Hollywood’s Lively-Baldoni Soap Opera
Norma Harris
The feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is delivering more twists and turns than their film “It Ends With Us” ever did – and we know the legal season is being extended to witness more of the unsavory squabble.
A New York judge, clearly a fan of slow-burn narratives, has set the trial date for March 2026. That’s right, we’ve got over a year of this juicy drama ahead of us. It’s like waiting for the next season of ‘Housewives of Hollywood” with more venom and name-calling than any ‘best housewife’ could spit.
No-one comes out of this catfight looking anything other than battle-scarred and bitchy.
The saga began with whispers at the film’s premiere – why wasn’t Lively posing with her co-star and director Baldoni? Fast forward to today, and we’ve got a mud-slinging contest that would put a monster truck rally to shame.
Among Lively’s allegations, detailed in a complaint filed in California in December and in a lawsuit filed in New York federal court on New Year’s Eve, were that she’d experienced “invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath, who is also the CEO of Wayfarer Studios.
The “Gossip Girl” alum went further, claiming that Baldoni and his team carried out a “social manipulation” campaign to “create and sustain a negative news cycle and social media algorithm around Ms. Lively.”
And so it goes. Lawyers claims and public opprobrium in all directions.
In a move that screams “I’ve got receipts,” Baldoni has launched a website called The Lawsuit Info. It’s a 392-page magnum opus of complaints, timelines, and cringe-worthy text messages.
If you’ve ever wanted to see Hollywood types dripping with faux sincerity, this is your chance. Prepare yourself for an onslaught of “I hear you” and “I appreciate your empathy” – it’s like a masterclass in passive-aggressive communication.
One gem from Lively reads:
“As woke as we both are and work to be, this movie requires a certain aesthetic”.
It’s the kind of statement that makes you want to reach through the screen and gently remind her that maybe, just maybe, she’s not as “woke” as she thinks.
Not to be outdone, Baldoni offers to connect Lively with his “medical intuitive” – someone who can apparently “see what’s going on in your body just by talking to you”. Because who needs modern medicine when you have Hollywood mysticism, right?
The plot is diverse, as it is cringeworthy. There are allegations of sexual impropriety, smear campaigns, and Ryan Reynolds (pictured) swooping in like a Canadian knight in shining armor. It’s a story so convoluted, it makes “Inception” look like a children’s bedtime story.
In one particularly juicy exchange, Lively refers to Taylor Swift as her “dragon”. One can only imagine Swift’s reaction to being likened to a fire-breathing reptile – though, given her track record with exes, it might not be far off the mark.
As the drama unfolds, social media is having a field day. TikTok nearly combusted at the mere suggestion that Swift might be reconsidering her friendship with Lively.
The real question is: how will this saga sustain itself until the 2026 trial? Baldoni’s data dump might have satisfied our current appetite for gossip, but in the age of 24/7 news cycles and fleeting attention spans, can this feud keep us entertained for another 13 months?
One thing’s for sure – in this battle of “he said, she said,” the only clear winners are the lawyers and the gossip columnists. As for the rest of us? We’ll just have to settle onto the couch to enjoy (if that’s the word) the show.
It really cold be the end of us.
Really got sucked into the drama Norma Harris painted about Hollywood’s own soap opera. Wouldn’t it be something if life was as scripted as those clickbait headlines suggest? Sounds like a movie plot in itself.
Great insight into the Hollywood buzz. Just wondering, how reliable are these sources cited in the article? The link provided doesn’t seem to work for me.
Had the same issue, but found the paper through a quick search. It appears the citations do hold up against scrutiny, adding a solid base to Norma’s article.
Loving how Norma Harris dives into the glitz of Hollywood without sparing any juicy details. It’s all about the story behind the story, right? Totally sharing this on my blog.
Norma Harris thinks she’s peeling back the curtain on Hollywood, but it’s all surface level. Everyone knows there’s more to the ‘Lively-Baloni Soap Opera’ than just the headlines. Dig deeper.
Interesting take on Hollywood by Norma Harris. Not sure I buy all of it, but it’s a fun read at least. I’m curious about what parts are exaggerated.
Norma Harris tries to sell us this Hollywood fantasy, but who’s buying? It’s all clickbait and fluff. Show me the real stories, not this soap opera nonsense.
I think there’s a charm in the storytelling, though. Even if it’s fluff, Norma Harris knows how to engage us. Isn’t that what stories are for?
I get your point, Ollie. Entertainment has its place, but dressing up gossip as truth seems misleading. We just view it differently.
Norma Harris outlines what appears to be a significant aspect of Hollywood culture. However, one must question the broader implications of glorifying such narratives. Does it not perpetuate an unrealistic standard of drama and extravagance?
Reading through Norma Harris’s piece, you’d think Hollywood’s a bigger circus than my last stand-up gig. At least their drama pays better than jokes!