Scarlett Johansson has been the latest celebrity to be dragged into the ongoing legal war between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
The 41-year-old Avengers actress was mentioned in audio filed by Lively’s lawyers amid the case and obtained by Daily Mail, just mere months before the Gossip Girl alum heads to trial with Baldoni in May.
Co-founder of Baldoni’s Wayfarer production company Steve Sarowitz had brought up Johansson in a portion of the audio during a past conversation with Claire Ayoub.
Wayfarer and Baldoni had produced Ayoub’s 2024 comedic drama Empire Waist.
In a September 2025 declaration in Lively’s case obtained by the Daily Mail, Ayoub indicates she discussed the conversation after claiming she suffered ‘verbal abuse’ from Baldoni and ‘negative interactions’ with him on set of her film.
Sarowitz had positive words for Johansson after Wayfarer worked with the actress on her 2025 directorial debut Eleanor The Great. However, he also voiced a differing opinion towards working with Lively, per the audio obtained by Daily Mail.
Scarlett Johansson, 41, has been the latest celebrity to be dragged into the ongoing legal war between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni; seen in 2025 in NYC
Avengers actress was mentioned in audio filed by Lively’s lawyers amid the case and obtained by Daily Mail, just mere months before the Gossip Girl alum heads to trial with Baldoni in May
He called Johansson ‘cool, calm, collected and confident. And nice.’
Sarowitz continued, ‘It’s so interesting because you work with so many people. Almost everybody is nice, and then there’s Blake – she is totally different than everyone else,’ in audio heard by Daily Mail.
‘Not to say anything bad about her, but she’s different.’
He added in the audio heard by Daily Mail that he believed ‘for the most part most people see what we are doing, see we’re nice and they’re nice back. Even if they weren’t perfectly nice. And I just think some people forgot to learn how to be nice.’
Sarowitz additionally referred to the It Ends With Us controversy, labeling it ‘simply a drama’ while adding he is ‘done with it.’
He came to the defense of Baldoni and alleged that ‘everything was made up’ and purposefully created ‘to take Justin down’ in audio heard by Daily Mail.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Johansson, Lively, Baldoni, Sarowitz and Ayoub for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Johansson was previously married to Ryan Reynolds from 2008 until their divorce in 2011. She is now married to SNL comedian Colin Jost while Reynolds tied the knot with Lively in 2012.
Sarowitz continued, ‘It’s so interesting because you work with so many people. Almost everybody is nice, and then there’s Blake – she is totally different than everyone else’; Lively seen in 2025 in NYC
Sarowitz additionally referred to the It Ends With Us controversy, labeling it ‘simply a drama’ while adding he is ‘done with it’
Johansson was previously married to Ryan Reynolds from 2008 until their divorce in 2011. She is now married to SNL comedian Colin Jost; Johansson and Jost seen in 2025 in NYC
Lively filed a lawsuit back in December 2024 where she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her. He denied the allegations.
He also responded with a $400 million lawsuit against the actress.
The director also filed a $250 million libel claim against the New York Times which reported on Lively’s allegations. The cases were later dismissed by a judge in June of last year.
The trial was initially scheduled for March of this year – but has since been pushed back to May.
It comes as Hollywood’s ‘frustration’ with the public case has also been laid bare, per a source to Us Weekly – with stars such as Taylor Swift, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon recently being named in documents and explosive unsealed text messages.
Documents released in court records show Swift had called Baldoni a ‘b****’ in a text message exchange with Lively, while British actress Jameela Jamil labeled the Gossip Girl star a ‘villain’ and a ‘suicide bomber.’
Damon and Affleck’s names were recently mentioned when it was revealed in court exhibits that Lively had reached out to both stars to ask if they would view her own cut of It Ends With Us.
Lively filed a lawsuit back in December 2024 where she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her. He denied the allegation; Baldoni seen in 2024 in NYC
Damon’s and Affleck’s names were recently mentioned when it was revealed in court exhibits that Lively had reached out to both stars to ask if they would view her own cut of It Ends With Us; the pair seen earlier this month in NYC
She had taken on a lead role in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, with Baldoni also starring in and directing the project.
