Justin Baldoni's Wife Seemingly Refuels Blake Lively Drama With One Little Word

In a social media post to celebrate her wedding anniversary, Emily Baldoni may have subtly thrown a little shade at Blake Lively, who infamously sued Emily's husband, Justin Baldoni, for harassment and retaliation in December 2024. Lively and Justin, of course, had co-starred in his film "It Ends With Us," which is downright uncomfortable to watch with hindsight."

Well, to mark 13 years of marriage, Emily uploaded an Instagram snap of Justin lifting her into his arms on their wedding day. While it was definitely the perfect photo to mark such a significant stretch of marriage (especially by Hollywood's standards), it seems that Emily may have used her caption to take a jab at Lively, writing, "Marriage: still my favorite lift. Thirteen, baby!!"

You see, Lively's initial complaint, filed on Dec. 20, claimed that Justin "routinely degraded Ms. Lively by finding back channel ways of criticizing her body and weight" (via People). Some details emerged after the New York Times published an article detailing Lively's grievances against him, which prompted Baldoni and his production company to sue the outlet. In the course of that lawsuit, he admitted to asking Lively, who was postpartum while shooting "It Ends with Us," how much she weighed. This was because his character was supposed to lift her character in one scene; Justin, who'd previously suffered a back injury, claimed that his inquiry was "to ensure he could safely perform the lift without injury," per The Independent. Ultimately, the scene never made it into the movie, as Lively refused to film it. Suffice to say, the word "lift" has special meaning to her and the Baldonis.

Eventually, a judge threw out Justin's lawsuit, and Lively's 13 complaints against him were filed down to three, which she was free to pursue in court. However, both parties agreed to settle out of court in May 2026, putting an end to their battle. However, Emily's little "lift" comment could threaten to stir up more drama between these co-stars who clearly can't stand each other.

Social media definitely caught Emily Baldoni's seemingly shady reference to Blake Lively. Her Instagram comment section is full of her and Justin Baldoni's fans virtually high-fiving her over the jab. "'Still my favorite lift,' Emily, you are such a queen!!'" wrote one user. "Thank you for making me laugh on this hectic day. You two are such an inspiration. Happy Anniversary!!" A second commenter also expressed their enthusiasm, writing, "I'll 'lift' my glass to that, dear queen!"

That being said, not everyone agreed with the shade theory, namely, one of Emily's friends. They wrote, "The funniest part about this ... is that it's happening entirely in people's heads. I know Emily. She would rather disappear into the woods than throw shade on social media."

Intended or not, the hubbub over Emily's comment certainly distracted from some of the unflattering news about Justin that's been in the press as of late. In case you missed it, Justin's Wayfarer Studios is on the hook for $171,616.20 in legal fees for The New York Times, since his lawsuit against them was dismissed more than a year ago. He's also attempting to avoid paying Lively's legal fees, despite insistence from her side; she's asking for eight million dollars. This, along with general "It Ends with Us" fatigue, has resulted in some negative reactions toward Justin. Emily's comment may not exactly help things in that regard.