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Justin Baldoni and the Death of Man-Bun Feminism
“Long before Lively tried to present herself as the perfect victim, Justin Baldoni tried to present himself as the perfect ‘male feminist,’ ” writes Batya Ungar-Sargon for The Free Press. (Arnold Turner via Getty Images)
He tried to present himself as the perfect male ally. Now he’s suing the woman who accused him of sexual harassment.
By Batya Ungar-Sargon
02.18.25 — Culture and Ideas
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The fiftieth anniversary episode of Saturday Night Live, which aired this weekend, included a surprising bit: The Hollywood power couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively laughing about the controversy that’s engulfed them for months—reportedly leaving her in a state of “grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.”

“Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?” Amy Poehler asked Reynolds on SNL.

“Great—why, what have you heard?” Reynolds replied.

Here’s what we heard.

Just before Christmas, Lively had accused Justin Baldoni, her co-star in last summer’s blockbuster It Ends with Us, of sexual harassment—and that last month he fought back with his own lawsuit, accusing her of extortion and releasing reams of evidence to back up his claims.

None of which is something worth laughing about.

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Batya Ungar-Sargon
American Jew. Host of "Batya!" on @NewsNation, 7PM Saturday, 11AM Sunday. Author of Bad News, Second Class, and The Jews & the Left.
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