A source close to both Damon and Affleck claimed to Us Weekly, ‘The feeling is frustration. There’s a sense of, “Why am I being dragged into this?” It’s created unnecessary stress and irritation, and people feel like it’s become a black hole.
‘Even those who have nothing to do with it are worried about getting mentioned or dragged into public speculation.’
Damon and his wife Luciana had responded to Reynolds asking if they would watch Lively’s cut of It Ends With Us. Damon had said in a court exhibit that both he and his wife will assist in ‘any way we can.’
But the insider added that the couple ‘aren’t close’ with Reynolds and Lively, and are not thrilled ‘that their texts are public.’
Affleck, however, did not respond to Lively also asking him and then-wife Jennifer Lopez the same due to their own busy schedules.
In her email to Affleck that was a court exhibit, Lively had labeled Baldoni as a ‘chaotic clown’ and added it would have been ‘easier’ if she had directed the movie.
‘But having to troubleshoot through his taste, ego and preexisting decisions made it so difficult and that’s not even touching on any of the wild HR issues and beyond,’ she had written.
In her email to Affleck that was a court exhibit, Lively had labeled Baldoni as a ‘chaotic clown’ and added it would have been ‘easier’ if she had directed the movie; seen in 2024 in London
A separate source close to Lively also claimed that, ‘People in Hollywood have been distancing themselves from Blake and Ryan. Even close friends of theirs have been keeping their heads down and staying neutral’; Lively and Swift seen in 2024 in Las Vegas
A separate source close to Lively also claimed that, ‘People in Hollywood have been distancing themselves from Blake and Ryan. Even close friends of theirs have been keeping their heads down and staying neutral.’
PR expert Mark Borkowski told Us Weekly that the celebrities whose names have been dragged into the case have ‘minimal’ risk when it comes to their reputation.
He then noted that ‘their irritation levels will be off the charts,’ however.
Daily Mail has also reached out to Reynold’s reps for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
It comes shortly after Baldoni lavished praise on ‘beautiful’ Lively in a leaked voice note, before their professional relationship turned sour.
In a recording sent before production on the 2024 film began – and before the actress filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him – the director thanked Lively for sending him photos from her costume fittings.
Baldoni told Lively he ‘legit got the chills’ upon seeing the images, in the audio note shared by TMZ on Monday.
PR expert Mark Borkowski told Us Weekly that the celebrities whose names have been dragged into the case have ‘minimal’ risk when it comes to their reputation; seen in 2025 in NYC
It comes shortly after Baldoni lavished praise on ‘beautiful’ Lively in a leaked voice note, before their professional relationship turned sour; seen in 2024 in L.A.
‘Hey Blake, I hope the fitting was super successful. Thank you for sending those pictures. That was really cool,’ Baldoni said.
‘I was in the department head meeting, and they came through, and I was, like, waiting for them to load, and I legit got the chills when I saw it. And, you look beautiful,’ he gushed.
At the end, he added, ‘It’s gonna work so well.’
While he initially lauded her during the fitting process, the pair later clashed over the creative direction of her character’s wardrobe.
Baldoni claimed that the film’s budget ballooned by $430,000 after Lively allegedly demanded that her wardrobe be ‘re-shopped’ to match her vision for the character Lily Bloom.
While he initially lauded her during the fitting process, the pair later clashed over the creative direction of her character’s wardrobe
He further claimed Lively ‘often’ refused to go for fittings at the production office 15 minutes from her Manhattan home, and she allegedly demanded the outfits be shipped to her at great extra expense.
Documents from Baldoni’s since-dismissed countersuit claimed that he and the studio ‘ceded full control to Lively over her wardrobe’ in an ‘effort to maintain harmony’ and ‘avoid further delays,’ which would later prove ‘regrettable.’
Lively reportedly raided her own jewelry collection and borrowed clothes from her model friend Gigi Hadid for the movie.
The new voice note comes days after another audio clip was released, shedding light on Lively’s allegation that she was ‘fat shamed’ by Baldoni.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.celebrity.land.co.uk ’
