“The Reign of Terror Is Over”: Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Just Got Smacked Down in Court—And Content Creators Are Breathing Again
Hi besties. It’s Katie Joy, and welcome back to Without a Crystal Ball. I don’t say this lightly, but after months of fear, silence, and intimidation—there’s finally some relief. The reign of terror? It’s over.
Let me explain.
For months, creators like me, Perez Hilton, Shasty Flo, Candace Owens, and Andy Signor have faced subpoenas, smear campaigns, and legal threats tied to the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni legal battle—a feud that’s become less about sexual harassment allegations and more about silencing critics and controlling the narrative.
Yesterday, something happened in court that shifted everything. A judge formally declared that all subpoenas must be issued by July 25th. Period. That means no more content creators can be dragged into this circus after that date. And if Perez hasn’t received a subpoena yet, it’s likely he never will. Andy and Candace? They might just be off the hook entirely.
This is major, because the way Blake and Ryan’s legal team—backed by PR crisis attorney Kristen Bender from Wilkie Farr & Gallagher—has weaponized discovery and manipulated the court process has been disturbing. They’ve attempted to drag people into the case not because they’re witnesses, but because they dared to question their narrative.
Let’s rewind.
Recently, Lively’s attorneys filed a massive 300-page motion meant to paint Brian Freriedman, Baldoni’s attorney, as dangerous and unprofessional. The centerpiece? A totally unrelated 2010 lawsuit involving a former assistant of Vin Diesel, which they twisted to try and discredit Brian. But here’s the thing: the judge already ruled on that case, and it went nowhere.
That motion? DENIED. No sanctions. No finding of misconduct. No reprimand. The judge ordered Vin Diesel’s deposition to be done at his attorney’s office—the very thing Blake is now demanding. So why drag it into this case? Simple: smear tactics.
The audacity is next level.
Worse, Lively’s team failed to mention that the Diesel matter had already been resolved in court. Instead, they filed it as if it were a current, unresolved issue. That’s misleading at best and borderline sanctionable at worst. They intentionally left out the part where the judge denied the motion and refused to find Brian guilty of any wrongdoing.
Why would they do this?
Because they are desperate to discredit Brian Freriedman—and by extension, Justin Baldoni—any way they can. The same Brian who has not only stood his ground, but actually come out looking stronger, even against these billion-dollar legal machines. Let’s not forget: Blake and Ryan are backed by two of the most aggressive and expensive firms in Hollywood. This isn’t a fair fight. This is David vs. Goliath, and David just landed a punch.
Meanwhile, Blake Lively is trying to delay her deposition scheduled for July 17th by demanding access to all footage from the film set—allegedly 50,000 hours of it, which her team now admits is closer to 150 hours. She claims she needs it to “prepare” for her deposition.
Let’s get real: if you’ve been harassed, you remember it. You don’t need to comb through years of B-roll to “refresh your memory.”
Her opponents argue—and I agree—that she’s not looking for clarity. She’s looking for ammunition. She wants to find footage she can twist, take out of context, or retroactively weaponize to support her claims. And this is coming from someone who, by her own admission, never texted a friend, emailed a colleague, or told anyone about the alleged harassment at the time.
The timing couldn’t be more suspicious.
And let’s not ignore Stephanie Jones—former executive at the shell company Lively accused of running a smear campaign. Now she too is demanding access to the footage before her own deposition. What does she need it for? She wasn’t even on set. It’s giving “stall tactic.” It’s giving “panic.”
The reason the court’s July 25th deadline matters so much is because it brings an end to this phase of chaos. The abuse of subpoenas to scare journalists and creators ends. Period. They can’t go back in a few months and quietly serve more people under shady pretenses.
And remember when Lively tried to subpoena Meta to reveal who runs the Facebook page “Stephanie Jones Lies”? Meta shot her down. Why? Because that page, even if harsh, was expressing protected opinion. Free speech.
Now let’s talk about Ryan Reynolds.
His role in this whole ordeal is finally being exposed for what it is: a behind-the-scenes orchestrator. Let’s not forget, his PR firm Maximum Effort ran the disastrous marketing campaign for It Ends With Us. When that backfired and Blake was “canceled,” they blamed Wayfarer, Baldoni, even content creators—instead of taking accountability.
And now Ryan is out here trying to silence the very platforms that made him rich—social media and digital creators. It’s hypocritical and cruel.
And don’t even get me started on how they leaked subpoenas to TMZ before the creators themselves even knew they were being targeted. That’s not just shady—it’s an abuse of process. How would TMZ get that info unless it came directly from Blake’s team?
Let’s be honest: the only media outlet calling this mess out is The Daily Mail. Even then, the reporter on the case—James Sutka—was allegedly pressured into signing a statement about what happened and then mysteriously fired.
Now if that doesn’t scream cover-up, I don’t know what does.
At this point, it’s impossible not to see the pattern: Blake and Ryan are using every legal and media tool they can to bury Baldoni, Brian, and anyone who stands in their way. They’re trying to silence dissenting voices while continuing to push their side of the story through puff pieces in the New York Times and carefully controlled PR hits.
But it’s not working anymore.
The public is catching on. The judge is catching on. And content creators like me? We’re not scared anymore.
This court ruling is more than just legal housekeeping. It’s a message: You don’t get to weaponize the court to control the narrative. You don’t get to bully your critics into silence. And most importantly? You don’t get to rewrite history just because you have a crisis PR attorney on speed dial.
So yes—this was a win. A huge one.
The legal clock is ticking, Blake. And all eyes are watching.
Stay tuned besties. I’ll keep reporting what the mainstream won’t. Give this article a like, comment your thoughts below, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.
Until next time.