Legally Brunette: Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni Part 2

Summary

Detailed Summary of "Legally Brunette: Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni Part 2"

Podcast: Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge
Episode Title: Legally Brunette: Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni Part 2
Release Date: January 29, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this gripping second installment of "Legally Brunette: Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni," hosts Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge delve deeper into the escalating legal battle between actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni. The episode unpacks the complexities of their professional and personal conflicts, shedding light on the allegations, legal maneuvers, and the broader implications for both stars.

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1. Background of the Dispute ([04:24] – [11:24])

The conflict between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni originated during the production of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, "It Ends With Us." Justin Baldoni, inspired by the book's profound themes, founded Wayfarer Studios with the mission of creating impactful and meaningful content. Collaborating with major studios like Sony, Baldoni secured the rights to adapt Hoover's novel into a feature film.

Blake Lively was cast as the lead character, Lily Bloom, bringing an A-list presence to the project. Their professional relationship appeared harmonious initially, with mutual respect and collaborative efforts to bring the story to life.

Notable Quote:
Tamra Judge ([05:36]): "Baldoni was trying to create something meaningful, and Lively seemed like the perfect fit to bring Lily Bloom to life."

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2. Justin Baldoni’s Lawsuit Against Blake Lively ([11:24] – [26:22])

As production progressed, tensions surfaced regarding creative control and the portrayal of sensitive themes like domestic violence. Justin Baldoni filed a lawsuit in December 2024 against Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, alleging defamation and sexual harassment. The crux of the lawsuit centers on Lively's alleged attempts to overshadow Baldoni's vision for the film by making unauthorized script changes and misrepresenting interactions between the actors.

Notable Quote:
Teddi Mellencamp ([15:00]): "Justin's lawsuit isn't just about defamation; it's about the fundamental clash over creative integrity."

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3. Allegations Against Blake Lively ([30:00] – [45:00])

Baldoni's complaint details several instances where Lively allegedly undermined the production process:

• Wardrobe Control: Lively reportedly took over the wardrobe department, discarding curated outfits and imposing her personal style on the character, which conflicted with the film's intended aesthetic.
  Timestamp [19:54]
  Tamra Judge: "Blake didn't just select dresses; she dismantled weeks of creative planning."

• Script Revisions: Lively is accused of rewriting pivotal scenes without Baldoni's consent, altering character dynamics and dialogue to suit her preferences.
  Timestamp [23:35]
  Teddi Mellencamp: "She wasn't content with just acting; she wanted to steer the narrative."

• Intimacy Coordination: The episode highlights disputes over intimate scenes, where Lively allegedly refused to collaborate with the designated intimacy coordinator, leading to uncomfortable filming environments.
  Timestamp [33:19]
  Tamra Judge: "Her refusal to engage with the intimacy coordinator was a significant breach of protocol."

Notable Quote:
Tamra Judge ([24:15]): "Blake's interference wasn't just a minor hiccup; it was a full-blown takeover of the production."

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4. Ryan Reynolds’ Involvement and Alleged Jealousy ([50:00] – [65:00])

The dynamic becomes more intricate with Ryan Reynolds' alleged involvement. Reynolds, as Lively's husband and a prominent figure in Hollywood, is implicated in attempts to marginalize Baldoni's role in the film. Claims suggest Reynolds took actions to limit Baldoni's influence, including controlling access to promotional events and influencing public perception through selective media interactions.

Notable Quote:
Teddi Mellencamp ([57:00]): "Reynolds' role transformed from supportive husband to an active participant in sidelining Justin."

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5. Legal Strategies and Media Tactics ([65:00] – [80:00])

Both parties employed strategic moves to bolster their positions:

• Preservation of Evidence: Baldoni's team sent a preservation of evidence letter to Marvel Studios, suggesting that Reynolds' character in "Deadpool" parodies Baldoni, potentially to tarnish his reputation.
  Timestamp [81:56]
  Tamra Judge: "This wasn't just a lawsuit; it was an all-out media war."

• Release of Raw Footage: Baldoni's side planned to release unedited scenes and private communications to the public, aiming for transparency and swaying public opinion.
  Timestamp [85:00]
  Teddi Mellencamp: "Releasing raw footage is a gamble, but it's a calculated one to gain public sympathy."

• Voice Memos and Texts: Compelling private communications, including a seven-minute voice memo from Baldoni to Lively, were exposed, showcasing his attempts to mend the professional relationship.
  Timestamp [87:50]
  Tamra Judge: "The voice memo was intended as a peace offering, but it backfired spectacularly."

Notable Quote:
Tamra Judge ([76:14]): "These legal maneuvers are shaping public narratives and determining the battle's outcome."

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6. Upcoming Trial and Future Implications ([80:00] – [95:00])

The trial is slated for March 9, 2026, with pre-trial conferences addressing media influence on the proceedings. Both camps anticipate a highly publicized court battle, with potential testimonies from key witnesses and further evidence revelations.

The hosts speculate on the trial's impact, emphasizing the importance of creative control in Hollywood productions and the potential repercussions for both Lively and Baldoni's careers.

Notable Quote:
Teddi Mellencamp ([94:10]): "This trial isn't just about two actors; it's about setting precedents in creative collaborations."

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7. Closing Thoughts and Speculations ([95:00] – End)

Teddi and Tamra reflect on the broader implications of the case, discussing the blurred lines between professional disputes and personal vendettas. They express sympathy for Baldoni's predicament while critiquing Lively's alleged manipulative tactics.

The episode concludes with the hosts urging listeners to stay tuned for further developments as the legal saga unfolds, promising more insights and updates in future episodes.

Notable Quote:
Tamra Judge ([97:00]): "As this drama continues, it's a stark reminder of how power dynamics can derail creative visions."

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Key Takeaways

• Creative Control: The dispute underscores the challenges of maintaining creative integrity within high-profile film productions.

• Legal Precedents: The lawsuit may set significant legal precedents regarding defamation and sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood.

• Public Perception: Both parties' strategies to influence public opinion reflect the increasing role of media and transparency in legal battles.

• Personal Dynamics: The involvement of Ryan Reynolds introduces elements of jealousy and marital strain, complicating the professional conflict.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Teddi Mellencamp ([05:36]): "It is cheating to pick down and not provide the whole story."

• Tamra Judge ([15:00]): "Justin's lawsuit isn't just about defamation; it's about the fundamental clash over creative integrity."

• Tamra Judge ([24:15]): "Blake's interference wasn't just a minor hiccup; it was a full-blown takeover of the production."

• Teddi Mellencamp ([57:00]): "Reynolds' role transformed from supportive husband to an active participant in sidelining Justin."

• Tamra Judge ([76:14]): "These legal maneuvers are shaping public narratives and determining the battle's outcome."

• Tamra Judge ([97:00]): "As this drama continues, it's a stark reminder of how power dynamics can derail creative visions."

---

Conclusion

"Legally Brunette: Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni Part 2" offers a comprehensive exploration of the tumultuous relationship between two prominent figures in the entertainment industry. Through incisive analysis and detailed recounting of events, Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge provide listeners with an in-depth understanding of the multifaceted legal and personal conflicts that have captured public attention.

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For those interested in following the ongoing saga, subscribing to "Two Ts In A Pod with Teddi Mellencamp and Tamra Judge" on the iHeartRadio app or Apple Podcasts is highly recommended.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Hi guys. Welcome to Legally Brunette. I'm your host, Emily Simpson, with my co hosts, the the most interesting man.

[A]

In the world, Shane Simpson.

[B]

Okay, first of all, I think we just need to do a little. I think it's always important to go back and do just a little summary of things that we've already talked about. So let's just do a little update. In the Menendez case, they were scheduled to have hearings, but because of the fires, their resentencing hearing has been rescheduled to March 20th and the 21st. I do know that the DA Nathan Hockman, has now met with not only the side of the family, there's the one member of the family who did not want them to be re sentenced. That's Milton, who is Kitty's brother. But he has also met with the pro resentencing family, which is like 24 members of the family. So he has now met with all the family. And there'll be a hearing March 20th and the 21st, which obviously we will update at that time period. But also, I just want to say, because a lot of you asked me what do I think the D A will do.

[A]

Wait, can I ask a question before you say what you think the DA Will do?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Do you think the. I'm sure the fires are a valid reason and are causing the courts to have to delay lots of things, but do you think they jumped on that to delay it like they had. They had good re. Like they wanted to personally delay it and this gave him the excuse, or you think it would have gone through Heather, not been the fires?

[B]

No, I think it was legitimately the fires. I heard from that. A lot of the days in that office lost their homes. And I think it's chaotic.

[A]

So you think it's.

[B]

I think it was a legitimate.

[A]

Okay. There was no ulterior type motive in doing so?

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

But just a reminder, it is not Hachman that makes the resentencing decision. It is the judge. All the. All Nathan Hawman will do is go through the case, present it. He'll have a recommendation, but then ultimately the judge makes the decision. So let's move on. This is our second podcast on Blake Lively and Justin Baldon, which is. It is just. It is a lot.

[A]

It is brewing.

[B]

It is brewing. We did part one. So if you haven't listened to that yet, I would suggest you go back and listen to that and then come back. We are now talking about Justin Baloni filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist.

[A]

Wait, before you get into that. So where did it leave off? It left off with what filing? Or where was the status of the parties? Without going into the detail, just.

[B]

Let's just do a little background first. Blake Lively in December files the CRD complaint, which is with the California Civil Rights Department.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

That was the administrative complaint, which, by the way, is not a public complaint. But then. But she filed that along with New York Times writing the story that was basically taking her complaint and making that the story. And then there was also the whole allegation of. They altered some of the text messages. They left context out. Etc. So Justin Baloni, in response to that, files his libel suit against the New York Times.

[A]

Right. Because they didn't. He's claiming they didn't paint the whole. They didn't provide the whole story.

[B]

Right.

[A]

They picked and choose, chose what they wanted to show, which is probably what. What is the mediat. And probably what sided with Blake Lively because she was their source.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or maybe they were negligent in looking into it any further and just ran with what was given to them.

[B]

Right. And as.

[A]

And now he's saying, that's not me. That's painting me in a bad light.

[B]

Exactly. So again, let me. I'll just give you just a little legal background on libel. When you're talking about a news source and you're talking about a public fig. The standard to prove defamation, which is libel, is actual malice. And that's a very, very, very high standard. Very difficult.

[A]

Which in lay terms means intentional.

[B]

It means like a bad practice that they knowingly.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Publish something that they knew to be false.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So, you know, he has an uphill battle on that. But I think it was very important that he filed that because he really got his side of the story out there quickly. And I think that was a smart move on his behalf. She then files a federal lawsuit in New York, which is basically a mirror image of the complaint she filed with the civil rights department.

