Justin Baldoni's uncomfortable hug with Britney Spears resurfaces amid Blake Lively lawsuit drama

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: When Justin Baldoni opened up during a 2017 chat about an awkward hug he shared with Britney Spears on the set of 'Jane the Virgin', he never imagined it would someday call into question his pattern of behavior toward women. 

Flash forward to now, and the actor is embroiled in an intense legal battle with his 'It Ends with Us' co-star, Blake Lively, who accused him of a slew of on-set inappropriate behaviors in a bombshell lawsuit filed on December 31, 2024.  

When Justin Baldoni hugged Britney Spears

Justin Baldoni — who played Rafael Solano on 'Jane the Virgin' for five seasons — was over the moon when Britney Spears guest-starred on The CW show during its second season.

The 'Oops!… I Did It Again' singer appeared in an episode titled, "Chapter Twenty-Seven," which aired on November 9, 2015.

During a 2017 interview with Fuse, Baldoni recalled, "The guest star I was most excited to work with was Britney Spears—and then it turned out, I didn’t get to work with her. And there were zero scenes with Rafael and Britney Spears—probably at her request."

Despite his character not sharing any screen time with Spears, the actor admitted he couldn’t resist sneaking onto set to watch her film. "I know she was a fan of the show. We were shooting, and then a few of us that weren’t in scenes with her came to watch one of her scenes," he said.

A self-confessed Britney superfan during his high school days, Baldoni insisted, "What adolescent boy wasn’t?" But things got awkward fast when he approached her, confident that their brief social media exchanges had cemented a bond.

"Because I had tweeted her and she had tweeted me back, I’d gone up to her, so in my mind, we were friends—but we weren’t. I went up and I gave her a big hug, and I think I scared her," he revealed. 

His castmates were laughing at the scene, and that only added to his embarrassment. "I wondered to myself, 'Did I just harass Britney Spears?'" Baldoni shared. 

Blake Lively's bombshell allegations against Justin Baldoni

Fast forward to 2025, and Justin Baldoni’s awkward Britney Spears moment seems like a blip compared to the storm surrounding him now. Blake Lively has filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing the actor of a slew of inappropriate behaviors, including body shaming and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.

According to court documents reviewed by Newsweek, Lively claims Baldoni used a fabricated back pain excuse to comment on her postpartum weight just months after she gave birth to her fourth child, son Olin.

She alleged that Baldoni secretly convened a meeting with her trainer, implying she needed to lose weight in just two weeks.

Lively detailed her humiliation in the filing: "Mr Baldoni referred to Ms Lively’s trainer as ‘a damn spy’ and sought to plant stories to portray his concerns as being motivated by his lower back pain."

She also said Baldoni "without her knowledge or permission" manipulated conversations with her trainer and sent her to a weight-loss specialist under the guise of addressing strep throat, E! News reported. The 'Gossip Girl' star further alleged that Baldoni "routinely degraded [her] by finding back-channel ways of criticizing her body and weight."

Lively’s legal team accused Baldoni and his associates of launching a negative PR campaign to tarnish her image, calling the tactics "sinister" and designed to retaliate against her for speaking out.

In a statement shared with The New York Times, Lively was hopeful that her lawsuit would inspire others to stand up against misconduct: "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."

Baldoni, however, denies all allegations and has filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times over an article about Lively's complaint, claiming that they relied on the actress' "self-serving narrative." 

He has faced significant fallout since the lawsuit was filed, including being dropped by his agency, WME, which also represents Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, the Daily Mail reported.

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