Justin Baldoni Called 'Moron' by Studio Exec for Allegedly Alluding to Rape in “It Ends With Us ”Interview
- - Justin Baldoni Called 'Moron' by Studio Exec for Allegedly Alluding to Rape in “It Ends With Us ”Interview
Benjamin VanHooseJanuary 27, 2026 at 7:41 AM
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Justin Baldoni on Aug. 8, 2024
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
In a newly unsealed email, a Sony marketing executive called Justin Baldoni a "moron" because of something he apparently said in an interview
The actor-director "shouldn't do any more press" for It Ends With Us, they said in the Aug. 5, 2024 email
Studio executives were also caught calling Blake Lively a "terrorist" in past emails
Justin Baldoni was labeled a "moron" by a studio executive over remarks he allegedly made in an interview promoting It Ends With Us.
An alleged email sent by Danni Maggin, a senior marketing executive at Sony Pictures Entertainment, on Aug. 5, 2024, shows the marketing team took issue with Baldoni's remarks in one interview.
"... Justin is basically alluding to 'raping' Atlas out of Lily when talking to the Dallas Morning News. We cut the tape but he is a moron," Maggin wrote in the email, recently unsealed as part of Blake Lively's ongoing legal battle with Baldoni.
Maggin then appeared to refer to Josh Greenstein, then-president of Sony Pictures‘ Motion Group, alleging Greenstein said that director-star Baldoni, 42, "shouldn't do any more press but he has a lot left so maybe we can talk asap."
In the unsealed email, Maggin also quoted the portion of what Baldoni allegedly said in the interview as he discussed a scene in which his character Ryle physically assaults Lily, played by Lively in the film.
"For me what that scene was more about was Ryle feeling like he had lost all power and feeling so insecure and jealous that the only way in his mind that he could show her how much he loved her was um and I won't say the word that we used in developing it, but what was essentially to force any love she had for Atlas out of her," he allegedly told the reporter.
Blake Lively; Justin Baldoni
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty
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"So Ryle's motivation, if you're talking about character motivation, or why he did what he did, from the filmmaking perspective and from the actor perspective, was um he was trying to, in his twisted mind, love... Atlas out of her. There's another word we used and I'm sure in your imagination you can go there," Baldoni added, according to Maggin's email.
Behind the scenes, there seemed to be conflicting ideas on how to promote It Ends With Us, a romantic drama that deals with domestic violence subject matter.
A marketing plan from Sony, the film's distributor, that was included in Lively's lawsuit instructed the cast to "avoid talking about this film that makes it feel sad or heavy — it’s a story of hope." The promotional guidelines added, "Focus more on Lily’s strength and resilience as opposed to describing the film as a story about domestic violence."
Lively's lawyers alleged in her lawsuit that Baldoni defied these agreed-upon instructions: "In the days leading up to the Film’s release, Mr. Baldoni abruptly pivoted away from the Film’s Marketing Plan and the types of publicity activities in which he had previously participated."
Justin Baldoni; Blake Lively
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However, Baldoni's legal team claimed in his countersuit (which has since been dismissed) that this was "never the plan Baldoni 'agreed to.'" They added: "Against much resistance from the Film’s distributor, Baldoni, from day one, made it clear that he was making this Film to bring awareness to domestic violence and would not refrain from doing so when promoting the Film. He did not 'go rogue,' as Lively alleges."
There was more name-calling by Sony executives in the unsealed emails.
Andrea Giannetti, executive vice president of production and senior creative at Sony Pictures, admitted in her deposition that she referred to Lively as a “f---ing terrorist” to Wayfarer Studios producer Jamey Heath upon learning Lively had threatened to quit the film unless her "17-point list" of demands was agreed to.
Additionally, in alleged messages from March 2024, Sanford Panitch, president of Sony's Motion Picture Group, wrote "she is a terroridt [sic]" when discussing Lively working on her own edit of It Ends With Us.
In later correspondences in August 2024 after the film's release, Panitch criticized the timing of Lively’s business activity, calling the launch of her haircare brand “epic-level stupid.” “She wouldn’t listen,” Panitch added. “She knows better.” (A source tells PEOPLE the haircare launch "was set with Target months in advance and could not be changed. The film date pushed to overlap.")
Publicly, though, Sony praised Lively, 38. On Aug. 14, Tony Vinciquerra, then-chair and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said in a statement, "Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence is commendable. We love working with Blake, and we want to do 12 more movies with her."
Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, which he denies. Their trial is set for May 2026.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
