Blake Lively Reportedly Plans To Aim A New Pop Star At Justin Baldoni (& The Timing Sucks)

There's a long list of celebs who don't like Justin Baldoni, and at the very top of the list likely sits Blake Lively. The two of them have been engaged in a legal battle over her allegations of his inappropriate behavior toward her on the set of their film "It Ends With Us." The ongoing dispute has involved a number of other celebrities being name-dropped in court documents as "individuals who are likely to have discoverable information," per E! News. Even Taylor Swift found herself embroiled in the Baldoni vs. Lively feud. Now, it appears that Britney Spears might be a part of the legal case, as well. With the pop singer having entered rehab after a DUI in March, it's not exactly a great time for Spears to get dragged into someone else's drama.

We pretty much know exactly what sort of role Spears could have in the Lively and Baldoni situation. Lively is reportedly going to use a 2017 Fuse TV video interview of Baldoni describing the time he met Spears on the set of "Jane the Virgin." In 2015, Spears was a guest star on the popular show, in which Baldoni starred as Rafael Solano. The clip in question features Baldoni explaining how he'd awkwardly hugged Spears when they first met, and the specific language he uses is very relevant to Lively's case.

In the video, Baldoni explained the interaction by saying (via Fuse on YouTube), "I was like, 'Hey! Hey!' And I just gave her a big hug, and I think I scared her, because she was like, 'Hi.'" He imitated Spears' disturbed reaction and added, "I just kind of had this awkward moment of, 'Did I just harass Britney Spears?'" 

Blake Lively and her legal team likely want to include the Britney Spears reference to try to show a pattern of behavior with Justin Baldoni. While he related the story for laughs at the time, adding that the moment was joked about on set, Lively will nonetheless hone in on his use of the word "harass." She has accused Baldoni of, among other things, unexpectedly kissing her while in character and talking about pornography while on the set of "It Ends With Us." She's also said that when she spoke out against the alleged behavior, she faced retaliation and a reported smear campaign against her.

The case is set to go to trial in May 2026, even after a judge tossed out Lively's sexual harassment claims in April. The three remaining claims are "retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract," according to CNN. The evidence related to Spears could still be used in court.  even without the sexual harassment claims in the lawsuit.

However, it seems very unlikely that Spears will make an in-person appearance at trial. Spears voluntarily began a five-week stint in rehab on April 12, which would explain why we haven't heard her response to being dragged into the situation; she obviously has more pressing personal matters to attend to. She's also not been reported as being on the witness list. We do expect to hear directly from Baldoni and Lively during the trial. Other potential witnesses who may be called to the stand include Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, who also appeared in "It Ends With Us," as well as Ryan Reynolds, Lively's husband.