Justin Baldoni has broken his silence following his lengthy legal battle with Blake Lively, appearing alongside his wife Emily in an emotional new video in which the couple reflected on the “trauma” their family has endured.
The It Ends With Us director, 42, and Emily shared the candid Instagram video on Wednesday, revealing they had deliberately chosen not to speak publicly for almost two years despite feeling they had “so much to say.”
“We haven’t done this in a while,” Justin began with a laugh. “So we have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it’s not because we haven’t had anything to say, because Lord knows we have,” he continued.
“But it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this where we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to. It just didn’t feel like the right time.”
Emily added that after spending time talking, praying and reflecting together, they finally felt ready to share their thoughts. “And this feels like the moment,” Justin said.
‘There’s been a lot of trauma’
Although the couple initially focused on gratitude, the conversation quickly turned to the emotional toll of the ongoing legal dispute.
“I also feel that it’s important as we say that, in that gratitude, it doesn’t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years,” Emily said.
“And we’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand things like how could something like this even happen, let alone disguise as a fight for women. So much to unpack.”
© AFP via Getty ImagesShe continued: “The truth is, reality is, there’s been a lot of trauma for us to move through as a family, which also makes it hard to speak.”
Looking down thoughtfully, Justin added: “We don’t even know this is the right thing to say, but we just know we need to share something.”
Long-running legal dispute
The couple’s comments come amid the ongoing legal battle between Justin and his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.
The dispute began after Blake filed a complaint accusing Justin of sexual harassment and retaliation during the making of the film. Justin has denied the allegations.
© GC ImagesHe later filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others. Blake has denied Justin’s claims and has sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Most recently, reports emerged that Blake is seeking approximately $8 million to cover her legal fees as the high-profile case continues.
© InstagramFinding gratitude
Despite acknowledging the difficult period their family has experienced, Justin and Emily repeatedly emphasised that gratitude has helped carry them through.
“We are sitting here today feeling immense gratitude for so many things and so many people and so many things that have happened to us,” Emily said.
“Gratitude has saved us,” Justin agreed.
The emotional video marks the first time the couple have publicly addressed the ongoing situation together after remaining largely silent throughout the legal proceedings.
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