Jenny Slate Testifies That Justin Baldoni Made Inappropriate Comments to Her and Blake Lively on ‘It Ends With Us’ Set

Jenny Slate testified last year that “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni made comments she considered inappropriate and unprofessional during production, describing a work environment she said became uncomfortable for multiple cast members.

Slate’s testimony, given during a Sept. 26 deposition in Blake Lively’s federal lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and others, paints a detailed firsthand account of alleged on-set behavior at the foundation of the case. The former “SNL” castmember’s account was corroborated by a separate deposition of actress Isabela Ferrer, who played a teenaged version of Lively’s character.

According to legal documents obtained by TheWrap, Slate said under oath that she witnessed Baldoni comment on Lively’s appearance during a filming setup, using the words “hot” and “sexy.” Slate said Lively immediately pushed back, responding, “That’s not what I’m going for.” When Baldoni repeated the comment using a different descriptor, Slate said she intervened.

“I said something like … comments about actors’ bodies and their wardrobes range from irrelevant or unnecessary to inappropriate,” Slate testified, adding that such remarks were “not appropriate anymore” in a workplace. She said Baldoni reacted by walking away “in a huff,” later returning to claim he meant it was physically hot in the room — an explanation Slate said she did not believe.

“I understood his comment to be about her appearance,” Slate said, adding that she believed it was about Lively’s body rather than her character. She described the exchange as “unprofessional, inappropriate, and really out of the ordinary.”

Slate also testified that Baldoni later made a similar comment to her directly, telling her, “I can say this because my wife is here, but you look sexy in what you’re wearing.” She said the comment was unwanted and had “no place” in a professional setting, adding: “It was about me, not my character.”

According to her testimony, Slate did not formally complain at the time because it was her first or second day on set and Baldoni was her boss. “I just wanted to do my work and leave,” she said.

The deposition includes several text messages exchanged between Slate, Lively and Slate’s representatives, documenting what Slate described as growing concern over Baldoni’s conduct and that of producer Jamey Heath. In one message to her agent, Slate wrote that Baldoni and Heath were “truly unfit” and that she felt “repulsed and deeply irritated,” adding that Lively was experiencing the situation “on a much more serious level.”

She also messaged her agent that she didn’t want “anything to do with Justin … nothing. And the same goes for Jamey, who is truly unprofessional … this has been a really gross and disturbing shoot, and I’m one of many who feel [this] way … Justin is truly a false ally and I’m unwilling to do anything that promotes the image that he’s crafting as a ‘male feminist’ … like … honestly I have no words to describe what a fraud he is.”

Slate also testified that she later learned from Lively that Baldoni had improvised physical intimacy during kissing scenes, including biting Lively’s lip, which had not been scripted. Slate said she believed unplanned physical contact of that nature was inappropriate.

Slate said she did not recall receiving workplace harassment training, guidance on reporting concerns, or information about a human resources department. She assumed one existed but did not know how to access it.

Slate said the cumulative effect of the incidents led her to minimize her involvement in publicity and refuse to do press with Baldoni. She added that she told her team to cut back promotional appearances and later participated only to avoid letting other cast members down.

Slate’s account aligns in part with testimony from Ferrer, who told attorneys that Baldoni made comments she found inappropriate during her own intimate scenes and that she also received no training or reporting guidance.

The case also includes testimony from author Colleen Hoover, who described growing unease over creative control and internal conflicts surrounding the adaptation of her novel. Hoover testified that she was initially hesitant to option “It Ends With Us” because she feared the story would be mischaracterized as a romantic film rather than one centered on domestic violence, and said she had hoped a woman would direct.

She said tensions escalated in May 2024 during a dinner with Baldoni and producer Heath, where they complained about Lively and accused her of “narcissistic behavior,” which Hoover said left her feeling as though they were trying to “get me on their side.” Hoover later testified that she strongly preferred Lively’s cut of the film, and said the experience reinforced her concerns.

The public feud began when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni in December 2024. Baldoni later sued Lively and Reynolds for $400 million and the New York Times for $250 million, but his lawsuit was dismissed by a New York state court judge in June of last year.

Baldoni has denied wrongdoing and says the disputes stemmed from creative disagreements, editing control and tensions over marketing and messaging. Their case is scheduled to begin in New York federal court later this year.

The post Jenny Slate Testifies That Justin Baldoni Made Inappropriate Comments to Her and Blake Lively on ‘It Ends With Us’ Set appeared first on TheWrap.