Justin Baldoni has broken his social media silence after a five-month break amid his clash with Taylor Swift and Blake Lively.
Swift hit out at Baldoni last week for the “clickbait” move of formally subpoenaing her as a witness in his lawsuit with Lively, which is scheduled to begin on March 2026.
Amid the backlash, the It Ends With Us actor and director, 41, paid tribute to his wife Emily and his mother Sharon for Mother’s Day.
He shared a photo with them and his and Emily’s two kids, Maiya, nine, and Maxwell, seven, on Instagram.
“My mom gave us faith. My wife is the definition of it. Our children are growing up in the fortress of that love. Happy Mother’s Day to all,” the Jane The Virgin star wrote.
Baldoni married fellow actress Emily, 40, in 2013.
The new post marks a return to social media for Baldoni, whose last post before that promoted It Ends With Us on December 10 - 10 days before Lively, 37, sued him for alleged sexual harassment on the set of the romantic comedy.
She claimed he would ask probing questions about her sex life, would invite his friends into nude scenes with Lively, and would make jokes about Lively’s dead father.
Baldoni denied the claims and countersued with a $400 million defamation suit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of trying to destroy his career.
His latest Instagram post comes just days after popstar Swift, who is currently in the middle of her record-breaking Eras Tour, was subpoenaed as a witness by Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman.
Swift’s camp dismissed the move, calling it a blatant attempt to “draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait”.
A spokesperson for the pop star told DailyMail.com: "Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history."
They added that Swift’s only connection to the film was licensing her track ‘My Tears Ricochet’ from the 2020 album Folklore.
The spokesperson continued: "Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case."
Lively legal team also condemned the subpoena and accused Baldoni’s camp of turning a serious legal matter into a media circus.
In a statement to People, Lively’s representative said: "Mr Baldoni, Mr Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids... Going as far as suggesting that they sell tickets to a concert venue – Madison Square Garden – to witness Ms Lively's deposition, to subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world."
"This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey's Circus," the statement added.
Last week, Freedman suggested holding Lively’s deposition at the iconic Madison Square Garden arena in New York and “selling tickets” for it, after the actress revealed she will testify at the trial.
“Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let’s make it count,” he said.
“Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organizations helping victims of domestic abuse.”
He confirmed that Baldoni will also take the stand to testify at the trial. Cameras will not be allowed inside the courtroom.
Freedman said of Lively: “She has been testifying since the moment she auditioned for this part. And if she is suddenly now willing to sit for a deposition, I am available. How does tomorrow morning work for her?”