[A]

And just to be clear, the civil rights department is the equivalent of like the Better Business Bureau or something. It's just like a. An agency or some type of body that receives your complaints and just documents it.

[B]

And I think she filed with that because I don't think. Think that she had the intent of ever filing an actual lawsuit against him.

[A]

Okay, then what was her intent?

[B]

To collude with the New York Times and to get this story out there that he sexually harassed her and that he planned this smear campaign against her to ruin his reputation.

[A]

So you think her intent was to ruin his reputation?

[B]

Yes, that's my opinion.

[A]

And why?

[B]

Because I think when she was promoting the movie, it ends with us. She got such bad press by her own decisions as to how to promote the movie. She received A lot of backlash from the public. And I think she found a way to turn it around on him and make him the bad guy in this scenario. And that was her intent. So then she files this federal lawsuit. I think she filed it because she got pressure from the public that they were like, hey, if you're accusing this guy of sexually harassing you, why are you just filing.

[A]

Why are you letting him get away with.

[B]

Why are you just filing an administrative complaint? Why are you not actually standing up for yourself if you are a woman that has been sexually harassed?

[A]

Right.

[B]

So she files it in federal court. He files. Now, this is where we're up to now, and this is what we're going to try to focus on in this, this session. He files a lawsuit against her, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist. And it's on behalf of himself, Wayfarer, which is his studio, the producer, you know, his partner, and his finance guy, who's also a partner and part of Wayf. His name's Sarawitz.

[A]

He's suing just the New York Times.

[B]

No, we're talking past the New York Times.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

No, we're, we're moving on the newest lawsuit that we're gonna focus on today, right now.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Is Justin Baldoni versus, versus Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist. Let's just keep it like that.

[A]

We'll just keep it. Okay, now, so that's some deep pockets. New York Times.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In one suit.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then Ryan Reynolds and another, because we all know Ryan Reynolds, like, was affiliated with some cellular company that succeeded and did well and was acquired and he cashed a lot of money. Nothing wrong with that. But he certainly got hundreds, I understand, hundreds of millions of dollars.

[B]

Right. But I will tell you, Justin Baldoni, one of his partners and Wayfarer is Steve Sorowitz, who is a multi billionaire and he has been drug into this lawsuit.

[A]

How do you get dragged in?

[B]

Because he's part of the founding fathers of Wayfarer Studios. He's like the silent finance guy behind the studio.

[A]

Well, he's not so silent anymore. He's gonna have to speak up.

[B]

Well, I, I think he's writing checks. Like, I think he gave Brian Friedman a blank check and said, take these people to the cleaners.

[A]

Take them out.

[B]

Yeah. And so that's where we're at.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

So the complaint that Justin Baldoni filed is 179 pages. I read it twice. Okay. I think it's important. And let's just go through. I'm gonna. Let's just do a little Summary of basically what he's alleging in his.

[A]

Yeah, we can't go over the 180 pages. That'd be dope.

[B]

We can't pull out the highlights. Let's do. Let's just do a little summary of it. And then I have some things that I pulled out that I think are important. So Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, his publicist, and his crisis management expert, Melissa Nathan and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit on Thursday. I don't remember the date. This was like two weeks ago. In New York federal court against Lively, her husband, her publicist, and the firm Vision pr. The suit basically claims that Lively, who was publicly blasted for her tone deaf promotion of a film. It ends with us. Centered around domestic violence. But she could not tolerate her publicly tainted image for a moment and decided to use Baldoni as a scapegoat by accusing him of harassment and creating a hostile work environment. His latest lawsuit repeats many of the claims that he made. In his Dec. 31 libel action against the New York Times, Baldoni cited Lively's constant attempts to change things about the film. He was aggressively berated by Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, and that Lively persistently tried to overstep Baldoni in the editing process. So I decided I thought it was important to make an outline of. I. I like outlines. I like to have a timeline of things. So let's just start with 2019. This is. When Justin Baldoni reads the book, it ends with us.

[A]

Okay. On his own, he just reads the book.

[B]

Reads the book.

[A]

Not a script. The book.

[B]

He reads the book. I've read the book. He reads the book. He resonates with it. He founded Wayfair Studios on the premise of creating content that was meaningful and positive, and he wanted to make an impact.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

He's kind of that kind of guy.

[A]

Okay, so he likes movies with substance.

[B]

Movies with sub to substance, movies with a purpose. He made a movie prior to this called Five Feet Apart or something like that, and it had to do with a woman dealing with cystic fibrosis.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So his intent with forming Wayfarer is to make movies that have a meaningful impact. Okay, so he reaches out to Colleen Hoover.

[A]

So far, so good.

[B]

Yes, he reaches out to Colleen Hoover, who wrote the book, and he includes all these emails between the two of them, which I think is important.

[A]

This is her first movie, her first novel that turned to movie.

[B]

Well, she says in her emails that someone else bought a book option to make a movie, but it never happened.

[A]

And it was a problem. So this is her first Right. Novel that turned in, went onto the big screen.

[B]

Right. And he includes all these emails between him and Colleen Hoover and his complaints. And you can tell that they have a very good chemistry. She likes him. She sees movies that he's made. They have a great rapport. She respects him. She says, I think you are the man to make this movie.

[A]

She says that in the email?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And she. And it's very important to her that this movie is made in a way where it reflects the seriousness of domestic violence, because that is what the movie is about. I would believe that it's kind of a generational, because if you. If you read the book or you know anything about the story, the main character, Lily Bloom, has to deal with some domestic violence when she marries Ryle. But she also had domestic violence in her past between her mother and father, and her mother never left. So it delves into the center.

[A]

And the author didn't want that to be taken away.

[B]

Right. So she says, I think you're the man to do this. I think you can make the movie in a way that it should be made. And she also suggests that he play the main character, Ryle. So I think.

[A]

Wait, okay. Not that this proves anything, but it's definitely showing chemistry and approval of him and his interactions.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So he buys the rights to this movie, or Wayfarer Studios buys it. They partner with Sony. He also partners. And I think this is important because I think this goes to really show his intent and his character. He also partners with nomore.com which is a domestic violence group, and he wants 1% of all the proceeds from the movie to go to no more.

[A]

Okay. And that was on his own free will.

[B]

On his own. And he negotiates that. So then In December of 2022, this is.

[A]

This sounds like it's. He's really doing all this so he can have a defense when files are claimed against him harassing Blake Lively on the dance floor.

[B]

This is all preempt.

[A]

That's what it sounds like. It's very intelligent man.

[B]

Yeah. So then In December of 2022, they cast Blake Lively as Lily Bloom. I think it's important to note that when she is cast in this movie, the scope of her employment is lead actress. Actress.

[A]

Yeah, actress.

[B]

Lead actress.

[A]

Not lead editor.

[B]

Not lead editor. Lead actress.

[A]

Right. Not. Not director.

[B]

Right. They also. She gets, I guess, an executive.

[A]

Was Ryan Reynolds given apart in any way?

[B]

He. He was not.

[A]

Okay. He's husband of lead actress.

[B]

He's a husband of lead actress. That's it. And she is given an executive producer credit, which they state that that's common when someone's an A list actress, that that's just a norm that comes along with it. Who doesn't love the good things in life? Even though I enjoy little luxury, it doesn't mean I can always afford it. Until I discovered Quint. Quint is my go to for luxury essentials at affordable prices. Quint offers a range of high quality items at prices within reach, like 100% Mongolian cashmere sweaters from $50 washable silk tops and dresses, organic cotton sweaters and 14 karat gold jewelry. The best part is that all Quince's Items are priced 50 to 80% less than the similar brands. By partnering directly with top factories, Quint cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings onto us. And Quint only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices in premium fabrics and finishes. I love that. If you haven't tried Quince's cashmere, you need to from sweaters to cardigans, they are so comfy. Give yourself the luxury you deserve with quince. Go to quince.comteddy for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q U I N C E.comteddi to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.comteddi I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. If only there were a professional WNBA player with her own podcast I could listen to. Hey, this is Lexi Brown, WNBA player and professional yapper. And this is Mariah Rose. You may know me from spilling the tea on Hoops for hotties on TikTok. And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle every Wednesday. We're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball, and not just in the wnba, but with Athletes Unlimited unrivaled and college basketball. We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. I know you guys have seen a lot of former and current basketball players telling their stories from their point of view, and I just think it's time for the girlies to tap in. We want to share all of the women's basketball stories that you won't see anywhere else. Tune in to Full Circle, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

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[B]

First of all, I just want to establish some things because we're going to get into that 10 minute video and let's talk about that. That was released by Baldoni's team. But let's talk about right from the beginning of this movie, Blake Lively exerts control over basically everything. But the first thing is wardrobe. She completely gets rid of the wardrobe that they've curated for this character, Lily Bloom, who is a 23 year old who just graduated from college and she's opening up a small business which is a florist shop.

[A]

How old is Blake Lively in real life?

[B]

Blake Lightly is 37. She's playing a 23 year old.

[A]

That's insane. Okay. And the character in the movie is still 23?

[B]

Yes. Okay, well, no, I think.

[A]

Or young. As young. In the early 20s.

[B]

Well, I think they don't address her age in the movie, but I do. I did read and I'm not sure where I read this, but that Blake Lively wanted Colleen Hoover during this inter when they're interviewing about the movies to talk about how they aged up the character.

[A]

But nonetheless, she, she, she now added to her role. What's it called when you get the clothes?

[B]

Wardrobe.

[A]

Wardrobe.

[B]

Wardrobe.

[A]

Thank you. Okay, so, so now she took on the title of wardrobe.

[B]

Yes. So she takes over wardrobe. She, she gets rid of all that they, all that they've bought for this character. She doesn't like any of it.

[A]

Do I have email histories or texting histories of, of this?

[B]

I think there's a little bit, but trust me, you don't even need text messages to back this up. Because I saw the movie and I'm sorry, but the wardrobe on Lily Bloom was a disaster. It was chaotic. I remember sitting in the movie theater watching it and I couldn't pay attention to what was going on because I kept thinking, what is she wearing?

[A]

It was, what is Blake leather dress like in real life?

[B]

I don't know. I don't really pay attention to what she dresses like. But here's the problem. I don't think Blake Lively read the book. He alleges that in his complaint. I don't think she understood the essence of the character and I think she tried to make it into something else that did not work. She also, not only.

[A]

Why did she. A certain style she wanted.

[B]

I think she just wanted a certain style. I think she, she talks about how she wore some of her husband's clothes, how she wore some of Gigi Hadid's clothes that she wore, her own clothes that she wore. I don't know. I'm just telling you.

