These Betty Buzz Mocktails Are Like Spending Happy Hour With Blake Lively

On January 16, 2025, Justin filed a 179-page, $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist. While there's obviously a lot to digest in the almost 200-page document, one allegation sticks out in particular — and yes, it includes Taylor Swift.

After Blake asked to "take a pass" at rewriting the scene where Lily meets Ryle in In Ends With Usduring pre-production, Justin eventually agreed to look at it despite his initial reluctance. When Justin didn't agree with Blake's take on the scene — something he described as "exceedingly mild resistance" — he alleges that she ignored him for days. Apparently Blake said that Justin's response to her rewrite "didn't feel great" — and that it allegedly upset both Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift.

According to Justin, he was also invited to Ryan and Blake's apartment for a meeting on evening, and Taylor also showed up. He claims she and Ryan were openly "praising" Blake's script, and allegedly made "the subtext" that Justin should just accept the rewrite very clear.

When Blake allegedly texted Justin about the exchange later, he claims she described Swift and Reynolds as "embarrassingly effusive" and her "most trusted partners." She allegedly wrote, "I think they wanted you and me to see how they felt about [the rewrites] because they've been by my side for far too many experiences where I've been overlooked."

Justin then says Blake texted, "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 for better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. you will too, I can promise you."

This all comes after Blake filed her own lawsuit against Justin in December 2024. Who knows what's next between these two — especially when you get Taylor Swift (and the Swifties) involved...

Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's conflict is reportedly more than a "feud."

After Blake filed the suit, and the New York Times published messages between Justin Baldoni and his team, reporting they were behind a smear campaign against the actress, Justin responded with his own $250 million lawsuit against the NYT. Justin's lawyer Bryan Freedman told People the claims are "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."

But on January 6, Blake's legal team came back with another statement, holding firm that "this is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences’ or a ‘he said/she said’ situation,” they said in a statement to People.

“As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer [Studios] and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set. And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing.”

“Sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in every workplace and in every industry," the team wrote. “A classic tactic to distract from allegations of this type of misconduct is to ‘blame the victim’ by suggesting that they invited the conduct, brought it on themselves, misunderstood the intentions, or even lied. Another classic tactic is to reverse the victim and offender, and suggest that the offender is actually the victim. These concepts normalize and trivialize allegations of serious misconduct."

“Most importantly, media statements are not a defense to Ms. Lively’s legal claims," the statement continues. "We will continue to prosecute her claims in federal court, where the rule of law determines who prevails, not hyperbole and threats."

And their costars are speaking out.

Both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have found support from previous costars. Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, and Alexis Bledel, who starred with Blake in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, released a statement in which they "stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation."

"Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice," the statement reads. "Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astounding."

They continue that, "We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can still face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe work environment. We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up for herself and others."

Brandon Sklenar, who stars in It Ends With Us as Atlas, also supported Blake, linking to the NYT story on Instagram with a heart emoji. "For the love of god read this," he said.

Meanwhile, Justin's Jane the Virgin costar Gina Rodriguez told People in September that "sweet, sweet soul" Justin is "my brother forever. Forever and ever."

1. They're always being dismissive.

Have you ever been really excited or upset about something only to be met with a dismissive tone from someone you confided in? This person is displaying toxicity which "gradually undermines trust in relationships," according to English. Would you want to keep sharing things with a person if they're always downplaying your emotions? Probably not.

2. Controlling others seems like a sport to them.

English says another way to determine someone is toxic is pay attention to their controlling behavior. It can be something as simple as telling you what to wear or something greater such as forcibly limiting your contact with anyone they think isn't good for you.

3. They consistently makes excuses for their behavior.

Have you ever let a close friend know certain behavior bothers you only for them to make an excuse for why they keep doing them? Bennett says this counts as "avoiding responsibility for actions." Furthermore, "constantly" doing so or looking to "push the blame onto someone else veers into toxic territory," she adds.

Another way to look at this is if someone is always falling into a pattern of "victimizing themselves," according to Bennett.

4. They tend to be manipulative.

Manipulation is tricky because it's not always obvious until it's too late. It's kind of like not realizing you were bit by a mosquito until your skin becomes itchy and red. Bennett says this is toxic because there's a knowing that someone can "appeal to a certain person's characteristics or personality traits." This looks like saying or doing something "with the intention of getting a certain reaction," according to her.

Bennett says, "An example may be one partner in sobriety who consistently uses their poor mental health as a reason to not be proactive about finding a job. They do this because they know that the other partner is worried about their loved one relapsing so they use that fear against her."

5. They never miss an opportunity to gaslight people.

Calling this a "well-known example," English says gaslighting often occurs when someone denies the reality of another person." What would cause someone to do this? Well, a toxic behavior often doesn't want to take accountability for their actions so they'd rather "cause people to doubt their own perceptions," according to English.

6. They're always looking for reasons to criticize someone.

The catty behavior on The Real Housewives of New York may be entertaining for TV, but that kind of behavior gets old quickly in everyday life. No one wants to hear why "so and so thinks they're all that" even if it's disguised as humor. English says, "Regardless of their motivation," behaviors like this "can lead to stressful and emotionally distressing situations."

Alena Darmel

Is it time to cut that toxic person out of my life?

We live in a society that started prioritizing ending relationships with people as soon as we spot red flags, but English and Bennett don't think this should be our immediate reaction. English says, "The decision to disengage with a toxic person in the relationship will depend on how harsh and serious the relationship is" because "it is often personal."

According to her, if you notice a consistent pattern where the behavior is "damaging your emotional health," it's okay to walk away from that person. Still, she believes "completely cutting [someone] off is often a last option when other approaches to changing the behavior have not worked." Bennett says something similar and notes how to approach different scenarios.

"If it someone you need to communicate with because of a job or family, there are things you can do to protect yourself," she says. She suggests reminding "yourself who you are dealing with" if the person is adept at gaslighting others because "it may be easy to become convinced that you are wrong or something did not happen the way you recall." A phrase she encourages you to tell yourself is, "I know that my experiences are my experiences no matter what."

If you're dealing with an aggressively toxic person, you'll have to "set and reinforce boundaries," Bennett says while English adds that "engaging in therapy to faciliate healthier relationships" may be a next step.

Here's how Bennett suggests navigating communication with someone like this:

• Set a boundary to end the conversation when you notice toxic behavior such as invalidation of your feelings.
• Receive support from another person so they can remind you of things you're trying to accomplish

If you're dealing with a friend or spouse, Bennett wants you to remember "you cannot change them" but you're in control of how you respond. English says, "It is important to analyze the whole situation and know when the cost of the relationship is greater than the benefits."