Blake Lively has reportedly ended her professional relationship with longtime publicist Leslie Sloane, more than 20 years after the pair began working together.
The star severed ties with Sloane following the drama of her legal showdown with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, reports Page Six.
Lively sued Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, in December 2024. The lawsuit alleged defamation and sexual harassment during the making of their film It Ends With Us—claims Baldoni denied.
Sloane, who heads Vision PR, was later drawn into the legal dispute after Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit naming her as one of the defendants.
The lawsuit accused Sloane of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against Baldoni and planting “malicious stories” about him. The publicist has denied those allegations.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Lively and Sloane for comment but has not received a response.
After more than two decades of working together, Blake Lively has reportedly parted ways with publicist Leslie Sloane
Sloane later sought to have herself removed from the lawsuit, which also named Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as defendants.
Her attorney argued that Sloane had been “dragged” into the contentious case as part of a “smoke and mirrors exercise to distract from their own sexual harassment and their own systematic retaliation.”
According to E!, Sloane’s lawyer also maintained that there was no “basis” for the accusations.
Before the lawsuit was filed, Sloane said: “It’s clear that Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false.”
A judge dismissed Baldoni’s case in October 2025. In May, after most of Lively’s claims were dismissed, she agreed to settle the remaining case.
Lively did not receive money as part of the settlement. However, Judge Lewis Liman, who oversaw the proceedings in a New York court, permitted her to seek legal fees tied specifically to Baldoni’s unsuccessful lawsuit against her.
Court filings show that Lively’s lawyers requested $7,495,526 in legal fees, along with $539,514 in expenses.
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The fees were divided between two firms: Willkie, Farr & Gallagher sought $4,544,094, while Manatt, Phelps & Phillips requested $2,951,432.
The overall amount is expected to rise further because of costs connected to the most recent hearing on June 1.
Court documents indicate that the hearing will add approximately $300,000 to the total.
Despite the legal battle surrounding allegations made by both sides, It Ends With Us became a box-office success, earning $351 million worldwide.
Page Six reports that Lively severed ties with Sloane following the legal battle involving her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni; Lively and Sloane are pictured together in 2013
Lively sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company in December 2024, alleging defamation and sexual harassment during the production of It Ends With Us, in which they both starred and Baldoni also directed
Lively sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company in December 2024, alleging defamation and sexual harassment during the production of It Ends With Us, in which they both starred and Baldoni also directed
Lively agreed to settle the It Ends With Us case earlier this year
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.
Baldoni strongly denied her claims.
Lively is now demanding a whopping $8 million from Baldoni to cover the legal fees she incurred while battling his $400 million defamation lawsuit.