Private text messages sent by Jenny Slate about her experience working with Justin Baldoni on Finish with us They have now come to light, offering a harsher look at the tensions that allegedly played out behind the scenes.
According to court documents obtained by TMZSlate called the production “disturbing” and accused Baldoni, who starred in and directed the film, of presenting a false public image.
In messages dated 2023, Slate told a Sony production executive that she and co-star Blake Lively had raised concerns about Baldoni’s behavior on set.
“This has been a truly disturbing shoot and I am one of many who feel this way,” Slate wrote, according to the documents.
She went on to say, “Justin is really a false ally and I’m not willing to do anything that will further the image he’s creating as a ‘male feminist’… like… I honestly don’t have the words to describe what a fraud he is.”
In other messages revealed in the filing, Slate said he had never met anyone like Baldoni before, calling him “the biggest clown and the most intense narcissist.”
The recipient of these texts has not been publicly identified.
Slate’s concerns reportedly went beyond those messages.
During a deposition in September 2025, he was asked about previous text messages sent to his then-agent, in which he said that Baldoni and his business partner, Jamey Heath, “scare me.”
She accused them of telling “strange lies” and described them as “truly inadequate,” adding that while she was not afraid, she felt “rejected and deeply irritated.”
In those same messages, Slate noted that Blake Lively was dealing with the situation “on a much more serious level.”
Slate also recalled an incident during filming in which Baldoni allegedly made inappropriate comments about her, saying it was acceptable because his wife was present.
Lively’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, said the newly released evidence includes sworn testimony and real-time messages from several women and argued that it shows how concerns were raised as early as spring 2023 and allegedly dismissed.
Baldoni’s legal team has denied the allegations, calling them false. A hearing scheduled for January 22 will determine whether some or all of Lively’s remaining claims proceed to trial.
