Justin Baldoni is heard apologizing to his co-star Blake Lively in an audio message apparently sent to Lively amid production of their film “It Ends with Us,” long before the two stars launched into a legal battle that continues to play out in the public eye.

A federal judge has set a March 2026 trial date for actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni to resolve their claims stemming from their work on the movie “It Ends With Us.”

Here’s what you need to know about why Taylor Swift is involved in the Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni It Ends With Us case.

I’m really sorry, I f*cked up,” Justin Baldoni admitted to his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively in a 2 a.m. April 2023 voice message after delivering a less than enthusiastic response to a scene rewrite from the deflated Gossip Girl vet.

Blake Lively and ‘It Ends With Us’ costar and director Justin Baldoni’s alleged feud and lawsuits explained after her initial filing in December 2024

Baldoni’s lawsuit also alleged that he felt “obliged” to accept and praise a revised version of the rooftop scene allegedly written by Lively (who later claimed it was written by her husband Ryan Reynolds) for fear of incurring the wrath of Reynolds and Lively’s best friend, Taylor Swift.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's dispute is moving from the movie set to the courtroom as a trial date is set.