[A]

Did she wear a Deadpool outfit? Did she wear her husband's clothes?

[B]

No, she, she wore a lot of oversized things that just. It was all right. It was beanies and car hearts and camo jackets and I, I don't know. I, the, the wardrobe was hideous if you ask me. It was basically ignoring the director's vision for her character and disposing of the weeks of effort and creativity spent by the wardrobe team. The costume designer had to reshop the entire wardrobe. Also, during this time period, paparazzi took photos of her filming and people online were also talking about how this is chaotic. So I want to show you some images also. The other thing that really bothered me was that she carried Valentino bags all the time. We're talking about. This character is a 23 year old girl who I, when I read the book, thought she came from just a regular middle class family who went to college, had just graduated from college and opened up a small business, probably with a business loan or. I, you know, I didn't ever take away from the book that there was money. So the fact that she's wearing these chaotic outfits with a Valentino bag really bothered me. But anyway, I'm going to show you some of these outfits.

[A]

No. Yeah. That looks like. What is that?

[B]

Like, I don't understand what that is. Is that boxers with pants?

[A]

It is a little confusing.

[B]

Low pants over the top of the boxer.

[A]

That is bad.

[B]

Also.

[A]

I don't even think I could try to dress that bad.

[B]

She's also supposed to be 23, and I am not putting down Blake.

[A]

She looks great, but she's not 23.

[B]

Blake Lively is 37. She's had four children. She's beautiful. I'm not. Even though I don't particularly like her, I would never not say that she doesn't look good.

[A]

No.

[B]

Also, there's one other thing I have to say about this flower shop in the movie that really bothered me, and I haven't ever heard anyone else comment on it, but when I envision this flower shop that Lily Bloom, she opens up a small business as a florist.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then the flower shop that they depicted in the movie, like, are there any live flowers in this flower shop, or is it all dead, dry flowers? I was so confused about the aesthetics of this flower shop.

[A]

Well, they should have had. Yeah, that. They should have been on top of that. Right.

[B]

It had this very edgy, dark, dead flower kind of feel. And I was so confused by it. I was like, this woman opened a flower shop, and these. Where are the bright, live flowers? Anyway, that bothered me. I don't know if it bothered anyone else or if anyone else noticed that.

[A]

I think that's the least of our problems.

[B]

It is. But I felt the need to still talk about it because it bothered me. Good. She also starts rewriting scenes. There's the iconic rooftop scene where Lily and Ryle first meet. She wants to take a stab at rewriting the entire scene. Again, she hasn't read the book, so I think so Justin is like, okay, why don't you. And there are text messages.

[A]

I'm interrupt you. I wonder if it was her or Ryan Reynolds.

[B]

I don't know. I mean, that's a good point. But Justin is. You can tell in his messages with her that he's like, okay. Like, he. He knows that he has to give her what she wants.

[A]

Right. I. I've been in his position many times.

[B]

He's walking on eggshells. You can tell. He's like, I have to give her a little. And. And try not to let her just completely take over. So he's like, okay, well, why?

[A]

He's trying to keep peace. He's trying to appease her. Right. Probably only as far as he. He's okay with.

[B]

Right. So she rewrites this rooftop scene. She gives it back to him, and in a text message, he says something to the effect of he thanks her for her passion and then says something to the effect of it most likely will end up being a mix of what the original script is and maybe some of your ideas.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then she sends him this big, long text, and this is where we get into. I'm sure if you've seen the. The articles, this is where we get into the Game of Thrones text.

[A]

No, I haven't seen the article.

[B]

Okay, well, she basically sends him this long text talking about. It's really making reference to Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift and about how they are her. She writes this scene, and then she gives it to him, and she's pissed that he said, thank you for your passion. Like, shouldn't like that. So she writes him back this long text about this scene, and she basically refers to herself. I'll read it.

[A]

What does being a Swifty have to do with anything?

[B]

I don't know. If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you'll appreciate that I'm Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons, for better or worse, but usually the better because my dragons also protect those that I fight for. So really, we all benefit from these gorgeous monsters of mine. You will, too. I can promise you. To me, that's a very veiled threat. That's basically like, look, buddy, I got Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds backing me, and they're telling me that what I wrote was great.

[A]

Yeah. What does that have to do with. What do they have to do with any of.

[B]

I think she's just using.

[A]

I know, but now it demonstrates that she thinks someone as successful as Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds makes like. She's trying to say, like, I got these people behind me, so you better do as I say.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So then not like, they're in the industry and they have credibility and they're saying, this is good, and we should listen to their advice. It's like, taylor Swift is my bestie, and therefore that's stupid.

[B]

And also, it's not just that scene. I think she rewrites that scene. But then as far as his complaint goes, she consistently rewrites scenes, rewrites the script.

[A]

She probably didn't know how to read the script. I don't know what a. I don't like her.

[B]

I know you're getting very frustrated over there.

[A]

And I liked Ryan Reynolds.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And now I don't know If I like him, she, when she mentions her husband. She wouldn't have done that unless they were already having intense conversations. No, it's not like it, he just says, oh, yeah, dear, that sounds great. Whatever you want. No big deal. And then she runs and says, I got Ryan Reynolds backing me up. Yeah, they probably had heavy discussions. He might have even said he might have helped, you know, he probably helped her write that.

[B]

Oh, well, then that's very interesting because then during the premiere of the movie, they ask her about the rooftop scene and she goes, oh, I'll let you in on a little secret. I've never told anyone this before, but Ryan actually wrote that scene.

[A]

Oh, no way.

[B]

Yes. So then in the complaint, she's trying.

[A]

To give him credit.

[B]

I, you know, I don't know, I don't know if it was Ryan. I don't know if it was her. I don't know if it was both of them. I don't know how much was, well.

[A]

She said it was him, but I mean, she was trying. What a. So then we cancel them already.

[B]

So then in the complaint, Justin Baldoni includes letters going back and forth between Sony and Wayfarer, and people are like, hey, did he write the scene? Because do we need to give him writing? And everyone's confused, right? And they don't know what's going on. So I, to me, I, I feel nothing but sorry for this guy.

[A]

That shows that Blake Lively doesn't know her scope of work. She, what she was hired for and to respect other people's positions, and she just takes over. And then what you said, where she says, oh, I'm letting you in on a little secret. Ronald Reynolds wrote it. Then she's stupid for not knowing how the industry works where you can't. I mean, there's credits on those movies for a reason, and they follow whatever the guidelines are with the unions and whatever it is to make sure people get the credit they deserve. And here she is, this thrown out credit willy nilly in a big pr, you know, interview, right?

[B]

So then behind the scenes, there's all these, you know, communications going back and forth of like, do we have to give him a writing credit? Did he really write it? What's going on? We don't understand.

[A]

So I don't know why you like her.

[B]

I, I, you, I, I, I always did. Up until recently. I actually went into studying this case very impartially.

[A]

I used to like Ryan Reynolds only from two men, a girl in a pizza place. That was his TV show. He had a long Time ago. And then he never did a good movie since.

[B]

No. You don't think so?

[A]

No, but he has a great agent because he did a lot of flops. So that's. That agent is, well, earning his money. And now I definitely don't like Ryan, and I. I fell asleep during the first Deadpool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I never saw the others.

[B]

Right, well, we have to get to dead, so. Because there's a lot that has to do with that. All right, let's move on to the scene that is. It' minute scene that's all over Brian Friedman.

[A]

This is that dancing scene.

[B]

That's the dancing.

[A]

I didn't. I didn't watch it yet.

[B]

Well, you were supposed to.

[A]

But why? I read about it.

[B]

So Brian Friedman releases it and it's 10 minutes long. I watched some of it. Not the whole thing.

[A]

Okay, I. Hold on. I. What I do know is. Yeah, from what I read, she didn't think there was audio.

[B]

Yeah. And so.

[A]

So if. If from her point of view, she did not believe there was audio, it was only video because it's just used as well. There's like background music or whatever.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's just like silent scenes of them being intimate or whatever.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So she didn't think there was audio, and so she used that scene to be able to create her own narrative.

[B]

Yeah, I agree.

[A]

And we learned from earlier in this discussion that Baldini is smart enough to protect himself from being. You know, that he probably had a mic on him for a reason.

[B]

Probably. So the video of the end, it ends with a set footage. It was provided by Baldon's team, and it shows footage of Lively filming a scene with Baldoni in which their characters slow dance for a slow motion montage intended to have no dialogue. The co stars speak to each other out of character while filming. You know, she jokes about his nose. She says he should take, I don't know what, an insurance month. But she tells him he should get a nose job and take an insurance month. I'm sure that's movie lingo. She talks about, I don't know, with. She talks about Ryan and how they look into each other's eyes or something.

[A]

And he says, so she's comfortable talking.

[B]

And talking out of character. She accuses him of not being in character during this scene. And that's supposedly what makes her uncomfortable, is he's not rile. He's being himself.

[A]

So that's why her character is not to make fun of his nose.

[B]

Right. So she is. She's uncomfortable, but she's also out of character, too. She's talking. Talking about, you know, now I'm going.

[A]

To compare Baldini's nose to Ryan's nose.

[B]

It's about.

[A]

What's his name?

[B]

Baldoni.

[A]

I'm gonna compare their noses. See, what's her deal?

[B]

Anyway, they released the footage as far as I'm concerned. Look, let's be honest here. As an intimate, romantic scene between two actors that are married to other people and have children with other people. I'm sorry, that's professionals.

[A]

They've been in the industry for decades.

[B]

Right, but I don't care. It's inherently uncomfortable regardless. You have to make out with someone. These two people are in love.

[A]

Well, a professional. It would not be inherently awkward because they would get into character and they would do it. And maybe everyone has different levels of awkwardness or uncomfortableness or whatever, but you're a professional, and that's what the. The job calls for, right?

[B]

Well, she is claiming that she was uncomfortable that there's no an intimacy coordinator on set. And, you know, his complaint alleges that she never signed her nudity writer and that she never met with it.

[A]

Can you tell me what a nudie writer is? Because you've been talking about that all week, and I have no idea what a nudity.

[B]

Because I writer is. I need my own nudity writer.

[A]

What is it? But tell me what it is, and I'll let you know.

[B]

So when there is an actress and. Or an actor in a movie and they have to do simulated sex scenes, they have a separate contract that's called a nudity writer.

[A]

Is that, like, their boundaries or something?

[B]

I believe so. I've never read one, but I looked it up. And basically an intimacy coordinator looks at the nudity writer. It's a contract. And they say, okay, it looks good. This is what you're comfortable with. With you're not. Maybe this is when you use a stunt double. This is. Oh, so.

[A]

But then what is the intimacy coordinator?

