The legal tensions between Hollywood stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have taken an unusual and highly personal turn, with new deposition details revealing an unexpected conversation during their early professional interactions.
In a transcript from an October deposition submitted to the court on Thursday, Baldoni, best known from Jane the Virgin and director of It Ends With Us, acknowledged that during his very first meeting with Blake Lively, he mentioned that he was circumcised.
The discussion reportedly took place in December 2022 at Lively’s New York City apartment, where Ryan Reynolds and several members of the couple’s household staff were present.
According to the transcript, reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, Baldoni noted that Lively was “very pregnant” during that initial meeting about the planned adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, a film that Baldoni eventually directed and also acted in.
During the deposition, Lively’s attorney Michael Gottlieb asked Baldoni whether they “discussed whether Ms. Lively's baby would be circumcised” while speaking about Lively’s unborn son, who was born in February 2023.
“That was a conversation, yes,” Baldoni said.
Gottlieb then followed up: “In the context of that conversation, did you at any point share with Ms. Lively whether you were circumcised?”
Baldoni replied, “Yes.”
The attorney asked for clarification: “Did Ms. Lively ask you whether you were circumcised?”
Baldoni responded, “Directly, no.”
Gottlieb continued the line of questioning, asking, “Have you ever told any other work colleague at any point in time about your genitalia?”
“I don't talk about my genitalia,” Baldoni responded, “so no.”
Baldoni also described who was present in the apartment at the time. “There were people going all around,” he said. “Mr. Reynolds was in and out of the conversation. She had, I think, two nannies. I felt like there was a housekeeper there. Her assistant was walking around. I think she had two assistants there. Her and I were sitting on the couch, but there was people all around.”
A representative for Baldoni declined to comment to Entertainment Weekly, while representatives for Lively did not immediately respond.
Speculation about an offscreen rift between Lively and Baldoni grew after Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024. In it, she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and alleged that he launched a smear campaign to sway public opinion against her. She later filed a separate lawsuit in New York federal court against both Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer. Baldoni has denied all accusations.
Following Lively’s filings, Baldoni responded with a $400 million lawsuit against both Lively and Reynolds, citing civil extortion, defamation, breach of contract, and invasion of privacy. Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed that countersuit in June.
Most recently, Baldoni’s legal team submitted a motion for summary judgment, requesting that Judge Liman rule in their favor without moving forward with the trial scheduled for March 2026. On Thursday, Lively’s attorneys filed their own motion opposing the request, seeking to ensure the trial proceeds as planned.