Justin Baldoni may be on the verge of losing much of his wealth, or increasing it exponentially, depending on the outcome of two lawsuits: one filed against him by Blake Lively and the other filed by him against the New York Times.
The actor-turned-director found his breakout role as the character Rafael Solano on the CW show “Jane the Virgin,” which premiered in 2014. However, a decade later, in late 2024, Baldoni found himself embroiled in a ongoing scandal over his alleged on-set behavior toward co-star Blake Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us,” which he also directed and produced.
The film, based on Colleen Hoover's best-selling romance novel of the same name, was a classic summer box office hit, grossing $351 million after being produced on a $25 million budget. However, despite the film's commercial success, things didn't always go very well on set, and not just because of its difficult subject matter.
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Lively, who plays the film's protagonist, alleged in a December 2024 complaint and a subsequent lawsuit in January that Baldoni, ironically playing a misogynistic and abusive romantic partner, repeatedly sexually harassed her on set. The lawsuit also alleges that Baldoni retaliated against Lively by attempting to harm her reputation after she made a formal request to end the distressing behaviors.
In early January 2025, Baldoni, who denies Lively's claims, sued the New York Times for $250 million in damages for defamation after the outlet investigated and reported on the situation. (A more detailed description of the ins and outs of this scandal can be found later in this article.)
Amid what could become a costly legal battle in Hollywood, Baldoni's critics and supporters alike are wondering how much he is worth and how much of his wealth he stands to lose as a result of his alleged abusive behavior.
So what is Justin Baldoni's net worth as he faces Lively's lawsuit (and files one of his own in the New York Times)?
What will be Justin Baldoni's net worth in 2025?
Most online sources report Baldoni's net worth to be around $4 million, citing Celebritynetworth.com – a popular but dubious wealth estimation site that provides no sources or methodology – for the figure.
Baldoni's wealth, while substantial, is not particularly high by Hollywood standards. For comparison, Ryan Reynolds, a certified actor who happens to be married to the victim of Baldoni's alleged on-set abuse, is worth around $350 million.
Related: Ryan Reynolds Net Worth 2025: From Blockbusters to Billions in Business
With the reputational damage caused by the high-profile Baldoni scandal and Lively's legal proceedings now underway, Baldoni's wealth could be about to erode in the months and years to come. On the other hand, if his lawsuit against the New York Times is successful, his net worth will increase dramatically.
The 'It Ends With Us' scandal: a summary of Lively's accusations and Baldoni's response
“It Ends With Us,” starring Lively as protagonist Lilly alongside Baldoni as Ryle, Lily’s abusive romantic partner, premiered to an eager audience on August 9, 2024. By that time, rumors had already begun to circulate that some kind of drama existed between the two actors, as Lively had unfollowed Baldoni on social media and had not mentioned him during her promotional appearances on the film's press tour during post-production.
Despite these rumors, or perhaps in an effort to combat them, Baldoni praised Lively's work on the film upon its release, saying that “everything (Lively) put her hands on and thought about, she made it better.” .
However, this façade of friendliness soon crumbled when Baldoni hired the same crisis management public relations firm used by actor and alleged domestic abuse perpetrator Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against his ex-partner Amber Heard.
On December 9, before Lively's allegations were publicly revealed, Baldoni received the 2024 Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices, a nonprofit advocacy group aimed at combating sexual and domestic violence. Just 15 days later, this award would be rescinded by Vital Voices in light of his alleged behavior towards his co-star.
See the original article for embedded media.
Baldoni's alleged behavior became public through a legal complaint filed by Lively with the California Department of Civil Rights on December 20, accusing Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment.
The complaint included allegations that Baldoni entered Lively's trailer uninvited while she was partially naked and feeding her baby, pressured her to lose weight after giving birth, and showed her images of naked women. He also alleges that he engaged Lively in unwanted conversations about sexual topics, including Baldoni's genitals and his past addiction to pornography.
The complaint also explains that when the film resumed screening in early 2024 after a hiatus due to the 2023 Writers Guild strike, Lively held a meeting attended by Baldoni, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their attorneys, among others. , to lay out Lively's 30 requirements. continue working on the film, which included the presence of a professional intimacy coordinator whenever she and Baldoni were on set together.
Other notable requirements included “5. No more descriptions of (Baldoni's) genitals to (Blake Lively)”, “7. No more inquiries by Mr. Baldoni to (Blake Lively's) trainer without her knowledge or consent to reveal her weight,” and “12. “No further personal touching, physical touching or sexual comments by Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath will be tolerated by (Blake Lively) and/or any of their employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent.”
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Baldoni denied Lively's allegations and his lawyer called them “false, scandalous and intentionally lewd with the intent to publicly hurt.” Baldoni and his lawyer also denied that the actor-director had intentionally orchestrated a smear campaign to retaliate against Lively for her complaints.
private messages obtained and published by the New York Timeshowever, it seemed to directly contradict this denial. In the messages, Baldoni's public relations agent, Melissa Nathan, appears to have said, “You know we can bury anyone.” Baldoni appears to have sent her examples of popular social media threads criticizing other celebrities and said, “This is what we would need.”
According to the New York Times, “Ms. Nathan soon floated proposals to hire contractors to dominate social media through 'blanket deletions of social accounts,' starting 'theory threads,' and generally working to 'change the narrative.' '”.
The fallout from this scandal continues to unfold. Baldoni was fired from his talent agency on December 22. Baldoni's former publicist, with whom he worked before hiring Melissa Nathan, sued him for breach of contract on December 25.
On the first day of 2025, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, for both sexual harassment and stalking. and retaliation, based on the aforementioned complaint that he had filed about 10 days earlier.
The same day, Baldoni filed his $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, which responded the next day saying, “Our story was reported meticulously and responsibly. “It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails that we cite accurately and at length in the article…We plan to vigorously defend ourselves against the lawsuit.”
Baldoni has continued to deny any wrongdoing and has alleged that he felt intimidated by Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who he claims attempted to exert undue influence over the film's production. Baldoni's lawyer has stated that he plans to sue Lively “into oblivion,” alleging that Lively carried out her own smear campaign, “worked her way through the intimidation process to take over the film and used her people.” relations to try to destroy Justin.
Baldoni's attorney explains the potential content of Baldoni's impending lawsuits against Lively, Reynolds and others in an interview with Megyn Kelly in the following YouTube clip:
How does Baldoni's net worth compare to Lively's?
Blake Lively's net worth is estimated to be around $30 million, making her approximately 7.5 times richer than Baldoni. This difference could become important, as legal proceedings, especially high-profile ones like Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni, can be very costly.
With a net worth of $30 million, Lively's financial resources far exceed those of Baldoni, especially when considered alongside her husband's $350 million net worth.
What was Baldoni's salary for acting and directing “It Ends With Us”?
Baldoni received a salary of $320,000 for playing Ryle in “It Ends With Us,” according to a report from August 2024. MSN articlealthough it is unclear how much he earned for directing the film.
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