Blake Lively’s brother-in-law regrets his ‘unkind’ comments toward Justin Baldoni as legal drama heats up

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bart Johnson, the brother-in-law of actress Blake Lively, is publicly apologizing for “unkind” comments he made during the ongoing legal battle between Lively and her 'It Ends With Us' co-star Justin Baldoni.

Best known for his role in 'High School Musical', Johnson expressed regret in a recent social media post, admitting that his earlier comments had been hurtful, as reported by Us Weekly.

Bart Johnson apologizes for past remarks

Reacting to the critic on X (formerly Twitter), Bart Johnson, 54, clarified that his earlier comments were not meant for any particular person but a “type” of person he found disingenuous. But he expressed regret after considering how his words might have affected others. “Anytime I ever said something unkind about someone I regretted it,” Johnson wrote.

"Fortunately that’s almost never and definitely not when I’m at my best,” he wrote via X and added, “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.”

Johnson also said he had not lived up to his own standards, adding, “Even when it may ‘feel’ justified and to be the right thing even in tough times it makes no difference. There’s a better way.”

The actor acknowledged that he wasn’t proud of his online behavior, saying, “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. I’ll do better. 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 wrapped up by saying, “You can easily find a million times I’ve uplifted, support, encourage and uplifted my family, friends, followers & strangers. That’s what I’m committed to and where I find my happiness. We all have flaws and I’m definitely a work in progress and doing my best to grow and be better. Sending ALL my love to ALL of you.”

Johnson’s apology comes at a challenging time for Lively, who’s been caught up in a legal battle with Baldoni. The actress has accused the filmmaker of trying to tarnish her reputation, which led to a lawsuit filed in December 2024. In defense of his sister-in-law, Johnson had previously spoken out against Baldoni, claiming he was running a smear campaign to destroy Lively’s career.

With the leaks of the actors' messages and the private messages of Lively from the set of 'It Ends With Us', her legal troubles took a deeper plunge. After she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment., Baldoni denied the accusations and filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million.

Bart Johnson earlier supported Blake Lively and admitted ‘mistakes were made’

Bart Johnson, who is married to Blake Lively’s sister Robyn Lively, at first publicly supported Lively in a since-deleted comment under The New York Times’ Instagram post that detailed how Lively has suffered reputational damage after being labeled "tone deaf" and "difficult to work with" while Baldoni remained unharmed.

In his comment, Johnson noted that Lively's complaints over Baldoni came much earlier, during the filming. “Her complaints were filed during the filming. On record. Long before the public conflict. The cast unfollowed him for a reason.”

Johnson added, “His PR team was stellar. Gross and disgusting but highly effective. Read the article, their text message exchanges and his PR campaign strategy to bury her by any means necessary. No one is with out [sic] faults. But the public got played.”

He admitted "of course mistakes were made" and that balancing her life as a mother of four and spouse to Ryan Reynolds, Hollywood's "busiest" star was tough.