Blake Lively reportedly 'parts ways with longtime publicist Leslie Sloane' after legal showdown with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni
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More than two decades after beginning their working relationship, Blake Lively has reportedly parted ways with her publicist Leslie Sloane.
The star severed ties with Sloane following the drama of Lively's legal showdown with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, reports Page Six.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Lively and Sloane for comment but has not yet heard back.
Lively had previously sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company in December 2024 for alleged defamation and sexual harassment on the set of their film It Ends With Us, accusations he denied.
Sloane, who leads Vision PR, subsequently became entangled in the It Ends With Us legal drama after Baldoni brought a $400 million defamation lawsuit which named her as one of the defendants.
Sloane was accused of launching a 'smear campaign' against Baldoni or planting 'malicious stories' about him in the lawsuit - allegations the publicist previously denied.
After two decades working together, Blake Lively has reportedly parted ways with her publicist Leslie Sloane
In October 2025, a judge dismissed Baldoni’s case, including the claims against Sloane, and in May of this year, after a judge dismissed most of Lively’s claims, she agreed to settle the case.
Lively was not paid any money in the settlement, but Judge Lewis Liman, who presided over the case at a New York court, did allow her to seek legal fees solely related to Baldoni’s failed defamation case against her.
In court filings, Lively’s lawyers stated that the amount they were seeking was $7,495,526 in legal fees and $539,514 in expenses.
The fees were broken down between two law firms: $4,544,094 for Willkie, Farr & Gallagher and $2,951,432 for Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.
Lively got only $363,245 in fees and $44,206 in costs.
Ultimately, the legal controversy surrounding the allegations from both sides helped to turn It Ends With Us into a hit – raking in $351 million at the worldwide box office.
The star severed ties with Sloane following the drama of Lively's legal showdown with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, reports Page Six; Lively and Sloane pictured 2013
Lively had previously sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company in December 2024 for alleged defamation and sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us, which they starred in together, with Baldoni also directing
Lively and Baldoni are pictured together in the film
Lively agreed to settle what remained of the It Ends With Us case earlier this year
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In the movie, Lively played florist Lily Bloom, who gets into a relationship with Baldoni, who plays an abusive neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid.
When the movie was released in the summer of 2024, it was overshadowed by rumors of a feud on set between Baldoni and Lively.
Lively alleged that Baldoni inserted unscripted kisses into a scene in which they were dancing together, and that his producer, Jamey Heath, walked into her trailer when she was breastfeeding her newborn baby.
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