[B]

The intimacy coordinator is a person that's supposedly on set that actually works out the. The sex scenes and the romantic scenes. Okay, there is an intimacy coordinator that they hired for this movie, and she. She claims that she's uncomfortable, but she could have met with the intimacy.

[A]

I'm surprised they were able to move forward without her agreeing or meeting with this intimacy coordinator.

[B]

Well, there's a text message where he says, do you want to meet with her?

[A]

And she's like, no.

[B]

She's like, no, I'm good.

[A]

I remember you telling me that, but I. I can't. Imagine why they move forward. They should have been like, well, no, then you sign here to waive it. Like when someone gets injured at work and they fall and they get hurt, and they're like, no, I don't want medical attention. It's like, okay, then sign here saying you waive medical attention so you can't later say you didn't get it. So that's where he messed up.

[B]

No, I don't.

[A]

And I'm not saying he did anything bad or wrong, but he messed up by saying, okay, then you sign here saying that you waive an intimacy coordinator.

[B]

Well, I don't think she's necessarily waving it.

[A]

She's just waving the meeting. Waving it.

[B]

Yeah. So, yeah, absolutely. Well, he goes to these meetings with the intimacy coordinator. He takes handwritten notes, and then he has to go back and share these handwritten notes with her. Apparently, this scene, this. The scene, this montage, this romantic scene where they're kissing, apparently she knew about the scene and she rewrote the scene. That's what he alleges. So the fact that she feels uncomfortable to me, looks like a retroactive way to go back and look for something that at the time was probably innocuous or benign or not really that big of a deal, but it's a way for her to latch on to something and say, hey, I felt uncomfortable there.

[A]

So didn't they have. Did they have any intimate scenes in the movie?

[B]

Yeah, there's a lot.

[A]

So why didn't she use those scenes?

[B]

Because those things.

[A]

He was out of character. I felt something down there.

[B]

No, I'll tell you why. Because those scenes were filmed after the break. After they went on strike, production shut down.

[A]

Okay, but what is that? How does that break change things so that she can't bring up those scenes?

[B]

Because those weren't filmed. This movie is divided into two parts. They filmed half of the movie. Then there were the strikes. The strikes they did not film between June 27 and November 9. During that time period, she was asking for the raw footage, which is called dailies. I had to look this up. Dailies is just the raw footage from the day. It's not edited.

[A]

It's just the raw footage timestamp for that day. Yeah.

[B]

Something happened between June 27 and November 9. When she. When they go. The strike ends, they can go back to work. And she sends a letter via her attorneys saying she refuses to film unless they sign the 17 conditions that they all have to agree to for her to return to work. It's these protections that she needs. In place. This is what I think happened. I think she was asking for the raw footage because she wants to take over. She wants to edit it. He's giving her a little because he's walking on eggshells all the time around her. He has to keep her happy. He has to give her what she.

[A]

Wants because she's already way too invested in this.

[B]

She gets the raw footage. I think Ryan Reynolds sees the raw footage.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think Justin Baldoni is a very handsome man.

[A]

Is he?

[B]

I think.

[A]

No, I mean, like, he's generally considered good looking.

[B]

I think he's very good looking.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And there they have these intimate scenes together. They have to kiss. They have to be close. I think Ryan Reynolds got jealous and I think something happened during that time period where he was not happy about this close working relationship between the two of them. And he wanted to exert his power and his ego. He wanted to put this guy in his place.

[A]

Like, that's my woman.

[B]

Like, this is my wife. And she has a history of having relationships with her co stars. Who, Blake Lively?

[A]

No, but who. Who are the co stars?

[B]

When she was on Gossip Girl, she had a relationship with one of the other actors was that he was married to Scarlett Johansson on Green Lantern and then wasn't she on. Was she in the movie too? And then he ends up being with her anyway. She has a history of dating her co stars or having relationships with her.

[A]

And Ryan probably knows this.

[B]

And he knows this. I think he became extremely jealous. I think he did not want Justin Baldoni to have all the control and power that he had. He's. He owns the movie. His studio is the one producing it. He's the director.

[A]

He's having the scenes with her.

[B]

He has these scenes with her.

[A]

He's good looking.

[B]

He's a good looking guy. I think he probably.

[A]

Aside from maybe his nose.

[B]

I. I mean, the nose doesn't bother me at all. I'm fine with the nose. Okay. But I don't know, maybe he saw the scene where he takes his shirt.

[A]

Off because, well, there was those dailies. So we don't know what they saw.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because it didn't mean. Maybe there was some.

[B]

Right. There's also a lot of flirtatious text between them. And I don't mean flirtatious in the way where I think there were lines crossed. I just mean there was a good working relationship between the two of them in the beginning. They were comfortable before the strikes. Right.

[A]

Like, what would be an example? Even if you're just paraphrasing Just, she.

[B]

Sends him lots of texts praising him and how they're working together and they're collaborating and she's so excited to be on this journey with him and they're gonna make this great movie together.

[A]

Basically saying, I'm not uncomfortable.

[B]

Right.

[A]

With you.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay. Who's better looking? Ryan or what's his name? Justin.

[B]

Oh, Justin.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Like, hands down, but Ryan's considered good looking. I mean, he's.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, he's not a bad looking guy. I think he's. He's good looking, but I think Justin Baldoni's beautiful. Like, he's a beautiful man.

[A]

You asked, so I. I don't know. I heard his nose is pretty big, so he might want to reconsider.

[B]

I don't know. That doesn't bother me. I told you.

[A]

Welcome to my legacy. I'm Martin Luther King iii and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilbert, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives.

[B]

Each week we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelooh, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter. And their plus one, they're ride or die as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey.

[A]

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[A]

Yellowstone fans step into the Yellowstone universe.

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Hosted by Bobby Bones, the official Yellowstone podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action explore untold behind the scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews and in depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone.

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[B]

Let's talk about maybe there is the possibility that Ryan Reynolds read some of the text messages between Justin and Blake.

[A]

Yeah, sure.

[B]

Because some of the text messages that he includes in his complaint are flirty. And we talked about this a little bit before. Yeah, they're definitely not just work related. They get into, you know, there's, there's a text exchange where he says something to the effect of like, oh, I like nice Blake or I like vulnerable Blake. I don't remember what it was. And she said, oh, you mean instead of asshole Blake? And he's like, yeah, I don't know.

[A]

They're being friendly.

[B]

They're being friendly. Friendly. Maybe too friendly. But I think, to me, I think he's just going with whatever direction she goes in so that he's just kind of on the same page with her. But let's say maybe Ryan Reynolds got a hold of her phone, saw these text messages between the two of them.

[A]

Also, which added to the, the concern that he had.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Her and being close to the co star.

[B]

Right. So maybe if we look at it as he's, he's seen this raw footage of the two of them together, the chemistry between them is palpable.

[A]

And who knows what, who knows what? Blake told Ryan to explain when he says what are these text messages?

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then she has to say, oh, he smelled me when we were dancing and I didn't like it.

[B]

Right. So I think that it might just be a conglomeration of, he's a good looking guy. This is his movie. He's the director. He's the producer. They have an intimate working relationship. I think they get friendly in the beginning and they have a lot of friendly banter. I think they also spend a lot of time together because she wants to rewrite all these scenes and rework things. And he says in his complaint that they spend long hours together into the night laughing and rewriting scenes together. I think maybe not only was Ryan jealous of maybe what he saw on these dailies when she starts asking for this raw footage, but also the text messages, the rapport between them. Because to me, it seems like there was such a shift from the first half of the movie being filmed.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To the second half that maybe Ryan Reynolds came in, put his foot down, and said, we're gonna squash this guy. He's not gonna talk to my wife like that. He's not gonna get close to my wife like that. Right.

[A]

I'm Deadpool.

[B]

I am Deadpool. This is not so.

[A]

Wow.

[B]

Anyway, here's my final thought on the 10 minute scene that was released.

[A]

Oh, wait, the 10 minute is unedited?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It's just raw footage. 10 minutes of them dancing.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And talking while they're just capturing footage.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Okay, go ahead.

[B]

And then she says in her complaint that he, you know, kissed her down her neck and said, it smells so good. Which sounds so creepy, but I tell.

[A]

You, you smell good all the time.

[B]

Yeah, but. Okay, it sounds a little creepy, but when you watch the actual footage, she. She says, I'm sorry about my spray tan and, you know, my body makeup or whatever. And he goes, no, it smells good. That's completely different.

[A]

Well, that was very nice of him, because I know firsthand spray tans do not smell.

[B]

They don't.

[A]

It was being very.

[B]

He was being kind. I think he was being kind trying to make her feel comfortable.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Anyway, my takeaway is that you're talking about a woman who has exerted control from day one over this movie. She didn't want to meet with an intimacy coordinator. She takes over the wardrobe, she rewrites scenes, she rewrites the script, she asks for the dailies, she wants to edit the movie herself. And you're going to tell me that she felt uncomfortable?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

No, if.

[A]

I'm not buying it.

[B]

If she was legitimately uncomfortable and felt like it was to the level of a sexual harassment allegation. You're going to tell me that she wouldn't walk away, that she wouldn't demand the intimacy. Court.

[A]

We now know that Ryan Reynolds was involved. Not saying it was inappropriate, but he was involved with the script. You know, he rewrote some scenes and. And. And all this stuff. And then. Plus us thinking that he was jealous.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then he's gonna let her get. I'm sorry. If you came home and was telling me about someone at work that was inappropriate to you or make you feel uncomfortable, I wouldn't be like, oh, well, let's just rewrite the scene. Oh, well, let's just not let him come to the premiere. Oh, well, let's just write this little thing with the civil board. Whatever. I would be like, no, that's either quit, like, get away, or we need to do something about this. So she's a liar.

[B]

So you're saying that all of these allegations would have been addressed in the moment, at that time, not later in a lawsuit. And I.

[A]

And I can appreciate that some people, and maybe women in this case might not until later. And there's many reasons why people might hold off making a formal complaint. I get that. But she had Ryan Reynolds backing her up. And he is not uncomfortable in the workplace. He is very familiar. They have resources. They have decades of experience to know what's appropriate, inappropriate.

[B]

He.

[A]

They would have done something right then and there.

[B]

I don't disagree with that. All right. I just want to take one other thing from his complaint, because I have a feeling that if they end up releasing any more raw footage, it will be this scene. That's just me speculating.

[A]

Okay, what is it?

[B]

She also talks about in her original complaint that she was very uncomfortable during the birthing scene. There's a scene where she gives birth, and she talks about how she only had, like, a small strip of just like, barely any fabric over her, you know, nether region, because she has. She.

[A]

Oh, okay. All right.

