Blake Lively ‘parts ways with longtime publicist Leslie Sloane’ after legal showdown with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni

More than two decades after beginning their working relationship, Blake Lively has reportedly parted ways with her publicist Leslie Sloane.

The star severed ties with Sloane following the drama of her legal showdown with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, reports Page Six. 

Lively had previously sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company in December 2024 for alleged defamation and sexual harassment on the set of their film It Ends With Us, accusations he denied. 

Sloane, who leads Vision PR, subsequently became entangled in the It Ends With Us legal drama after Baldoni retaliated with a $400 defamation lawsuit which named her as one of the defendants. 

Sloane was accused of launching a ‘smear campaign’ against Baldoni or planting ‘malicious stories’ about him in the lawsuit – allegations the publicist previously denied.  

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Lively and Sloane for comment but has not yet heard back. 

She subsequently fired back by attempting to be removed from the lawsuit, which also named Lively and Reynolds as defendants. 

Her attorney insisted Sloane was ‘dragged’ into the nasty legal battle as a ‘smoke and mirrors exercise to distract from their own sexual harassment and their own systematic retaliation.’

Sloane’s lawyer also said there was no ‘basis’ for the allegations, according to E!. 

In a statement before the lawsuit was filed, she said: ‘It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false.’ 

In October 2025, a judge dismissed Baldoni’s case, and in May of this year, after a judge dismissed most of Lively’s claims, she agreed to settle the case.

Lively was not paid any money in the settlement, but Judge Lewis Liman, who presided over the case at a New York court, did allow her to seek legal fees solely related to Baldoni’s failed case against her.

In court filings, Lively’s lawyers stated that the amount they were seeking was $7,495,526 in legal fees and $539,514 in expenses.

The fees break down between two law firms: $4,544,094 for Willkie, Farr & Gallagher and $2,951,432 for Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

However, the final bill will be even higher because of costs related to the most recent hearing on June 1.

According to court filings, that will add another $300,000 to the total.

Ultimately, the legal controversy surrounding the allegations from both sides helped to turn It Ends With Us into a hit – raking in $351 million at the worldwide box office.

In the movie, Lively played florist Lily Bloom, who gets into a relationship with Baldoni, who plays an abusive neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid.

When the movie was released in the summer of 2024, it was overshadowed by rumors of a feud on set between Baldoni and Lively.

Lively alleged that Baldoni inserted unscripted kisses into a scene in which they were dancing together, and that his producer, Jamey Heath, walked into her trailer when she was breastfeeding her newborn baby.

Baldoni strongly denied her claims.

Lively is now demanding a whopping $8 million from Baldoni to cover the legal fees she incurred while battling his $400 million defamation lawsuit.