Instagram video<\/a> the couple shared Wednesday that began, \u201cSo we have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it\u2019s not because we haven\u2019t had anything to say, because Lord knows we have.\u201d <\/p>\nThe \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d actor and director said that although they\u2019d wanted to address the debacle that involved dueling lawsuits with Lively, nearly two years of tit-for-tat fodder and culminated in a confidential settlement, \u201csomething was telling us not to.\u201d <\/p>\n
The couple said they prayed about when to make a public statement. \u201cThis feels like the moment,\u201d Emily said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does feel important,\u201d she continued, \u201cis that we can genuinely say that we are sitting here today feeling immense gratitude for so many things and so many people and so many things that have happened to us.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cGratitude has saved us,\u201d Justin added.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also feel that it\u2019s important as we say that \u2014 in that gratitude \u2014 it doesn\u2019t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years, and we\u2019ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things,\u201d Emily said. \u201cHow could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women. So much to unpack. And the truth is, reality is, is that there\u2019s been a lot of trauma for us to move through as a family, which also makes it hard to speak.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t even know this is the right thing to say, but we just know we need to share something,\u201d Justin said. \u201cWhat I will say is that there have been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence \u2014 \u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cUntruthful,\u201d Emily broke in. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t want to add to the noise, so we just wanted to let the justice system run its course,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the truth and the facts have spoken for themselves,\u201d Emily said. <\/p>\n
The couple\u2019s statement comes a year and a half after Lively filed a bombshell lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and several other charges on the heels of a messy \u201cIt Ends With Us\u201d summer release and press tour that fueled rumors of on-set turmoil.<\/p>\n
Less than a month after the allegations against Baldoni rallied Hollywood against him, he countersued Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million in damages, claiming they\u2019d smeared his name in the press and wrestled away his control of the film. His suit was later dismissed. <\/p>\n
In May, two weeks ahead of the trial, Lively and Baldoni reached an agreement<\/a> to resolve their legal dispute, bringing an abrupt end to the contentious battle. <\/p>\n\u201cThe parties in the Blake Lively and Wayfarer Studios litigation have reached an agreement to resolve the matters,\u201d lawyers for both sides said in a joint statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe end product \u2014 the movie \u2018It Ends With Us\u2019 \u2014 is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors \u2014 and all survivors \u2014 is a goal that we stand behind. We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.\u201d<\/p>\n
In June, a federal judge ordered Baldoni and his production company to pay Lively\u2019s attorney fees related to his unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against her, but rejected her bid for additional damages. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo, how are we doing?\u201d the filmmaker said in the Instagram video. \u201cWe are healing, and if you\u2019ve ever been through something traumatic, you know that healing isn\u2019t linear. It lives different every day, and we have had to rethink for ourselves what is real. What matters, and it\u2019s this. It\u2019s our family. It\u2019s our friends. It\u2019s our community. It\u2019s our faith.\u201d<\/p>\n
Times staff writer Josh Rottenberg contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n