[B]

She claims that, like, the set's chaotic and that she's basically just laying there naked and that she's uncomfortable. And his complaint, because then in her 17, you know, she lists out these 17 protections that have to be in place before she will go back and film the rest of this movie. She claims that all the day players must be hired through their talent agencies because the man who played the ob GYN in that scene was a friend of Justin Baldoni's. So she makes it like he just called his buddy and was like, hey, you. You want to Be the obgyn. You want to just. Right. You know, you want to see Blake Lively all.

[A]

You know, there's only gonna be a little strip in the Netherlands.

[B]

This is a little strip of fabric. Buddy, come on in. He then, in his complaint, makes it very clear that the man who played the obgyn had like, a master's in fine arts from ucla, that he was in a touring group, that he. He was.

[A]

He an actor.

[B]

He's a legitimate actor. Also, he claims that she had on a pregnancy suit, black briefs, and a hospital gown. And so I feel like if they release any other footage from this movie, like they did with that other scene, this would be the scene that just.

[A]

Okay, so we only have. He said, she said she's claiming what she wore, and he's claiming that she had some big pregnancy suit on with black pants or something. Or whatever. Something unattractive.

[B]

Right, right. So anyway, I think that's probably if they start releasing scenes because he might.

[A]

Have invited his friend. I've been like, hey, I'm gonna flick with Blake Lively. If you want to, like a good scene. Not necessarily, like, creepy, but it could have been legitimate. Like, hey, you know what? It'd be kind of cool. He's being with Blake Lively. It's a pretty big movie.

[B]

Yeah, no, I think his. I think it was his friend, but I think his friend was also a legitimate actor.

[A]

I know, but I'm saying it's. It's fair for someone to be like, hey, that would be like. Like, hey, you want to be in a little scene with Blake Lively? That'd be pretty cool. Well, it didn't have to be always be creepy to invite someone. It could have been legitimate. Like, hey, this is opportun. If you want to be on. Share a screen with her.

[B]

Also, Blake Lively's sister was in the movie.

[A]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[B]

Do you remember Teen. I don't know who she from the 90s?

[A]

Yeah, that's her sister.

[B]

It's her half sister.

[A]

Are we talking Sabrina the Teenage.

[B]

No, not that. Teen Witch. There is a movie called Teen Witch. It is from the 90s. My sister and I used to watch it all the time. There was a rap scene in it. If you guys listen. Are you listening to me right now? Go Google the rap scene and Teen Witch. It will get stuck in your head.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

It is amazing.

[A]

I just know Bewitch. That was the only one.

[B]

No, that's not what I'm talking about.

[A]

I know, but that's what I want watched.

[B]

All right, let's Move on. I can't go through the entire complaint because it is so much, but I want to get to the end of this movie. So.

[A]

Wait, hold on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

180 pages. It's all pretty substantive. Right. Like, he's back in air. It's not 180 pages of fluff.

[B]

No.

[A]

And just whining.

[B]

No.

[A]

He's got stuff to back up all his allegations.

[B]

Yeah. And on that note, his attorney, Brian Friedman, also made an announcement that they are going to create a website and they are just going to release everything.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Raw footage, transparency, messages, all of it.

[A]

Yeah. Release the files.

[B]

Release the dragon.

[A]

Yes. It's the Kraken, but okay.

[B]

Oh, the cracking. That's right. Release the Kraken.

[A]

That's okay.

[B]

That's right. All right, so she wants these 17 protections put in place. We've talked about that before in the first podcast. She return. She refuses to return to work unless they agree to these 17 things. Also, I think it's very important to note because this obviously is not in her complaint, but those 17 protections that she wants in place, she sends them to Wayfarer and Sony. They try to negotiate them. They're like, hey, you know, these allegations of harassment and not feeling comfortable and no intimacy coordinator and nudity.

[A]

It's almost like, like this appears to be an admission of guilt.

[B]

We're not going to sign it as is. They try. They try to alter it to make.

[A]

It more reflective, maybe like going forward.

[B]

Right. She refuses to sign it. Her attorney, they have the communications in here. The returnee writes back and basically says, these are non negotiable. She will not return and finish this movie unless you sign it as.

[A]

Yeah, she was holding the project hostage.

[B]

Yeah. So they. What are they going to do? They've got millions of dollars invested in this. They've been on strike for months. These people haven't been working.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They finally get to go back to work and they cannot finish this movie unless they sign up.

[A]

How much filming was done after the strikes?

[B]

I would say they only got about half. Half of the movie done.

[A]

Oh, so you think it was like kind of in the middle?

[B]

I believe so. Okay, so one of the conditions was, and we've talked about this before, was the all hands in meeting that they had to have. That's what they had at Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds apartment. And she invited everybody over and the way that his complaint makes it sounds is like everybody comes with their. Their script binders because they're all excited to talk about the movie. And, you know, how they' to finish the movie. And they get blindsided. At this meeting at her house where she has another list of grievances. There's like 30 of them. And she reads them aloud. And I think everyone's sitting there, like.

[A]

She didn't get the reaction she wanted from them. Whatever that was. I don't know. So she's like, oh, okay, then I'm gonna have to.

[B]

So she reads them aloud.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Apparently, Ryan Reynolds attacks Justin Baldon and he berates him. It's. It's chaotic. I don't know. They claim that a Sony representative that was there said they've never seen anyone go off on somebody like that before.

[A]

And they were this between Ryan and Justin? Yes.

[B]

And they regret not.

[A]

Is there any daily footage of that?

[B]

I. I wish.

[A]

Oh, man. So, yeah, put that on a website.

[B]

Right. So anyway, if this continues to go further, obviously, we're going to get into discovery, we're going to get into witnesses, we're going to get into people testifying.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

This. This is.

[A]

I hope it goes to trial.

[B]

You want it to go to trial?

[A]

This is a. I want to put people, you know, put her on the stand, you know.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Is she friends with Amber Heard, by any chance? Do they have any relationship?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Seems like they would get along.

[B]

So this meeting takes place on January 4th. They finished the movie starting January 5th, I think. January 5th to February, something. They finished the movie. She claims in her complaint that there were no further issues in any of this. This. So then we go into editing, Right. We finished that. We've got all the raw footage. We have to edit it. She starts reaching out to Justin. She wants to help edit. She wants two days in the editing bay. Again, let's.

[A]

Again, she wasn't hired to be an editor.

[B]

She's not an editor. That's not within her scope of employment. I think Sony is like, you know, walking on eggshells around her, like, oh, let her go. And she ends up taking over the editing and cutting her own version of the movie. There are two versions of this movie.

[A]

I would have just cashed my check and gone home. I'd be like, you edited. I'm done.

[B]

Well, I think he. You can tell this man is broken at this point.

[A]

No, I'm talking. No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm talking like, if I was Blake Lively. Oh, I'd be like, cash my check and I'm done.

[B]

Yeah. Let me just. I just want to read you this text. This is in June, right before they like the movie's. Going to be released in August. And he texts someone. I think it's a producer or somebody. And he says, this is his text. She's kicked me out officially from the film. Now she's finishing it all. I can't be involved. Music, sound, vfx, everything. I'll make it through somehow. I just need to feel it.

[A]

All this is from to who?

[B]

I don't. I think it's to a, an editor.

[A]

Okay. But it is it cut and pasted in there to show that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

How he was feeling at that time.

[B]

That's how he felt at that time. He's just basically saying, I, I, I, I've lost this movie. Like, she's completely taken over. She's edited her own version. I'm not even allowed in the editing bay anymore. She's cut her own. Like, she's cut her version and he has his version. So there's two competing versions.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Then I, I know they do the test. I think we talked about this before, where they do the focus group and they test, like, which one does better?

[A]

Which one did better?

[B]

His did better.

[A]

But then, of course, because she's not.

[B]

An editor, her version used or she refused to promote the movie unless her version was used. There is some.

[A]

And there's text or something to show that.

[B]

Yeah. Then there is, man. Jesus.

[A]

Gets worse and worse.

[B]

Then there's some communications between him and some editors or producers where they've heard through the grapevine that Sony is trying to incorporate his version back into her version.

[A]

Well, probably because the focus groups told them to do that.

[B]

Right. Anyway, we get to also. I have to also add, because I think this is important. She fires editors and hires Ryan Reynolds editors and she fires the composer who are the editor.

[A]

She filed. Fired, fired.

[B]

I don't know. It didn't give me. No.

[A]

I mean, like, it was the ones that were originally hired for the movie.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

How can she fire them? She's not even paying them.

[B]

I, I don't know. I don't know. She gets rid of the composer that they've hired and she uses Ryan Reynolds composer. I think the problem is Sony, who's distributing this movie, is walking on eggshells with her, too.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so they're just kind of like, hey, Destiny, just let her do whatever she wants. Let's just keep her happy. She won't promote the movie unless.

[A]

And then you wonder, and I don't know if you have the answer. Is Ryan Reynolds, like, affiliate with Sony where Maybe Sony's thinking, like, we got these other deals with Ryan. Like, we don't want to ruin this. I, I, you know what I mean? Like, like, I don't know, he was considered when they thought, hey, let's just do whatever, right? Welcome to my Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King III and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilberger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives.

[B]

Each week we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter and their plus one, their ride or die as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey.

[A]

Listen to my legacy on the iHeartRadio.

[B]

App, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

This, this is my legacy.

[B]

I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. If only there were a professional WNBA player with her own podcast I could listen to. Hey, this is Lexi Brown, WNBA player and professional yapper. And this is Mariah Rose. You may know me from spilling the tea on Hoops for hotties on TikTok. And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle. Every Wednesday. We're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball, and not just in the wnba, but with athletes unlimited unrivaled and college basketball. We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. I know you guys have seen a lot of former and current basketball players telling their stories from their point of view, and I just think it's time for the girlies to tap in. We want to share all of the women's basketball stories that you won't see anywhere else. Tune in to Full Circle Circle, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Everyone's forgotten who runs this valley. Time to remind them.

[A]

Yellowstone fans step into the Yellowstone universe.

[B]

Dark fans only legacy is this ranch and I protect I live my life.

[A]

Hosted by Bobby Bones, the official Yellowstone podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action explore untold behind the scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews and in depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone.

[B]

You know, the first stuns to settle this valley fighting was all they knew.

[A]

Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the ranch, welcome to the Yellowstone. Bobby Bones has everything you need to stay connected to the Yellowstone phenomenon.

[B]

I look forward to it.

[A]

Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast Now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

Let's go to work. Hey, it's Mike and Ian. We're the hosts of how to do.

