermath of the lawsuit's surprise settlement—announced just after the Met Gala—and explore the cultural impact, legal nuances, content creators’ role, and prospects for those involved. Freedman addresses major lingering questions, provides behind-the-scenes context, and offers insight into the future, while also reflecting on the unique dynamics of this celebrity legal saga.
Bryan Freedman [17:21]:
"You can call whatever you want a technicality, but the law requires that you…prove certain elements, and if you can’t prove those elements, your case gets thrown out as a matter of law. That’s what happened here…"
Bryan Freedman [21:05]:
"The most important thing to Justin...being able to speak his truth, being able to tell the story…never wanted to agree to anything that would restrain that from happening."
Bryan Freedman [27:08]:
"Not just women, but all people should be heard, no matter what. And he [Justin] stood for that…and he’s a real example of that. And it’s impressive."
Bryan Freedman [30:31]:
"I feel incredibly, a sense of gratitude to be able to have been involved in this…and play some small part in it. Culturally, socially, it’s been an amazing case."
Donna [05:56]:
"The fact that Ryan Reynolds writes text messages that are 18 paragraphs long is illegal on its own."
Donna [32:24]:
"It was an army. It was literally an army. And our chat is that army right now."
This episode serves as a real-time cultural and legal postmortem for the Lively vs. Baldoni saga. With exclusive insights from Bryan Freedman, it provides both closure and a call to keep content-driven accountability alive. Listeners walk away with:
For everyone who followed the case, the episode marks an inflection point—and, as Freedman notes, perhaps not closure but the beginning of something even bigger.
For listeners new or old, the episode is a vital listen for grasping how modern celebrity, media, law, and internet activism now intersect.