Justin Baldoni may be on the precipice of losing much of his wealth — or exponentially growing it — depending on the outcome of two lawsuits: One leveled against him by Blake Lively, and the other leveled by him against the New York Times.
The actor-turned-director found his breakout role in the character of Rafael Solano on the CW show “Jane the Virgin,” which premiered in 2014. A decade later in late 2024, however, Baldoni became embroiled in an ongoing scandal regarding his alleged on-set behavior toward co-star Blake Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us,” which he also directed and produced.
The movie, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling romance novel of the same name, was a classic summer box-office hit, grossing a reported $351 million after being produced on a $25 million budget. Despite the film’s commercial success, however, things were not always copacetic on set — and not just because of its difficult subject matter.
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Lively, who plays the film’s protagonist, alleged in a December 2024 complaint and subsequent January lawsuit that Baldoni — ironically playing a misogynistically abusive romantic partner — repeatedly sexually harassed her on set. The lawsuit also alleges that Baldoni retaliated against Lively by attempting to damage her reputation after she made a formal request to end the distressing behaviors.
In early January 2025, Baldoni, who denies Lively’s claims, sued the New York Times for $250 million in damages for libel after the outlet investigated and reported on the situation. (A more detailed description of the backs and forths of this scandal can be found later in this article.)
In the midst of what could become a very expensive Hollywood legal battle, Baldoni’s critics and supporters alike are wondering just how much he is worth — and how much of his wealth he stands to lose as a result of his alleged abusive behavior.
So, just what is Justin Baldoni’s net worth ahead as he faces Lively’s lawsuit (and levels one of his own at the New York Times)?
What is Justin Baldoni’s net worth in 2025?
Most online sources report Baldoni’s net worth to be around $4 million, citing Celebritynetworth.com – a popular but dubious wealth-estimate site that does not provide sources or methodology — for the figure.
Baldoni’s wealth, while substantial, is not particularly high by Hollywood’s standards. For comparison, Ryan Reynolds — a certified A-lister who happens to be married to the victim of Baldoni’s alleged on-set abuse — is worth around $350 million.
Related: Ryan Reynolds’ net worth in 2025: From blockbusters to billions in business
With the reputational damage that has come with Baldoni’s high-profile scandal, and Lively’s legal proceedings now underway, Baldoni’s wealth could be poised to erode in the months and years ahead. On the other hand, if his lawsuit against the New York Times is successful, his net worth stands to increase dramatically.
The ‘It Ends With Us’ scandal: An overview of Lively’s accusations & Baldoni’s response
“It Ends With Us” — which stars Lively as protagonist Lilly alongside Baldoni as Lily’s abusive romantic partner, Ryle — was released to an eager audience on August 9th, 2024. By this time, rumors had already begun to circulate that some sort of drama existed between the two actors, as Lively had unfollowed Baldoni on social media and hadn’t mentioned him during her promotional appearances on the film’s press tour during post-production.
Despite these rumblings, or perhaps in an effort to combat them, Baldoni spoke highly of Lively’s work on the film upon its release, saying “everything [Lively] put her hands on and her mind to, she made better.”
Soon, however, this facade of amicability crumbled when Baldoni hired the same crisis-management public relations firm used by actor and alleged domestic abuse perpetrator Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against ex-partner Amber Heard.
On December 9th, before Lively’s accusations had been revealed publicly, Baldoni was given a 2024 Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices, a non-profit advocacy group aimed at combatting sexual and domestic violence. Just 15 days later, this award would be rescinded by Vital Voices in light of his alleged behavior toward his costar.
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Baldoni’s alleged behavior was made public via a legal complaint filed by Lively with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20th, accusing Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment.
The complaint included allegations that Baldoni entered Lively’s trailer uninvited while she was partially undressed and feeding her infant, pressured her to lose weight after giving birth, and showed her images of naked women. It also alleges that he engaged Lively in unwanted conversations about sexual topics including Baldoni’s genitalia and past pornography addiction.
The complaint also explains that, when the movie resumed filing in early 2024 after a break due to 2023’s Writers Guild strike, Lively held a meeting attended by Baldoni, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their lawyers, among others, to lay out Lively’s 30 requirements to continue working on the film, which included the presence of a professional intimacy coordinator any time she and Baldoni were on set together.
Other notable requirements included “5. No more descriptions of [Baldoni’s] genitalia to [Blake Lively],” “7. No more inquiries by Mr. Baldoni to [Blake Lively’s] trainer without her knowledge or consent to disclose her weight,” and “12. No more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by, Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath to be tolerated by [Blake Lively] and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent.”
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Baldoni denied Lively’s allegations, and his lawyer called them “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” Baldoni and his lawyer also denied that the actor and director had purposefully orchestrated a smear campaign to retaliate against Lively for her complaints.
Private messages obtained and published by the New York Times, however, seemed to directly contradict this denial. In the messages, Baldoni’s PR agent, Melissa Nathan, appears to have stated “You know we can bury anyone.” Baldoni appears to have sent her examples of popular social media threads criticizing other celebrities and said, “This is what we would need.”
According to the New York Times, “Ms. Nathan soon floated proposals to hire contractors to dominate social media through ‘full social account takedowns,’ by starting ‘threads of theories’ and generally working to ‘change narrative.’”
The fallout from this scandal continues to unfold. Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency on December 22nd. Baldoni’s former publicist — with whom he worked prior to enlisting Melissa Nathan — sued him for breach of contract on December 25th.
On the first day of 2025, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni — for both sexual harassment and retaliation — based on the aforementioned complaint she had filed about 10 days prior.
The same day, Baldoni filed his $250 million libel suit against the New York Times, which responded the following day, saying “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article … We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
Baldoni has continued to deny wrongdoing and has alleged that he felt bullied by Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who he claims attempted to exert undue influence over the production of the film. Baldoni’s lawyer has stated that he plans to sue Lively “into oblivion,” alleging that Lively conducted a smear campaign of her own, “bullied her way through the process to take over the movie and used her PR people to try to destroy Justin.”
Baldoni’s lawyer explains the potential contents of impending lawsuits by Baldoni against Lively, Reynolds, and others in an interview with Megyn Kelly in the YouTube clip below:
How does Baldoni’s net worth compare to Lively’s?
Blake Lively’s net worth is estimated to be around $30 million, making her about 7.5 times as wealthy as Baldoni. This difference could become important, as legal proceedings, especially high-profile ones like Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni, can become very costly.
With a net worth of $30 million, Lively’s financial resources vastly outweigh Baldoni’s, especially when considered alongside her husband’s $350 million net worth.
What was Baldoni’s salary for acting in and directing “It Ends With Us?”
Baldoni received a reported salary of $320,000 for playing Ryle in “It Ends With Us,” according to an August 2024 MSN article, although it is unclear how much he earned for directing the film.
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