Justin Baldoni unveiled a whole new look amid his ‘catastrophic’ legal battle with his former It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively.
While he’s become known for his long, wavy locks, over the years, the father-of-two is, now, rocking a faux hawk with shaved sides.
The well-known actor from Jane the Virgin openly discussed feeling ‘exhausted’ due to a year filled with ’emotional stress’ just a month ago. He recently revealed his new edgy haircut for the first time while spending time with his two children, Maiya and Maxwell, during a trip to Hawaii last week.
While enjoying some shaved ice with his kids, the 41-year-old actor seemed to be looking for a peaceful escape from the ongoing troubles at home that have been making headlines for quite some time.
Even though the romantic drama he starred in with Lively in 2024 made over $350 million at the box office, Baldoni has been discussing his struggles with anxiety ever since the movie was released.
While he did not specifically mention Lively or their respective lawsuits against each other, the performer reflected on his ‘intense year’ and his mental health struggles.
Justin Baldoni unveiled a whole new look amid his heated legal battle with his former It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively
During an episode of the Gent’s Talk podcast, taped in November and released last month, Baldoni explained that 2024 brought him a ‘lot of material success’ and ‘a lot of emotional stress.’
‘It was very hard on me and my family,’ he said.
Baldoni went on to note that he needed to ‘heal from’ last year and acknowledged he’s ‘a work in progress.’
‘I am somebody who is always trying to be radically sincere and authentic to myself, so that I can be of service in the best way possible and have the most impact,’ he noted.
In December, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni.
Baldoni later followed up by launching a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her publicist and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
He also filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times for its reporting on Lively’s allegations.
Both Lively and Baldoni have denied each others claims, and the New York Times has denied Baldoni’s accusations and requested that his lawsuit against the paper be dismissed.
While he’s become known for his long, wavy locks, over the years, the father-of-two is, now, rocking a faux hawk with shaved sides
The Jane the Virgin star, who admitted he was ‘exhausted’ from a year of ’emotional stress’ last month, showed off his edgy haircut for the first time while on vacation with his two children, Maiya and Maxwell, in Hawaii, last week
As he took his kids out for shaved ice, the actor, 41, appeared to be seeking solace away from his woes back home that have dominated headlines for months
On Tuesday, Reynolds filed a motion to be dismissed from Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit.
In the legal documents, Reynolds, 48, made reference to Nicepool – a mockingly woke character in Deadpool & Wolverine, which premiered last July – which Baldoni claims is based on him – even down to the man bun hairstyle.
Reynolds claimed that Baldoni’s ‘thin-skinned outrage over a movie character, the satirical ‘woke’ Nicepool, does not even pretend to be tied to any actual legal claims.
‘Instead, it falls into the general allegation of “hurt feelings” which in reality is nothing more than a desperate effort to advance the same curated “bully” image that (Baldoni) created and disseminated in the retaliation campaign they launched against Ms. Lively in August of 2024.’
Despite his and Lively’s 2024 romantic drama grossing more than $350 million at the box office, Baldoni has spoke about battling anxiety since the film came out
While he did not specifically mention Lively or their respective lawsuits against each other, the performer reflected on his ‘intense year’ and his mental health struggles
During an episode of the Gent’s Talk podcast, taped in November and released last month, Baldoni explained that 2024 brought him a ‘lot of material success’ and ‘a lot of emotional stress’
Last week, a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com that Baldoni’s legal team will look into Disney’s potential involvement in the alleged smear campaign against him by Reynolds and his wife.
‘Baldoni’s legal team is now going to try and do a deep dive into Deadpool and the funding for the film, as well as the actors and producers who were aware of this bullying when filming,’ the insider said.
They said the fact Reynolds has not disputed the claim that Nicepool was based on Baldoni had ‘opened up the scope’ of how Baldoni’s lawyers may attempt to prove that their client had been under a coordinated attack.
‘Being Ryan admitted that the Nicepool character in Deadpool was based on Justin, he not only dragged Hugh Jackman into the forefront and the directors and producers of the film, but also Disney,’ the insider continued.
In December, Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni (pictured in December 2024)
Baldoni later followed up by launching a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her publicist and her husband, Ryan Reynolds; seen last month
‘Essentially, Ryan said in court documents that Disney allowed money to be spent on a film that they knew would be a blockbuster hit on bullying another person.’
They noted that the action of creating Nicepool presented further questions: ‘Furthermore, why would Ryan – who believed that his wife was being sexually abused or harassed at the time – create a role for his attacker?
‘What was once a theory is now confirmed. This just opened the scope up. There is a massive power struggle here.’
They continued: ‘Blake and Ryan thought they were untouchable and could get away with anything.’
In his recent legal request, Reynolds described himself as a ‘supportive spouse who has witnessed firsthand the emotional, reputational and financial devastation’ Lively endured.
On Tuesday, Reynolds filed a motion to be dismissed from Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit and made reference to Nicepool – a mockingly woke character in Deadpool & Wolverine – which Baldoni claims is based on him – even down to the man bun hairstyle
In the legal documents, Reynolds, 48, made reference to Nicepool – a mockingly woke character in Deadpool & Wolverine, which premiered last July – which Baldoni claims is based on him – even down to the man bun hairstyle
He also claimed Baldoni was attempting to ‘shame’ him for being ‘the kind of man who is confident enough to listen to the woman in his life and stand with her.’
However, the insider claimed that the judge was unlikely to approve the motion to dismiss Baldoni’s case.
Speaking to TMZ on Wednesday, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said: ‘Mr. Reynolds’ exploitation of his enormous power in Hollywood continues, this time arrogantly asking to be dismissed from the case despite his publicly documented involvement extending far beyond just being a ‘supportive spouse.’
Freedman doubled down, accusing Reynolds of playing a central role in what he called a smear campaign.
‘Mr. Reynolds was a key player in the scheme, defaming Justin around Hollywood, strong-arming WME into dropping Justin as a client, and trying to destroy Justin’s career however possible.’
Freedman scoffed at Reynolds’ attempt to exit the case, and his claims about Baldoni’s ‘thin-skinned’ reaction to the Nicepool character.
Reynolds claimed that Baldoni’s ‘thin-skinned outrage over a movie character, the satirical ‘woke’ Nicepool, does not even pretend to be tied to any actual legal claims; seen last year
‘His fingerprints have been all over this smear campaign against Justin and the Wayfarer team since day one,’ he said. ‘Mr. Reynolds now attempts to reduce plainly cognizable claims to ‘hurt feelings,’ sending a clear message that bullying is acceptable.’
He didn’t stop there, adding: ‘After lighting a match, Mr. Reynolds now seeks to run from the flames. It won’t work. The Wayfarer Parties’ claims against him are real, and they are serious.
‘Mr. Reynolds can appear on as many sketch shows as he wants and feebly try to make light of his current situation, but we will not stop until he is held accountable for his actions.’
The ‘sketch shows’ dig appears to reference Reynolds’ SNL 50 appearance, where he seemingly mocked the ongoing legal drama with Baldoni.
Reynolds is seeking dismissal with prejudice, which would bar Baldoni from re-filing the suit in the future.
