Actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have already lost quite a bit of money in their ongoing legal battle before even going to trial. But Baldoni hopes to be compensated in more ways than one by coming out of his court case the winner. However, where does his net worth currently stand now, and how much does Baldoni look to benefit, if at all, if he wins?
How much money does Justin Baldoni currently have?
Thanks to his film and television career, Baldoni was able to make more than just a comfortable living for himself. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he’s accumulated $6 million over the years. In 2020, The Things reported that his net worth was at $1 million. At the time, he wasn’t even the richest cast member from Jane the Virgin, making much less than the show’s main star Gina Rodriguez. The sizable increase in his earnings was a testament to Baldoni’s rise in the entertainment industry. In addition to Jane the Virgin, Baldoni built his net worth as a working actor in projects like The Young and the Restless and Everwood.
But he started crafting an equally lucrative career for himself by becoming a director and producer. He received attention for his directorial efforts like Con Man and Five Feet Apart, which he made through his production company Wayfarer Studios. In an interview with Forbes, Baldoni confided that he hoped his projects would expedite the positive changes he was seeing in the world of cinema.
“Aside from putting people in boxes, Hollywood has a short term memory problem, and you’re only as good as your last project, but I think the industry has got that backward,” he once said regarding his motivations. “I believe our studio is the antidote to that problem. I wanted to build a studio that’s artist-driven and artist-focused. We want to be synonymous with content for purpose, but that doesn’t have to be just earnest, vanilla stuff. Because I’ve been on the other side for so long, and I’ve been screwed massively, I know what it feels like to work so hard for something, to want to bring something to life and not have any ownership of it.”
How Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit has affected both him and Blake Lively financially
Baldoni and Lively have both taken significant financial losses in an attempt to defend their reputations. Lively claimed Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign against her that further fueled the perception of the Gossip Girl alum being a diva. Lively also alleged that she was sexually harassed while the two filmed It Ends With Us. Baldoni responded by filing a $400 million lawsuit against Lively for defamation and civil extortion. Even with Lively’s and Ryan Reynolds’ combined net worth, a court potentially ruling in Baldoni’s favor would hit their wallets hard.
While attempting to clear his name, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, asserted that his client had already been devastated by this battle.
“Justin has been destroyed by this,” Freedman said in an interview with The Town podcast. “This is a really serious thing and in this day and age, the only way that you can truly get back is to prove your innocence.”
Because of the severity of the case, Freedman asserted that it’s unlikely Baldoni and Lively will reach a settlement before trial.
“The minute The New York Times story came out, Justin was done for all intents and purposes,” Freedman said. “The court of public opinion was against him. There was no side that he had in this. There were no facts that were on his side.”
Freedman was responding to a prediction the show’s host Matthew Belloni made about his client’s controversy. Belloni felt that there was too much negative fallout from Baldoni and Lively’s legal battle for the case to reach trial. Eventually, he believed both sides would agree to settle behind the scenes to avoid any further consequences.
“I do not believe there will be a trial in this case,” Belloni said. “I just think that the potential for the circus and the damage to both sides here will ultimately win out and you guys will settle. So if that’s the case, why not just settle now? What is the number? What would it require for this to go away?”