[A]

Everything from NPR's wait, wait, don't Tell me. Each week we take your questions and find someone much smarter than us to answer them. Questions like, how do you survive the Bermuda Triangle? How do you find a date inside the Bermuda Triangle? We can't help you, but we will find someone who can. Listen to the how to do everything podcast on iHeartradio.

[B]

So this movie is now ready to premiere in August of 2024. There is a movie premiere, which is, you know, you've been to a movie premiere before.

[A]

No, I haven't.

[B]

I have.

[A]

I just go see them on the first day they're released.

[B]

There's red carpet, the whole thing.

[A]

Wait, weren't you supposed to go to this premiere?

[B]

You were invited to the premiere? No, no, I don't think I was invited to the.

[A]

Oh, some other screening.

[B]

I was. I. Yes, I know Colleen Hoover. I've. I've been friendly with Colleen Hoover for years and years. We were on Watch what Happens Live together. Yeah, I like. And Brandon, the guy that plays Alice, was on Watch what Happens Live. He was the bartender. I had no idea any of this was going on. This was a missed opportunity.

[A]

It would have been a different episode of Watch what? I was lying.

[B]

I had no idea at all any of this tension was going on. So I, I just, you know, I was always a big fan. I'm still a big fan of Colleen Hoover. I do know it's got nothing to.

[A]

Do with the quality of writing or anything.

[B]

She has deactivated her Instagram.

[A]

So you're not DMing her anymore?

[B]

I don't know. I mean, I would say it prob. Has to do with everything that's going on with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. I can only imagine the fans probably attacking her on her Instagram because she did come out right from the get go and supported Blake. Probably not the smartest thing to do. Too quick to take a.

[A]

But also, yeah, I, I feel for her because I bet you as an author, that's. That's her strength. And then she has Instagram to promote her book, and she probably got a lot of praise. Books got a lot of praise. And she didn't sign up for, like, people attacking her for this actor that didn't like this actor. Like, she's really got nothing to do with that.

[B]

No, I think that.

[A]

Which is also why she should have not said anything. Probably not, but it doesn't. I'm not faulting her for saying anything. I'm just saying I don't think she should have.

[B]

Right. So we get to the premiere of this movie in August of 2024. Initially, Blake Lively says Justin Baldoni can't be there at all, period. He's not allowed. He's not allowed to go?

[A]

Of course not.

[B]

Can't be there.

[A]

He's a lead star, and he ran the whole movie and directed it, and everything should be there.

[B]

They have to.

[A]

Was it Rhino Reynolds there?

[B]

I don't even know if he was there. They have to negotiate to allow him to be at the premiere, and during the negotiations, it is. Is so they put into place that he is allowed to go, but he has to be in a separate theater.

[A]

That's not going. Then he's in a separate theater. Did he have a different red carpet?

[B]

No, but he could not be on the. The red carpet the same time as her. He has to be in a different holding area, like, him and his friends and all the Wayfarer people are held in, like, this basement area. They took photos of it.

[A]

Embarrassing.

[B]

There's drinks, like, drinks all around them. It's just like a. A, you know, some basement area where.

[A]

She can't be okay with all. She's got to be embarrassed that all this is surfacing.

[B]

I. I don't know. But we can. We can throw some of the images up there of him with his family and his friends being held in, like, this basement area because he's not allowed to be on the red carpet the same time as her. He has to. He has to premiere the movie for the first time. This first time he gets to see it.

[A]

Well, see it on big screen, right?

[B]

Well, no. See it. He doesn't know what the cut is.

[A]

Didn't need. Oh, this is the first time he.

[B]

Gets to see it.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[B]

He's not allowed to go to the after party. He has to finance his own after party for his family and friends. He can't go to the other. The other party that he paid for because this is Wayfarer that pays for all of this stuff.

[A]

Dude, why didn't he just dump her at this point? The movie's already done.

[B]

Well, what do you mean, dump her? What. How's he gonna. What does that mean?

[A]

Make her not allowed to come to the premiere?

[B]

He has no power.

[A]

Why?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

How does he not have any power now in the Beginning I understood he's trying to make sure the movie gets done and she's smiling. But now it's done. So.

[B]

Because I think, well, he's probably.

[A]

You know why? Because he's probably a nice guy. I think he probably is one to not have confrontation and want to keep peace and just get the movie out there.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So it's a little bit of showing his character.

[B]

Okay. Also, I just want to. This is important too, because I think this goes to the heart of who he is. The cast ends up unfollowing him on Instagram. I think that was all. Basically had the dumbest thing in the.

[A]

World, the whole unfollowing thing.

[B]

I think that had to do with Blake or Ryan or whatever, just setting up that he wasn't a good guy and that they shouldn't have anything to do with him. But I do want to read this text that he included in his complaint. This is a text from the girl named Isabella Ferrer who played the young.

[A]

Oh, yes. Okay.

[B]

Okay. She played young Lily. Okay, okay. She sends this to Justin Baldoni after finished filming.

[A]

Okay. So, okay, go ahead, read it.

[B]

Hey. Just got my film developed from when we were shooting, so here's the sweet pick. I also have to say thank you so, so much for an incredible experience on my first film. I still can't shake the feeling of it all because it truly was life changing for me. You are such a wonderful, smart and sincere director and you created such a comfortable, safe space for me to feel like I could fully step into this role. I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming environment. It will stay with me the rest of my life. See you soon, whether in the fall or later. And I hope you're doing well.

[A]

And I'll. You want my thoughts on that?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It certainly is not harmful, but she's inexperienced. It's her first movie. Of course she's going to kiss up to the boss and say it was awesome.

[B]

I know, but I'm just saying she.

[A]

Certainly didn't make complaints either. It helps him.

[B]

No, but I'm saying this is how she legitimately felt after she filmed movie with Justin Baldoni.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Then she later unfollows him. I'm saying she, to me, she was coerced.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Because if you see her walk on the red carpet, she comes on the red carpet with Blake Lively. She was styled by Blake. She wore a dress that Blake told her to wear. She wore Blake's shoes, I think Blake.

[A]

Okay, so here we are. She's besties with Blake or wanting to Be right starstruck with her opportunity to be in a movie with some A listers. Right, right. And then you'd think she would have picked up on some vibes of the supposed sexual harassment or whatever or unprofessionalism without. With Justin. But she didn't.

[B]

She didn't.

[A]

So whether she's kissing up or not, had. She probably didn't hear anything from Blake about any problem.

[B]

No, because I would assume that if she was aware of that or she thought those things were actually going on or she thought. Right.

[A]

She had some wind of anything that.

[B]

She wouldn't have sentenced like that.

[A]

If she's as close to Blake as she was in filming, she probably would have had wind of something.

[B]

Right. So to me, that text is very telling. I thought it was.

[A]

Did she change her to now?

[B]

I don't know. I don't think anyone knows what to say. All these acts, I think everyone came out in support of Blake in the beginning, and now I think that they're all radio signs.

[A]

Was Blake lightly really that big of a star? I don't remember. What's she been in? I don't even know what she's been in.

[B]

Yeah, I would say so. She was in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. One and two.

[A]

Yeah, that's in my queue. I haven't seen it yet.

[B]

All right, let's go into the promotion of this movie. The promotion of this movie ends up being disastrous for her because she promotes the movie in a way where they don't talk about the domestic violence. They promote it in a way where it's a flowery, fun. Grab your girlfriends in a cocktail, go see this movie. She also promotes her hair care line and she promotes her booze business. So she has an alcohol brand called Betty Booze, and she has a hair care line called Blake Brown.

[A]

Like, if she'd go on a talk show to promote the movie, she'd also bring up those things.

[B]

Yeah, I think her promotion just was basically around this flowery, floral type of thing. Very frothy, superficial. Go with your girlfriends. And by the way, try my hair care line. And also, I have this booze company, and I think with these. With the premiere, there was alcohol and all these things. And I think people did not like it because according to the statistics, 55% of domestic violence has to do with alcohol. So it wasn't. People were not making the connection and they were not receiving it well. They were like, wait, we thought this was about domestic violence. It was about survivors.

[A]

It was about when you went and Saw the movie. Was it about domestic violence and survivors? Did you get that message as you did in the book?

[B]

Yeah, I did.

[A]

You got the same message as you did in the book?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay. But she's out promoting it like it's just a. A light popcorn movie.

[B]

Right. And she got massive backlash from social media because of that.

[A]

So you mean that, like, people saw the movie or knew the book and then see the way she's painting the. The picture of this movie? And they didn't like that because right now no one knows. During the promotion of this movie, no one really knows all this that we're talking about. Right. It hasn't really surfaced publicly yet.

[B]

Oh, you mean about the rift between the two of them? No, this is when people start speculating because people notice that he's not on the red.

[A]

Yeah. So what I'm saying is they're making the. The independent conclusion that the way you're talking about the movie and the way the book reads and the movie shows is not how you're portraying.

[B]

Right. Oh, she also removed him from all the marketing materials.

[A]

Of course she would. Why wouldn't.

[B]

If you look at the poster, the movie poster, it's just her. Her. He's nowhere on it. She just wiped him out completely. He's in a basement.

[A]

Well, the title now seems very fitting. It ends with us. Is that the name of the title? It's over.

[B]

It is over.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

So she's promoting this movie. She's getting major backlash. This is where the PR people come in, and this is where she accuses him of a smear campaign. And, you know, here's my thoughts on all these.

[A]

Wait, was he running around promoting the movie? Was he doing talk shows and stuff like that?

[B]

He was promoting the movie, but he was promoting it differently. He.

[A]

But he was promoting. She allowed him to go promote the movie.

[B]

He did his own thing. He was not allowed to promote with her. He. So he just pivoted and did his own thing.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So apparently Sony. She and Sony came up with this marketing promotional plan which had to do with this whole flowery type of, you know, grab your.

[A]

Why would she do that? Why do you think she would do it? Want to paint it that way? Well, is that because, again, she didn't read the book and she doesn't know?

[B]

I think it was just a big mess. Misstep. I. I think she.

[A]

But why do you think. Was she trying to change the image of the movie? Was she just plain stupid and she probably just doesn't know the message?

[B]

Think. Well, I Think she didn't read the book? I think she didn't meet with the no More group that he off. Justin Baldoni offered for her to meet with this domestic violence organization. She didn't want to meet with them. I think she focused on this flowery image of it because she thought that was the right thing to do. I mean, it.

[A]

Okay, okay.

[B]

But here's the part.

[A]

So she was a little far removed from. From being a part of this whole group and trying to make this movie and promote it. And so then she deviated and did her own thing.

[B]

She deviated, did her own thing, and it didn't go well. And he. When he did.

[A]

Did you see any of the promos? Because I know you read the book on your own long ago.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you were excited for the movie to come out, and you were very supportive of Colleen Hoover having her. An awesome book turned into a movie. And then you saw the movie and then did you see her promos or anything?

