Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Brings ‘Heated Rivalry’ Into the Conversation to Combat Blake Lively Claims

Everyone is talking about Heated Rivalry — even Justin Baldoni’s legal team.

A lawyer for the It Ends With Us star and director brought up the steamy gay hockey TV drama in court on Thursday, January 22, in an effort to dismiss Blake Lively’s claims of gender-based discrimination, Variety reported.

Heated Rivalry’s male costars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie have openly discussed improvising with each other while filming the show’s multiple sex scenes, in which they are primarily seen without clothes. Lively, 38, has claimed that Baldoni, 41, inappropriately improvised on set of 2024’s It Ends With Us, making her feel uncomfortable.

“I don’t know if the court is familiar with the show Heated Rivalry,” said Baldoni’s attorney Jonathan Bach, per Variety, in an effort to make a point that would persuade U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman to dismiss Lively’s lawsuit.

As people reportedly laughed in the courtroom, Judge Liman said he was not familiar with the popular LGBTQ+ drama, streaming on HBO Max.

Bach reportedly implied to the judge that if a male actor on Heated Rivalry improvised during an intimate scene with another man, there couldn’t be a complaint of gender-based discrimination. Bach also told the judge that any touching that happened between actors Baldoni and Lively was strictly based on the relationship between their characters, and it had nothing to do with Lively being a woman.

He claimed Lively knew the film would include “hot and sexy scenes” that would become “steamy and turbulent” when she signed on to star. Bach reportedly claimed Lively’s complaints were “small potatoes” that did not constitute as sexual harassment.

One of Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson, argued that her client did not consent to some of what took place on set, including the actress being “kissed, nuzzled and touched” during a scene. When the judge reportedly pressed Hudson about the exact meaning of consent and asked how improv may come into play, the attorney clarified that she wasn’t saying improvisation should be off-limits — but there should be a conversation about what can be expected.

The case is scheduled for trial in May.

Lively sued Baldoni and others, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, claims that he has denied. Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist for extortion and defamation, but it was dismissed by a judge.