At the 77th Annual Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, Judd Apatow took a swipe at the ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, while also criticizing their upcoming movie, It Ends With Us. Apatow, known for his sharp wit, used his opening monologue to make light of the controversy surrounding the two stars.
Apatow joked about the success of Wicked, saying, “I loved Wicked. I saw it four times in the first four days. It was the highest-grossing movie musical of all time. Do you know that? Usually to make that much money, you have to sue Blake Lively. So much hazarai over such a terrible movie.”
This comment pointed to the public and heated legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni. Lively recently accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and claims he orchestrated a smear campaign against her, which led to a lawsuit filed with the California Civil Rights Department. Baldoni, in turn, countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation. The case is set for trial in May 2026.
It Ends With Us, directed by Baldoni, is based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel. The film follows Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, as she grapples with a complicated relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni. Their love story becomes entangled with Lily’s unresolved past and the return of her first love.
The DGA Awards, held in Beverly Hills, saw Sean Baker winning the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for Anora. Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia, nominated for her first feature film All We Imagine As Light, lost to RaMell Ross, who won for Nickel Boys.
