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Senior reporter of Daily Mail, Josh Boswell, weighed in on the recent developments in the Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni legal conflict during his latest appearance on the No Filter with Zack Peter podcast.
On May 22, 2025, Zack Peter shared a clip from the interview with Boswell where the reporter claimed that Blake Lively’s team was worried about losing the “national conversation” about the Justin Baldoni saga.
"they are actually getting worried that they are losing the national conversation about this because there’s a big national conversation going on," Boswell said in the video.
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In the No Filter with Zack Peter podcast episode, Zack Peter brought up the recent claims made by social media commentator Perez Hilton. On May 18, 2025, Hilton uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he alleged that he had some exclusive information from a “very well-trusted source” regarding Blake’s representatives.
"Blake's lawyer is calling up every news department and demanding changes in stories and even wanting some of the quotes moved up in stories….They are blowing up writers saying he's got a list of everyone reporting on this. What? Not quite threats, but definitely ovoverstepping Hilton said.
Referring to these claims by Hilton, Zack Peter asked Josh Boswell if Hilton’s allegations were true or not and if he "had heard any of these threats".
In response, the Daily Mail’s senior reporter denied being "threatened specifically". Boswell didn’t comment directly about the claims made by Hilton, but he added that while communicating with Lively’s reps recently, he had seen a “shift” in their behavior.
"I’m seeing like a gear change here. I think this is just my impression, her team is feeling like maybe they have not been on the offensive enough and they are really trying to push now," he said.
He further speculated that the shift in the behavior of Lively’s team was indicative, as they were "ramping up both the legal and also PR kind of war" because they felt they were losing the “battle” of the “national conversation" in the ongoing Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni saga.
What else did Josh Boswell say about the media coverage in the ongoing Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni legal drama?
Referring to Perez Hilton’s May 18 video alleging that Blake Lively’s team was engaging in media manipulation during the ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni, Daily Mail reporter Josh Boswell offered his insights on the same in the podcast episode.
"We being the Daily Mail are committed to reporting every part of the story … we’re not gonna be swayed by someone saying ‘you’ve to only say nice things about Blake,’" Boswell said.
He further elaborated that in his own coverage of the case, he strives to maintain balance. While some reports may have appeared more sympathetic to Justin Baldoni, Boswell clarified that he made efforts to reach out to Lively’s representatives for details regarding the ongoing trial and get Lively’s side of the story.
Further, Boswell added that publications attempting to "not focus on the negative things" could face reputational risks.
"Let’s say you’re the editor of a popular magazine. And you’ve been like super-pro Blake. And then it turns out that the weight of the evidence suggests that she’s a villain. You’re gonna look kinda dumb—and you’re gonna have to do a U-turn at some point," he explained.
Blake Lively faces accusations from ex-employees amidst her legal battle with Justin Baldoni
As per an article by Page Six dated May 20, 2025, amidst her legal issue with Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively found herself embroiled in a new controversy. This happened after six former employees of her now-defunct lifestyle company, Preserve, came forward with allegations of a “toxic,” “unprofessional,” and “chaotic” work environment.
In a May 19 report published by the Daily Mail, one former staffer alleged:
"The entire company was an absolute disaster...The workplace allegations that Blake is making now [against Justin Baldoni] are deeply ironic, given that it was one of the most insane, toxic, emotionally draining, and disorganized environments you could imagine".
Another former employee told the Daily Mail that the impression she got from Blake Lively after working for her at Preserve was that purportedly "she doesn’t care" about her company or the "toxic work environment".
One of the former employees also shared an account describing Lively’s alleged lack of professionalism, including an incident where she reportedly emerged disheveled before a scheduled photo shoot at her Westchester County mansion, leaving models and staff waiting awkwardly.
The former employees also named Lively’s brother, Eric Lively, who served as Preserve’s creative director. They claimed that he “overslept,” leaving employees to wait outside in cold weather before being let into their Manhattan studio.
Former employees further claimed that Blake’s longtime publicist, Leslie Sloane, kept the issues hidden from the media for years.
Previously, in December 2024, four months after the release of It Ends With Us, Blake Lively sued her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and running a smear campaign against her.
In response, Justin Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit for defamation, civil extortion, and invasion of privacy. The case is now in its pretrial stage, with trials starting on March 9, 2026.
