Blake Lively’s brother-in-law issues apology following comments on Justin Baldoni legal battle

Blake Lively's brother-in-law has offered an apology following his weighing in on the Justin Baldoni lawsuit.

Lively and Baldoni have been embroiled in a furious lawsuit after Lively suited her It Ends With Us co-star last month.

On 21 January, things heated up when Baldoni's legal team released footage from the set of the romantic drama that they claim refutes her claims of sexual harassment against him amid their lawsuits filed against one another.

In the footage, Lively and Baldoni can be seen shooting a scene in which their characters, Lily and Ryle, have a romantic slow dance.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been embroiled in a lawsuit since last month (Sony)

One of the accusations Lively stated that during the filming of 'a slow dance scene for a montage in which no sound was recorded', Baldoni 'leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, 'it smells so good''.

While Baldoni refuted this claim with the release of the footage, Lively’s lawyer retaliated by stating that the video proved her allegations.

However, more people have weighed in on the drama, including Bart Johnson, Lively’s brother-in-law.

As an actor himself, you might remember him as playing Coach Bolton, aka Troy Bolton’s father in High School Musical.

Johnson became involved in the Lively vs Baldoni suit after commenting on her co-star, and he has since apologised for doing so.

On 23 December in a now-deleted X post, where he called Baldoni a ‘fraud’ with a ‘man bun’.

He wrote at the time: "He's a fraud. He puts on the 'costume' of a hero, man bun and all.

"Used all of the trendy catchphrases & buzz words for his podcasts. None of it's genuine. It's all theater. And everyone fell for it. For years."

Now, in an X post on 28 January, Johnson, who is married to Robyn Lively, wrote: "Anytime I've said anything unkind about someone I’ve regretted it.

"Regardless if it's true or not, if it's my opinion, even if I'm trying to speak truth or stand up for someone, it's never good.”

Bart Johnson apologised for weighing in (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Johnson continued. "Even in times where it might 'feel' justified and doing the right thing, it makes no difference. There's a better way."

He added: "It's below the standard I have for myself and I regret it. I do sincerely apologize to anyone I've hurt or let down by saying something that sounds mean."

"If you follow me you know you'll be hard pressed to find more than 1 time I’ve criticized anyone on social. It’s not my jam," Johnson said. "We all have flaws and I'm definitely a work in progress and doing my best to grow and be better."

News of the lawsuit has been updated after a US District Court Judge filed an order to set the schedule for the court cases and now the trial is scheduled for 9 March 2026.

After so much back and forth, it will be another year before the public is able to hear both sides in full to make their decision on what to believe.