Justin Baldoni has publicly addressed his high-profile legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively for the first time since the settlement.

On Wednesday, July 8, the 42-year-old American actor and director took to his Instagram handle in a joint post with his wife of nearly 13 years, Emily Baldoni, to discuss the situation and explain why he chose not to speak publicly sooner.

“We have not spoken publicly for the better part of the last two years, and it’s not because we haven’t had anything to say,” Justin said.

He continued, “Because, Lord knows, we have. But it just felt like every time we went to make a video like this, every time we wanted to speak, something was telling us not to.”

The Jane the Virgin star revealed that, despite having a lot to say about Lively’s allegations against him, it never felt like the right time. However, he added that now feels like the right moment because he has so much he wants to discuss.

Although Justin did not specifically mention the Gossip Girl alum in the video, he explained that certain details involving him and Emily would remain private.

He and his wife expressed their gratitude for the support they received throughout the difficult period, while clarifying that their appreciation “doesn’t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years. We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women. So much to unpack.”

Emily added that the aftermath of those events has made it more difficult for them to discuss everything openly.

“We don’t even know if this is the right thing to say,” the Five Feet Apart director stated. “We just know we need to share something. What I will say is that there have been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence over the last couple of years. That created so much noise, and we didn’t want to add to the noise. So we just wanted to let the justice system run its course.”

Toward the end of the clip, Justin opened up about his family’s healing process, saying recovery “isn’t linear” and that the experience has reminded him of the importance of family, friends, community and faith.

Inside Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle

The statements come months after the Another Simple Favor actress sued the actor in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation.

Justin denied the claims and responded with a $400 million countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and her public relations firm.

Ahead of trial, only certain retaliation claims remained in the case. The Green Lantern actress was expected to testify before both sides decided to settle.

Last month, a ruling allowed Blake Lively to recover legal fees linked to Justin Baldoni’s counterclaim, though a separate legal action would be required for punitive damages. Her legal team later sought more than $8 million to cover attorneys’ fees.