Hollywood agent mocks Justin Baldoni's last name after dropping him as client, breaks silence on Blake Lively

Emanuel criticszed Baldoni's conduct, showing support for Lively, while legal disputes, including lawsuits and subpoenas, continue between the involved parties.

Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor the parent company of talent agency WME has broken his silence on Justin Baldoni’s dismissal from the agency. Emanuel also addressed allegations made by actress Blake Lively against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios.

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has reacted to the claims saying that the leaked texts used against him were taken “out of context”.

Lively’s complaints, first filed with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) and later escalated to a lawsuit—include claims of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and subsequent retaliation for speaking out.

Baldoni dropped as client, Emanuel responds

During a taping of Freakonomics Radio Live in Los Angeles, Emanuel made a dismissive remark about Baldoni’s name, calling him “Bologna … Baldoni … whatever his name is.” He described the situation as “messed up” and criticised Baldoni’s actions.

“I mean, it is a messed-up, bad situation with what Baldoni is doing,” he stated, confirming that Baldoni had been let go from WME. When host Stephen Dubner pointed out that Baldoni was once a client, Emanuel bluntly responded, “Until I fired him.”

Expressing his support for Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, Emanuel emphasised their strong reputation in Hollywood. “I’ve known Ryan and Blake for over a decade,” he said. “They’re incredible people, successful in the industry, and have always treated people well. If what’s alleged in her lawsuit is true, then Baldoni and his team are really bad people.”

Baldoni’s lawyer fires back

Page Six reached out to Baldoni’s team for comment but didn’t receive an immediate response. However, his attorney, Bryan Freedman, defended his client, calling Emanuel a respected agent but noting that his remark about Baldoni’s name was outdated.

“As I understand it, Justin hasn’t been called ‘Bologna’ since the fifth grade,” Freedman quipped. He also pointed out that Emanuel and Baldoni were once clients at the same agency but never personally interacted.

As the legal dispute continues, Lively has filed a subpoena for Baldoni’s phone records, seeking evidence to support her claims of a coordinated smear campaign. Her legal team believes the records could provide “critical and irrefutable evidence.” However, Baldoni’s lawyers have opposed the request, calling it overly broad and extraordinary.

Lively alleges that Baldoni and his team orchestrated a smear campaign against her in retaliation for speaking out about workplace misconduct. She also claims that both she and other crew members faced inappropriate behavior from Baldoni and Wayfarer’s CEO, Jamey Heath.

Since her initial complaint, both stars have filed lawsuits against each other. Baldoni has also sued The New York Times for defamation, a lawsuit that the publication strongly denies. Meanwhile, Lively has been sued by a crisis PR firm hired by Baldoni, a case her team dismissed as a “publicity stunt.”