Judd Apatow is taking a humorous swipe at the legal saga entangling Blake Lively and her film, "It Ends with Us." During his opening monologue at the 77th Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards on February 8th, the 57-year-old filmmaker and comedian cracked jokes about several anticipated 2024 releases, among them "Anora," "Wicked," and, inevitably, Lively's "It Ends with Us" — along with the litigation that has shadowed it.
"I was absolutely enchanted by 'Wicked,'" Apatow quipped. "I caught it four times in its opening four days. Did you know it's now the highest-grossing movie musical of all time? You see, to rake in that kind of dough, one typically has to resort to suing Blake Lively."He then quipped, marveling at how such an uproar had been stirred up around "such a dreadful film."
Lively, 37, who in December filed a sexual harassment complaint against her co-star Justin Baldoni, has since become entangled in multiple lawsuits, most notably a recent defamation suit launched by publicist Jed Wallace, whom she named in her complaint to the California Civil Rights Department. Lively had alleged that Wallace was enlisted by Baldoni's PR team to participate in a smear campaign against her. Wallace's legal representatives, however, have vehemently denied these claims, asserting that Lively's accusations are baseless.
In response to these legal challenges, Lively's legal team issued a statement, stating, "Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit aiming to silence Ms. Lively by suing her into oblivion for daring to speak out against sexual harassment and retaliation."
The ongoing legal tug-of-war between Lively and Baldoni, 41, began in December 2024 when the actress filed a complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment during the filming of "It Ends with Us" and orchestrating a retaliatory smear campaign designed to ruin her reputation. Baldoni has categorically denied these allegations.
On January 16th, Baldoni struck back at Lively's initial allegation with a formidable $400 million lawsuit, targeting her, her spouse Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane, accusing them of extortion, defamation, and other grievances. The legal representatives from both camps finally converged in court on Monday, February 3rd, for a pretrial conference, where the presiding judge sternly advised them to refrain from litigating their case in the public sphere. The trial involving Baldoni and Lively is presently penciled in for March 2026.
Elsewhere in his opening monologue, the director of "This Is 40" veered into politics, urging his fellow filmmakers to take a defiant stance against President Donald Trump, quipping, "We all stand at a crossroads: to confront Trump or bow down." He further elaborated, "Perhaps I ought to embark on crafting movies and TV shows that resonate with MAGA supporters, like 'The Real Housewives of January 6th'—a fiery Proud Boy's wife engaging in a catfight with an Oath Keeper's spouse, sexily attired. Note to self: Make that series a reality."
"Imagine 'Extreme Home Makeover: Gaza Edition,' transforming Gaza into the Riviera!" Apatow exclaimed, eliciting chuckles from the audience. "Alternatively, we could take a different path," he continued. "We could stand firmly against Trump, embrace even greater awakening, and never retreat. Let's all embrace an ultra-awakened stance. I might even produce 'Dune 3' with an all-gay vocabulary of sand terms. Reboots like 'The Shawshank Assignment Surgery,' '12 Angry Thems,' 'ET the Extra-Bisexual,' 'Sex and the Sanctuary City'—I could go on indefinitely. 'The Amazing Spider-Person.' You get the drift. This is our reality."
Apatow also joked about feeling "deeply depressed" in the early weeks of Trump's second term. "I don't intend to delve into politics. That's not our purpose here. But I must touch upon it briefly. So much is happening. I'm truly feeling down," he confessed. "How do you cope with it?"
"I've started microdosing meth," he continued, tongue-in-cheek. "My new pronouns are, we are f---ing. There's a possibility that some of you here tonight voted for Trump, and I won't judge you. But know that God will."
