‘New York Times’ Allegedly Prepped Blake Lively’s Sexual Harassment Report Ahead of Time
The renowned newspaper allegedly wrote the article five days before news broke about Blake suing Justin in December 2024.
Published Jan. 29 2025, 6:03 p.m. ET
Just when you thought Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's ongoing off-screen drama couldn't get any messier, The New York Times has entered the chat.
If you haven't heard, Justin and Blake have been at odds since their promo tour for their August 2024 film, It Ends With Us. The film was Justin's directorial debut and starred them both as lovers involved in a toxic and abusive marriage. Their issues surfaced when rumors swirled that they didn't get along on set.
Then, in December 2024, Blake sued Justin for sexual harassment, stating he repeatedly harassed her on set, crossed boundaries during intimate scenes, and created a smear campaign to make her look bad. The case is still ongoing and, in January 2025, became even more intense.
In January, The New York Times was in hot water when those following the case noticed a timestamp error that could hurt Blake's case.
'The New York Times' allegedly prepped an article on Blake Lively's smear campaign lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
In January 2025. TikTok user @goojiepooj shared a screenshot of a Google search of The New York Times' article on Blake's 80-page lawsuit, titled, We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine. The article's URL for the composite image says "2024-12-16-lively-topper," plus several images dated between Dec. 18 and Dec. 20, 2024. The Times posted its article on Dec. 21, the day after Blake's filing came out on Dec. 20.
On Jan. 28, @goojiepooj listed another screenshot of a search query of the article dating to Dec. 10, 2024. The link to the search takes readers to the article the outlet posted on Dec. 21.
The article's timestamps suggest Times staffers had advanced knowledge of Blake's complaint and had a story ready for publication when she filed it with the California Civil Rights Department. If that's accurate, the evidence may hurt her claim that Justin used his relationships with his media partners to smear her reputation rather than the other way around.
Justin Baldoni filed a separate lawsuit against 'The New York Times,' Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds.
The New York Times' prep article surfaced after Justin took legal action against the media corporation. On Jan. 16, the Jane the Virgin alum sued the newspaper for $250 million over its reporting of Blake's lawsuit. In his filing, which was obtained by The Daily Mail, he claimed the Times "relied almost entirely on Lively's unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims."
Justin also countersued Blake and several others named in her lawsuit, including the Gossip Girl star's husband, Ryan Reynolds. In his counterclaim, he said his former co-star spun the narrative and tainted his image rather than her claim that it was him all along.
Both cases for Blake and Justin remain ongoing. The New York Times plans to "vigorously defend against the lawsuit."
Gotta love the media game business.