[B]

I did. I. I saw articles and I saw. I saw where people were saying, this is tone deaf.

[A]

And did you agree with it?

[B]

I did.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And I know that his way of promoting the movie, because he had to promote on his own. He's just off on his own doing interviews. He's not with her project still. It's Blake in the cast, and it's him on his own.

[A]

And this guy got.

[B]

I know. I.

[A]

You can't help a hostile takeover.

[B]

I know you can't help but feel sorry for this man. But he's. When he's talking about the movie, he's talking about victims and about bringing it to light and about how hopefully it helps people and people can watch the movie and maybe feel empowered to leave a situation.

[A]

A good man.

[B]

Yeah. So she does not like that because there are two different promotional avenues going on, and people are. She's getting major backlash, and people are thinking, well, he's doing and saying the right thing. So I think she's livid.

[A]

Oh, yeah, livid. You're right. That was. That was the final nail in the coffin where she's like, he. He was not supposed to be getting any praise, let me tell you. He's not even in the promo shots.

[B]

I read this in the complaint, and I believe it, even though there isn't any correspondence. Back this up. But I do believe it. Justin Baldoni in his complaint. And I haven't heard anybody else talk about this. I don't know if anybody else picked up on this. This. But during that promotional tour where she was getting major Backlash from social media. She and Ryan Reynolds, through their agent, reached out to Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer and demanded that they write a public apology. And they drafted the public apology and told them, you have to issue this.

[A]

And he apologize for what?

[B]

For the marketing.

[A]

Oh, like. Like, I'm sorry for talking about domestic abuse. And he's. It's a popcorn movie.

[B]

No, she wanted them to take. To fall on the sword and say it was our error in judgment, you know, we shouldn't have marketed the movie like this. And he refused. Yeah, he refused. Wayfarer refused.

[A]

He drew the line. He was like, I'm done. I'm not.

[B]

So he refuses. And apparently their. Their response was, now the gloves are off.

[A]

Off.

[B]

Yeah, now the gloves are off. And then they sue him in December. So this was August. This is the August time frame when this movie premieres. And they're doing.

[A]

And only a month later, they sue him.

[B]

No, this is August. They sue him in December.

[A]

Oh, December. I think he said September. So, yeah, not long. Four months.

[B]

No. And then this is where all the PR people come into play. Blake Lively got a hold of those personal text messages between Justin Baldoni and his PR people and. Give me a break. Subpoena. Subpoena. There's no subpoena. There's not a subpoena. This is PR people confiscating phones and then giving these private text messages between Justin Baldoni and his PR people to Blake Lively's team. Yeah, and then they sue him saying sexual harassment and a smear campaign. And I want to talk about the PR thing. First of all, this is. This is Hollywood, and these are a list. Actors and people hire crisis management teams, and everybody has a publicist. You're trying to spin your client's story. They're trying to spin their client's story. They're trying to get good, you know, good stories out there about Blake. He's trying to get good stories out there about him. He doesn't want this sexual harassment stuff to come up that she's accusing him of. Of course. He hired a crisis management team. Team. He's been accused of things. He's been accused of being a sexual prey.

[A]

He didn't hire a team to bash her. He tired a team to try to control the situation.

[B]

That's the way it looks to me. There is a text that. That she uses in her complaint where his PR girl, Jen Abel, says something to the effect of he. He wants us to be able to bury her. Something like that. And the new and the whole New York Times article goes with that text. But if you read multitudes of texts that he has with his PR team, he says repeatedly, don't do that. Is that a bad article that we did? Don't put bad stuff out. Like, he makes it clear that he doesn't want it to be a bashing session. He's just trying to protect.

[A]

Oh, yeah, that's exactly what I said he did. Yeah, I know he's trying to. He's a good dude.

[B]

That's the way it looks to me is he is trying to do nothing more than protect his own image, his own movie, his reputation, his investment. Because there was a second book. And how is the second book going to get made? I heard and I asked people that would know if he purchased the rights to the second book, and they said.

[A]

I'm sure he did. Yeah, I. I think that's given.

[B]

Right. So now, how does this man make this movie?

[A]

He may not.

[B]

How can he?

[A]

He may not. He's going to focus on his 400 million dollar lawsuit.

[B]

He can't make this movie. And I think that's. That's one of the reasons why you probably asked for 400 million, because that goes to show actual no damages, which.

[A]

Sucks, because although the money is good, he really wants to make the movie.

[B]

Oh, no. He wants to make the movie. I would agree with you.

[A]

Rather make $10 million with the movie than $100 million in court.

[B]

I agree 100%.

[A]

But now with Blake Lively, Screw her. Seriously. I wouldn't work with her. Why would you work. Why would anyone want to work with her now? She's litigious. She's dangerous.

[B]

Yeah, you know, I. I don't. I don't disagree with that at all.

[A]

We need to get Justin on here.

[B]

You want to get Justin Bowser and.

[A]

Ask him what the heck is going on? On. Or we could get Blake on here. That'd be better.

[B]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[A]

I'm sure Blake and Ryan Reynolds are listening to this right now, going, yeah, we need to clear this up, right?

[B]

I'm sure after Blake listens to this episode, she's gonna definitely want to come on this podcast. I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. If only there were a professional WNBA player with her own podcast I could listen to. Hey, this is Lexi Brown, WNBA player and professional yapper. And this is Mariah Rose. You may know me from spilling the tea on Hoops for Hotties on Tik Tok. And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle every Wednesday. We're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball and not just in the wnba, but with Athletes Unlimited unrivaled and college basketball. We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. I know you guys have seen a lot of former and current basketball players telling their stories from their point of view, and I just think it's time for the girlies to tap in. We want to share all of the women's basketball stories that you won't see anywhere else. Tune into Full Circle, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

[A]

Welcome to My Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King III and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives.

[B]

Each week we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Billy Porter and their plus one, their ride or die as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey.

[A]

Listen to My legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is my Legacy.

[B]

Everyone's forgotten who runs this valley.

[A]

Time to remind them. Yellowstone fans step into the Yellowstone universe.

[B]

Dark fountains only legacy is this ranch. When I protect, I live my life.

[A]

Hosted by Bobby Bones, the official Yellowstone podcast takes you deeper into the franchise that's captivated millions worldwide. Action Explore untold behind the scenes stories, exclusive cast interviews and in depth discussions about the themes and legacy of Yellowstone.

[B]

You know, the first stuns to settle this valley fighting was all they knew.

[A]

Whether you're a longtime fan or new to the ranch, welcome to the Yellowstone. Bobby Bones has everything you need to stay connected to the Yellowstone phenomenon.

[B]

I look forward to it.

[A]

Listen to the official Yellowstone podcast Now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

Let's go to work. Hey, it's Mike and Ian. We're the hosts of how to do.

[A]

Everything from NPR's wait, wait, don't Tell Me. Each week we take your questions and find someone much smarter than us to answer them. Questions like how do you survive the Bermuda Triangle? How do you find a date inside the Bermuda Triangle? We can't help you, but we will find someone who can.

[B]

Listen to the how to Do Everything.

[A]

Podcast on iheartradio.

[B]

Let'S just go in a little bit into some things that are in the news. First of all, the whole Deadpool thing where people are picking up on the fact that one of the characters, Nice. Nice Pool, is making fun of Justin Baldoni. Ryan Reynolds plays probably Deadpool, but he also has that alter ego character, Nice Pool, who. There's all these, you know, similarities in his speech that have to do with Justin Baldoni. Like, he wears the man bun. He talks about how he's a feminist. He talks about how he has.

[A]

Wait, Justin wears a man bun?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you said he's good looking.

[B]

He is. I'm sorry. He is.

[A]

He's a good looking guy with a man bun.

[B]

He pulls it off. You gotta. You gotta Google some images. He pulls it off.

[A]

Well, it's not like I'm gonna be able to figure out if he's good looking.

[B]

Right.

[A]

All right, so I'll take your word for it.

[B]

Baldoni's attorney sends a, you know, a preservation of evidence letter to the movie studio to marvel over the Nice Pool character. So Baldoni's attorney believes that Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, was flagrantly mocking Baldoni in a sequence in Marvel's Deadpool and Wolverine. The sequence features Reynolds playing Nice Pool, an oafish alternate version of the hero Deadpool, saying such lines as where in God's name is the intimacy coordinator? And complimenting Lady Pool for snapping back into shape after giving birth. When Deadpool points out Nice Pool's misogyny in the scene, the latter replies, it's okay. I identify as a feminist. During the development, production, and marketing of It Ends With Us. Baldoni often touted his credentials as a feminist and an ally to women. He also does a podcast that had to do with, like, toxic masculinity and, you know, things like that. So the attorney sending the preservation of evidence letter, what does that suggest to you? What is. What is that for? What is the intent?

[A]

Well, because they're afraid they're going to destroy it and then they want to use it against them.

[B]

Right. So I think at some point there might be some lawsuit against Marvel as well. I don't know.

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

But I'm sure Marvel Studios is like, are you kidding me? Like, like, we don't want to be involved in this. But anyway, so there's a preservation of evidence letter which basically says anything that has to do with the character of Nice Pool.

[A]

Yeah. But I don't know how involved they would be other than just being a participant of providing evidence. Yeah, I mean, were they Going to sue Marvel saying you made fun of Justin B. I mean, that seems like a stretch.

[B]

Right?

[A]

But yeah, you're right. It doesn't look good for. Well, it doesn't. If I'm involved in some personal issue with someone and then they, they. They send a letter to my boss saying, preserving evidence. Yeah, that's not a good look for me.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So that's essentially what they did.

[B]

Right. Also, I think it's important to get into this rooftop scene so that we can then go into this six and a half minute voice memo from Justin Baldoni to Blake Lively that was just released today. So we get to discuss that.

[A]

Okay. What is the rooftop scene and the.

[B]

Rooftop scene in the book? This is a pivotal scene because this is where the main character, Lily, meets Ry for the first time. Now, I think this is a very important scene because we're talking about domestic violence. And I think Colleen Hoover does an amazing job of introducing Ryle to us as a doctor and as someone that's very passionate. When she first meets him on this rooftop, he had just been in a surgery and he had lost, I think a child had died. And he was reeling and he was emotional and he was upset. And you immediately are attracted to him as a good guy. He also shows a little bit of a violent side where he kicks a chair. And I think this is all foreshadowing as to who he is as a complex character later in the book when we learn more about him and his background. Anyway, I would say a lot of people have said this is an iconic scene, a pivotal scene. I would agree with that as far.

[A]

As the storyline is concerned.

