Victory is a fleeting bird: beautiful in flight, but often followed by shadows. That line echoed the news about the court tossing out Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively. On paper, sure, she might have won. But it’s the hearts and minds she’s still losing. Like a violin solo played in an empty room, Lively’s triumph feels cold.
The lawsuit she filed last year over alleged harassment and sabotage during It Ends with Us might’ve found a legal foothold, but the public? They’re giving their verdict elsewhere, and it’s not in her favor. With Billy Bush raising eyebrows and fans sharpening their digital pitchforks, March 2026’s looming trial may not be about facts anymore. It may be about whom the audience feels for. And right now? That doesn’t look good for Ryan Reynolds’ wife.
Bigfooted or justified? Blake Lively’s legal victory raises bigger questions
Yes, legally, Blake Lively has scored a massive point. A $400 million defamation and extortion countersuit from Justin Baldoni? Dismissed. But as Billy Bush put it, bluntly, almost like a warning shot, this might backfire in ways Lively’s team didn’t predict. He said (Hot Mics with Billy Bush):
This is a stunning legal victory for Blake, no question….But if Baldoni has more support in the court of public opinion, which I believe he absolutely does, I don’t see this doing anything to change that. In fact, the opposite seems true.
Is Bush wrong? There’s something eerie about how fast this supposed “win” has twisted into something uglier. Ryan Reynolds’ wife may have shut down Baldoni’s legal counterpunch, but it’s the narrative that probably now threatens her.
Bush’s use of the word “Bigfooted” really stuck with us, not just because it’s vivid, but because it mirrors what people online are already thinking:
If people already perceive that she tried to Bigfoot this guy on set, and now she’s done it legally, isn’t that worse for her?
And he didn’t stop there. Bush questioned the timing, another layer of suspicion:
My biggest question is: Why now? Couldn’t this have been done back in February? Here we are in June, and the judge is throwing out the defamation suit. Not much has changed.
That’s a loaded question. Was this legal strike held back for strategic reasons? Was Lively’s team waiting to pull this out like a surprise card? Bush is implying the move feels theatrical, staged even, and in the realm of public opinion, that makes people uneasy.
Likewise, fans are not buying it
And the audience, an emotionally reactive audience, is making its stance painfully clear. Justin Baldoni’s losing in court but winning in the eyes of the people. Comment sections are thick with disbelief, rage, and boycotts.
One fan wrote:
I am so disgusted by the Judge who dismissed Justin B’s LEGIT lawsuit!!!
Ohhh my gawd, Blake Lively and her POS hubby are some sick, evil thugs. Its amazimg what the elites can get away with.
— Colleen🇺🇸💡 (@Coll1313) June 9, 2025
Another went further, stating:
Her and Ryan have been proven to be AWFUL people w/no morals. When people hate you and you’re a celebrity, it affects your pay. It might not be much, but it will have repercussions in the end. I’ll never consume anything linked 2 them ever again. Nor will anyone I know.
— chris (@andshewillfly) June 10, 2025
That last line hit us like a slap: “Nor will anyone I know.” A refusal to forgive! And here’s the most telling one of all:
the court of public opinion is going to come down hard. We are not going as ywhere and are seeing this through.
— Qui êtes-vous ? (@qui_etes_vous_1) June 10, 2025
Let’s see what others are saying:
The fact that you can defame someone in a CRD complaint bc it is protected speech just blows my mind. There should be exceptions to this law. That’s the only reason she filed a complaint IMO when she could have just sued him. The law allows her to hide behind the CRD COMPLAINT
— Barbara Howard (@xo_Barb) June 10, 2025
She’s a POS. So is her husband.
— Renee (@Renee01RN) June 10, 2025
Well, we have no idea what happened on that film set. None of us outside the key players do.
Right now, Baldoni is wearing the bruises of defeat, and that vulnerability makes him relatable. Blake Lively is holding the trophy, and somehow, that makes her a suspect in the court of public opinion. While he gears up for a possible comeback, Lively’s original lawsuit is still alive and kicking, with a trial date locked for March 2026.
So yes, Baldoni can still fight, but for his supporters, the road ahead just got a lot rougher.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
