Blake Lively has alleged that a smear campaign, purportedly initiated by Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Productions regarding the film “Mean Girls,” has cost her nearly $300 million in lost profits and potential revenue.
In court documents filed on April 17, the actress claims to have incurred significant financial damages ranging from “approximately $36.5 million to $40.5 million.” This comes after Baldoni allegedly used disparaging language—terms like “tone-deaf,” “bully,” and “slut”—which she argues was an effort to tarnish her reputation.
According to her expert witness, Dr. Ashley Humphries, a marketing communications professor at Northwestern University, Lively states that Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Friedman, made “retaliatory” comments that she believes resulted in an estimated loss of about $24,375,267.
Humphreys calculated these damages by assessing the online impact of the statements and providing specific figures related to her losses.
As for her income, she estimates damages to be between $34.3 million and $87.8 million. The financial loss, her experts suggest, stems mainly from missed opportunities in films, both studio and independent, and limited television series from August 2024 to August 2029.
Moreover, Lively claims that her company, Betty Buzz/Betty Booze and Blake Brown, suffered losses in the range of $39.6 million to $143.5 million due to the ongoing legal dispute.
Additionally, she is pursuing damages of between $250,000 and $400,000 for alleged “pain and suffering, physical suffering, and humiliation” resulting from the smear campaign.
Her total claimed damages now exceed $290 million, a notable increase from her previous estimate of $161 million in November 2025.
Baldoni’s legal team responded to her allegations on April 17, claiming that the negative statements about Lively were already “widely circulated” prior to their collaboration. They argue that terms such as “mean girl,” “bully,” and “tone-deaf” did not further harm her already existing reputation.
Representatives for both Lively and Baldoni have not provided comments on the matter as yet.
While the judge overseeing the case dismissed 10 out of Lively’s 13 claims, they are still set to go to trial on May 18 regarding the three remaining claims of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation.
