Justin Baldoni
What role did Jed Wallace allegedly play in Blake Lively's dispute with Justin Baldoni?
According to Blake Lively's legal filings, Jed Wallace, who operates a crisis mitigation firm in Texas, was allegedly instrumental in orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Lively claims Wallace 'weaponized a digital army' across the country to create and promote content on social media that appeared authentic but was manufactured to damage her reputation. Lively's complaint includes text messages suggesting Wallace's team worked to 'shift the narrative' toward focusing negative attention on Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. The legal documents allege that Baldoni's crisis team would feed this manufactured content to unwitting reporters to make it go viral, influencing public opinion against Lively in what her lawyers described as an 'organic pile on.'
Watch clip answer (01:54m)What legal strategy is Blake Lively pursuing in her feud with Justin Baldoni?
Blake Lively is pursuing an aggressive legal discovery strategy by issuing subpoenas to multiple companies including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, AOL, and Cloudflare, as well as to crisis management specialist Jed Wallace. According to her attorneys, this discovery process aims to expose the people, tactics, and methods allegedly used to damage her reputation and family. Lively's team believes these subpoenas will uncover evidence related to her sexual harassment and retaliation claims against Baldoni, shifting focus from what they describe as a smear campaign back to the substantive allegations in advance of their March 2026 trial date.
Watch clip answer (01:24m)What is the current status of the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
The legal conflict between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni continues to escalate with updates being tracked by Jesse Weber on Sidebar. Lively's legal team is intensifying their offensive against Baldoni and his production company, reportedly seeking evidence related to an alleged smear campaign. The case involves competing lawsuits and subpoenas issued to major companies. The high-profile nature of this dispute extends beyond legal proceedings into the court of public opinion, with both parties employing various public relations tactics. Ryan Reynolds and crisis management specialists are playing significant roles in this unfolding saga, which Weber promises to continue following on the Sidebar program.
Watch clip answer (00:17m)Why didn't Blake Lively name Jed Wallace as a defendant in her formal lawsuit?
The answer lies in Blake Lively's legal strategy. According to the transcript, Lively acknowledges that Wallace was not named as a defendant in her official complaint despite her belief in his involvement in an alleged smear campaign. Instead of directly naming him, she filed a Rule 202 petition under Texas law, which allows her to request a deposition before filing a lawsuit to investigate potential claims. This approach serves multiple purposes: it allows Lively to gather evidence regarding Wallace's alleged role in the social media manipulation campaign against her, while reducing the risk of inviting threatened counter-lawsuits from Baldoni's attorney Brian Friedman, who reportedly has a close relationship with Wallace. The deposition strategy enables Lively to build her case more thoroughly before potentially naming Wallace as a defendant.
Watch clip answer (05:29m)