Justin Baldoni Had 'Prayer Gathering' with Family and Friends Night Before His Deposition in Blake Lively Case
- - Justin Baldoni Had 'Prayer Gathering' with Family and Friends Night Before His Deposition in Blake Lively Case
Benjamin VanHoose, Elizabeth RosnerJanuary 14, 2026 at 11:45 PM
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Justin Baldoni on Aug. 8, 2024 -
Justin Baldoni said he held a "prayer gathering" with "a lot of friends" the night before his deposition in the Blake Lively case
Baldoni was deposed on Monday, Oct. 6, in Los Angeles
The case, which began in December 2024, is set to go to trial in May 2026
Justin Baldoni surrounded himself with close friends and family the night before his deposition in the Blake Lively case.
According to a transcript of Baldoni's Oct. 6 deposition, exhibited in a court filing obtained by PEOPLE, the It Ends With Us actor-director, 41, shared that he had a "prayer gathering" ahead of being questioned by attorneys.
When asked if he'd discussed the subject of his deposition with anyone prior, he responded, "Jennifer Abel, my family, my wife. We had a prayer gathering last night with a lot of friends so they were aware that I was being deposed, but that's all I can think of at the moment."
Baldoni, 41, who sat for the nine-plus-hour deposition (with an hourlong lunch recess) in Los Angeles, was further asked what he discussed with his publicist Abel over the phone beforehand.
"It wasn't a conversation about the deposition. It was like, 'You're going to do great.' And she was letting me know she was going to be there. But there was no content that was discussed," he said, per the transcript, adding, "She might have said just to keep being honest and shine your light, or something to that extent."
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Blake Lively; Justin Baldoni
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Several times throughout the deposition, Baldoni, who has been a member of the Baha'i Faith since birth, mentioned that people have referred to his religion as a cult: "It wouldn't be the first time people around this case have said I was in a cult."
At one point, Maaren Shah, an attorney for Baldoni's former publicist Stephanie Jones, asked Baldoni if he knew his crisis publicist Melissa Nathan and former TAG PR employee Katie Case once were allegedly "joking about whether your faith was a cult," to which he said, "I was not aware."
Asked how he felt about it, Baldoni said, "I think anytime somebody makes a religious joke, I think that's not okay. It seems to have happened a lot in this case." He was then shown the alleged text from August 2024 between Nathan and Case.
"This is the first I'm hearing about it," he said, before adding, "I think they have every right to say whatever they want," as the proceedings moved on.
Lively, 38, sued Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and more, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, which he denies. His countersuit, accusing her and Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion, has been dismissed by the judge. The trial is set to take place in May 2026.
Within the deposition transcript, Baldoni confirmed he attended Lively's July deposition in person, as previously reported.
Other key players in the ongoing legal saga who have also been deposed include author Colleen Hoover, actors Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, publicists Jones, Abel, Nathan and more. Lively's husband Reynolds, 49, was not deposed.
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