[B]

Exactly. So in Baldoni's complaint, he says that Blake Lively reaches out to him and says, hey, can I take a pass at writing this scene? Obviously there's a script and the scene's already been written. She wants to write the scene. Again, let's go back to the fact that as far she's a actress, she's. Her scope of her employment is actress. And again, as far as he alleges, she hasn't read the book. According to his complaint, there's some type of meeting at her New York penthouse, and Taylor and Ryan are both there, and Blake has rewritten this scene. And according to Justin Baldoni, they're both raving. And when I say both, I mean Ryan and Taylor are raving about how amazing this the scene is that she has written. So Justin Baldoni leaves and apparently he says to her at some point in a text or I'm not sure what he thanks her for her passion, meaning great job putting a lot of work into it. But I don't know, we'll probably. I think he said something.

[A]

He was trying to recognize her going out above and beyond, so to speak.

[B]

Right.

[A]

In. In writing and contributing, when really he didn't want to hear it.

[B]

Right. And, you know, I think he, he was. He also knows he's walking on eggshells with her. Right. So he's trying to say. He's trying to give her compliments without letting her completely take over.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So I think he probably thought that was a great way to be. Like, you know what? I, I appreciate the passion that you put into that.

[A]

And then I think that's a corny choice of words. Well, passion, yeah, I, I, I mean that. That's neither here nor there.

[B]

Right. And then he says something to the effect of, you know, most likely the scene will be what was already written and then some of the things. And, like, I'm sure he's trying to include some of the things. Things.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Anyway, apparently, according to him, she goes silent for days. He doesn't hear from her. Then I guess he gets a text. This is the Khaleesi text.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And I'll read a little bit more of the text. So she says they asked what you thought specifically after, and they means Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift is who she's referring to. They checked in so many times. I told them that you laughed a bunch and said it's probably a blend. But you appreciate my passion so much, which, of course did not feel great for me or them to have my passion be praised instead of any specific contribution or even just that you don't like the pages, which was fine also. So she's basically saying, hey, they keep checking in. They want to know your thoughts. They thought it was amazing. Why are you not thinking it's amazing too, then? There's a lot more that has to do with how amazing and how great her two dragons are. Then the very end of this text is the Khaleesi text where she basically makes reference to Game of Thrones where she's Khaleesi and they're her two dragons. And to me, I take that as kind of a veiled threat. Like, not only am I Blake Lively, but I just want to warn you that I have two of the most powerful people in the world as my friends, and you should probably go along that. We all think this rooftop scene is amazing. Anyway, so this voice memo comes into play because this is what I think happened. I think he starts thinking about how he praised her passion, but now she's ticked off. And she sent him this text and she doesn't like what he said and she doesn't want to be praised for her passion. She wants to be praised for her.

[A]

Well, you know, she showed it to Ryan Reynolds and it's like, what do you think about this?

[B]

Oh, I'm sure. And so everybody's probably like, he wrote it.

[A]

He was insulted.

[B]

Right? Right. So I'm sure everyone around her is like, don't, you know, he doesn't know what he's talking about and, you know, praising her. So I'm sure Justin Baldoni is laying in bed with his mind reeling, thinking about how he messed up because he praised her for this passion she put into rewriting.

[A]

Second guessing everything.

[B]

He's second guessing everything. He's thinking, great. Now she's mad. Ryan Reynolds is mad. Taylor Swift is mad. I'm screwed. Right? So he sends her this 6 minute.

[A]

30 second, 2 in the morning voice.

[B]

Memo at 2 o'clock in the morning, which Shane and I both listen to my takeaway from this voice memo and you can tell me yours was. This man was reeling. His mind was going crazy and he was trying to do everything possible to get her back into his good graces. I mean, how many times do you.

[A]

He, he what? I agree that he was. And I think his voicemail was stupid.

[B]

I know you did.

[A]

It looked, he sounded weak. He sounded like, okay, I'm sorry. Oh, I love you, you're so great. And like, that was kind of the tone. I felt bad for him, but I was like, dude, like, you're not gonna win anyone over like that.

[B]

So in your mind. Well, to me, he apologized.

[A]

I, it should have been short and sweet.

[B]

It should have been, first of all, as a, as a woman with three children and Blake Lively has four kids. I don't want a seven minute voice memo. I'm not gonna listen to it.

[A]

It as a single person. I wouldn't want a seven minute voice.

[B]

Memo that is entirely too long. If you want to apologize.

[A]

It was hard for me to finish that.

[B]

I know. It was a lot, it was a lot of repetition. It was a lot of stammering. Stammering. It was a lot of I'm sorry, I, I, I, I shouldn't have reacted.

[A]

Wasn't he saying things like, basically like, you're so awesome and yeah, and I'm.

[B]

Working with Blake Lively.

[A]

Say hi to Ryan for I love Ryan.

[B]

Say hi, Orion. I can't believe I get.

[A]

He wasn't playing like Taylor Swift in the background or something. Good graces.

[B]

I get to. I get to. I get to be with Blake Lively every day. I mean, it was a lot. It was too much.

[A]

Oh, yeah, he was saying that.

[B]

That was pathetic.

[A]

That was a lot serious.

[B]

Okay, but the question is, because clearly it was his side that released his voice memo. It wasn't her. He's releasing it. So what is his intent?

[A]

I don't know. I don't know if that did him any favors. I don't think it did anything bad for him. Yeah, it just. To me, it made him look weak and it may be. And. And it's not like, oh, my gosh, he. He apologized, therefore she should talk. He's a great guy. No, I don't know. He could have been apologizing because. Because, I mean, I think it's. I think his voicemail had good intentions. He was trying to reel her in. He was trying to, you know, appease her. He was trying to make her feel better so they could get back to filming or whatever it was. But I think it was not. It was disingenuous because he was just saying what he thinks he needed to say. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah, but. But what he needed to say, his.

[A]

Reasoning was not wrong. His reasoning was valid, legitimate, it, and real.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And it had good intentions.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But it just sounded stupid.

[B]

There's also a section in this. This long voice memo where he makes reference to. I'm so sorry that you've gone through this with other directors or whatever. Yeah. And a lot of people. I've seen people talking about this online and they didn't know what he was referring to, and they didn't understand the context of this voice.

[A]

I know, but I interpreted it as. He was just like. He heard stories directly from Blake. So he's like, oh, yeah, that's terrible. I'm not like that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I don't know if there was any history.

[B]

Well, there is, because I look back at the complaint because I remember reading something like that, and I did found. I did find it in the complaint. And the context is he states, early in the pre production stage, Lively sent Baldoni a long text describing how directors never permitted her to write scenes for the movies that she acted in, nor gave her writing credits, even making her hand scribble her suggestions for lines so that they could not be traced back to her. Lively boasted that she had even written for her husband's movies. So I think she sent these long texts as a manipulation tactic of like, hey, I've I, I know what I'm doing. I've written scenes, I've rewritten things. I've just never been given credit before. Kind of a woe is me type of feel badly for me. And then that's what he does. In that voice memo, he's like, hey, I am so sorry that you were treated like that. That f them. I'm not like that. If you remember, he's.

[A]

I'm not like that. Now let's go finish the movie right now.

[B]

Be.

[A]

Now get out of the editing room.

[B]

Okay. Anyway, so that is our take on the, on the six and a half minute.

[A]

I recommend that anyone listening to this podcast do not listen to the seven minutes or you will want it back. Yeah, that's bad.

[B]

It's. It's a lot. It's a lot of random.

[A]

You feel for him too.

[B]

I think the intent of them releasing it was so that you could hear in his voice that he is literally trying to just get along with this woman.

[A]

He was saying what she wanted to hear, right? Because he just wanted to move on.

[B]

Right. And that he's the nice guy in this. He's telling her she's amazing. He's saying he loves Ryan. He's bowing down. He's saying, I know that I'm sorry.

[A]

The crap out of Ryan, but yeah, right. And he's never going to listen to a Taylor Swift song again. You know that, right? I wouldn't either.

[B]

So, anyway, originally the first pre trial conference was scheduled for February 12th. We do know now that it's been moved up. It is actually next week. And the judge told both lawyers on each side to be prepared to address the complaints about all the pre trial publicity. And we touched on this a little bit before. That was the letter that Blake Lively's team sent to the judge directly saying, hey, you know, Brian Friedman's playing out this lawsuit in the public by releasing all this footage.

[A]

Please disregard the fact that I went to the New York Times, right. And look at this attorney who's responding to all these outlandish allegations.

[B]

And I'm sure it also has to do with the fact that he also did say, hey, we're just gonna, we're just gonna make a website and we're just gonna put, put everything on this website. We're gonna put the raw footage on there, all the text messages, everything.

[A]

You should probably put it on Patreon. You could probably make a few bucks. Seriously. Or you should put it on YouTube. It'll be millions of viewers and a bunch of comments.

[B]

And then so the pre trial conference is next week where we will figure out, or at least the judge will make some type of decision on how this is going to play out in the media because both sides have been using publicity.

[A]

Is this in California?

[B]

This is in New York work. So the trial date is scheduled for March 9th of 2026, which is basically.

[A]

Yeah, it took me two seconds. I just googled it. I put Ryan Reynolds Lively trial date and it came up March 9, 2026.

[B]

Okay. So anyway, that's when the trial date is. We'll see what happens until then. Clearly there will be a lot more things that come out. We'll see how this plays out in the media. We'll see what the judge says regarding whether they're allowed to continue to release raw footage and to release all these text messages and voice memos and all these things. And we will keep you informed on that.

[A]

Yeah, hopefully, hopefully it gets settled before the next Taylor Swift tour date.

[B]

So it's very important. Yes.

[A]

Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show, and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else.

[B]

Ready to laugh and stay informed?

[A]

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly, guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, and Joseph Gordon Levitt. I love storytelling and I love you. So I can't wait. Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast guests. $1.4 billion in NFL quarterback contracts. The untold stories behind the biggest deals in football history. I'm AJ Stevens, Vice president of Client strategy at Athletes first, introducing the Athletes First Family podcast, the Quarterback series. My co host, Brian Murphy, Athletes first CEO and I are sitting down with the agents who have negotiated contracts for Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson, dak Prescott Tua Tongavailoa and Jordan Love. Listen to Athletes First Family podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if you ask two different people.

[B]

The same set of questions? Even if the questions are the same.

[A]

Our experiences can lead us to drastically different answers. I'm Mini Driver and I set out.

[B]

To explore this idea in my podcast, and now Mini Questions is returning for another season. We've asked an entirely new set of.

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Guests our seven questions, including Jane Lynch.

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Delaney Rowe, and Cord Jefferson.

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Listen to Mini questions on the iHeartRadio.

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App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Seven questions limitless answers.