Blake Lively Attends Met Gala Hours After Settling Justin Baldoni Retaliation Lawsuit

Blake Lively attended the 2026 Met Gala red carpet on May 4, hours after lawyers announced that she and Justin Baldoni had settled their retaliation lawsuit tied to It Ends With Us, according to Deadline.

The Details

Deadline reported that the settlement was announced Monday in a joint statement from lawyers Bryan Freedman, Ellyn Garofalo, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson. The announcement came two weeks before the case was scheduled for a Manhattan jury trial on May 18.

The joint statement said, "The end product – the movie It Ends With Us – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind," according to Deadline.

In the same statement, the lawyers said, "We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online," Deadline reported.

Deadline reported that the legal dispute began in late 2024, when Lively filed a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni and his inner circle. The brief identifies Lively as the actress and plaintiff in the It Ends With Us lawsuit, and Baldoni as the actor, director and defendant in the case.

According to Deadline, Judge Lewis Liman described the dispute in March 2025 as fundamentally "a feud between PR firms." Deadline reported that many of Lively's claims, including sexual harassment, were struck in April 2026, while the retaliation allegation remained standing. Baldoni's $400 million countersuit had been dismissed months earlier, according to Deadline.

Hours after the settlement announcement, Lively appeared at the Met Gala red carpet, according to Deadline. Variety reported that she wore an archival 2006 Atelier Versace multi-colored pastel gown with a bejeweled bodice and a long flowy train. Variety said the gown was inspired by Venetian Rococo paintings and Baroque churches.

Deadline reported that Ryan Reynolds was absent from the Met Gala and that Hugh Jackman attended with Sutton Foster. People reported that Lively last attended the Met Gala in 2022, when she served as a co-chair alongside Reynolds.

Context

The Met Gala appearance put Lively at a major fashion event on the same day the lawsuit settlement became public, according to Deadline. Deadline reported that the 2026 Met Gala theme was "Costume Art" and that the dress code was "Fashion Is Art."

Deadline reported that Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were honorary co-chairs and lead financial sponsors of the 2026 Met Gala. Deadline also noted that Another Simple Favor, the 2025 sequel to A Simple Favor, was recently released on Prime Video.

The case timeline in Deadline's reporting runs from Lively's late-2024 California Civil Rights Department complaint to the May 4 settlement announcement. The same reporting places the settlement two weeks before the May 18 Manhattan trial date.

What's Next

The settlement announcement said the lawyers hope the resolution "brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online," according to Deadline. The brief lists no remaining trial date after the settlement announcement.

For Lively, the public sequence documented by Deadline and Variety now includes the May 4 settlement announcement and her Met Gala red carpet appearance later the same day. The brief lists no additional legal filings or public statements beyond the joint statement from the lawyers.