Ryan Reynolds' Welcome to Wrexham co-star Rob McElhenney breaks silence over lawsuit drama

Speaking to Variety, McElhenney described the situation as "difficult and challenging." He stated that he and his wife, Kaitlin Olson, are supporting Reynolds and Lively "in any way that we can," adding: "It’s just our way of staying connected and navigating something together. And also me giving and showing as much support as I possibly can with all the other stuff that he’s got going on, that I know is so difficult and challenging. We both are just trying to offer our support in any way that we can that doesn’t just simply add oxygen to the fire."

The legal dispute stems from the production of the film It Ends with Us. Blake Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she made a complaint. 

This came after a New York Times exposé alleged Baldoni's involvement in a campaign to damage Lively's reputation during the film's press tour. Lively's lawsuit names Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and PR representatives Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.

In response, Justin Baldoni filed a counter-lawsuit against Blake Lively and The New York Times, accusing them of defamation and claiming Lively had taken over the movie's production. He also shared a website with emails and messages related to the case, where he alleged that Lively referred to her husband Ryan Reynolds and close friend Taylor Swift as her "dragons," implying they would protect her and make things difficult for him. 

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freeman, stated in the filing: "The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him."

Blake Lively's team issued a statement in response to Baldoni's counter-suit, which read: "This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender."

Taylor Swift was subpoenaed by Baldoni's lawyer. Her legal team subsequently released a statement, clarifying: "Given that her involvement [with It Ends With Us] was licensing a song [My Tears Ricochet] for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case."

Bryan Freeman also claimed to have an anonymous insider who alleged that Lively's team had pressured Swift's team to release a public statement supporting Lively, threatening to leak private text messages if she did not comply. However, Blake's attorney dismissed these allegations as "categorically false," and a judge later dismissed this specific claim from the court filings.

According to New York federal judge Lewis J Liman, a trial date has been set for 9 March 2026.