Disney Gets Dragged Into the Justin Baldoni vs. Blake Lively Feud
The Walt Disney Company has somehow found itself in the center of the ongoing battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
For those who haven’t been paying attention, Lively and Baldoni starred in 2024’s It Ends With Us. After a public back-and-forth, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, who also directed the film, alleging sexual harassment.
In the suit, the actress accused Baldoni of unapproved physical intimacy during filming, unauthorized changes to the script involving nudity, and other inappropriate behavior. According to Lively, after she raised concerns about his on-set behavior, Baldoni and his team orchestrated a retaliatory smear campaign to ruin her reputation.


Photo: People
After The New York Times shared Lively’s story, Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit against the paper, claiming that their article was full of “inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions” and was written to support Lively’s agenda.
I know what you are wondering, how does Disney play into this story?
“Nicepool” and the Disney Connection
As you may or may not know, Ryan Reynolds is married to Blake Lively. Following the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, fans quickly noted that Ryan Reynolds’s Nicepool character, complete with his man bun, seemed like a veiled reference to Baldoni.


Photo: Marvel
In the film, Nicepool makes comments about Ladypool (portrayed by Lively) and her post-pregnancy body. Lively would later accuse Baldoni of making inappropriate comments about her weight following her pregnancy.
Other Nicepool lines, including his exclamation, “Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!” and his assurance that he is a feminist, were seen as shots at Baldoni and references to his This Ends With Us behavior.


Photo: Between the Weekends
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, would later fuel the fire when he appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show and bluntly stated that Reynolds was mocking Baldoni in the film.
That brings us back to today.
Freedman Sent a Litigation Hold Letter to Kevin Feige and Bob Iger
According to a new report from Variety, on January 7, Freedman sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel head Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger regarding Baldoni’s “anticipated claims” against Reynolds and Lively.


Photo: Marvel
The letter demands that Disney and Marvel preserve “any and all documents relating to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character” as well as “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring ‘Nicepool.’”
Interestingly, the Freedman letter also asks the studio to preserve any documents “relating to complaints made against Ryan Reynolds by any person, including without limitation Tim Miller.”


Photo: The Hollywood Reporter
Of course, Miller directed the first Deadpool movie but did not return for either sequel. As far as we know, there has not been any bad blood between the director and Reynolds.
With Baldoni seemingly set to file suit, however, we could learn differently as the process continues.
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