Strange Things About Justin Baldoni's Marriage We Can't Ignore
After the release of "It Ends with Us," the highly-anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel of the same name, the director found himself under immense scrutiny, thanks to a raging legal battle between Justin Baldoni and his co-lead Blake Lively. The "Gossip Girl" star's allegations, which include accusations of sexual harassment, shifted the public's attention to his marriage, putting Justin's relationship with Emily Baldoni in the spotlight. Like any marriage, Justin and Emily's isn't perfect, but eagle-eyed fans and critics alike have pointed out that some aspects of the couple's relationship are rather strange.
For instance, when Justin proposed to Emily, he went all out, as in, he made a short film that she got to watch before he got down on one knee. "That was a 27-minute long proposal video. [It] was my first movie, actually," Justin revealed on "Live with Kelly & Mark." He made the short film with the help of some of his friends, quipping, "It was a big joke." Funnily enough, the proposal video ended up becoming the project that kicked off Justin's career. After saying yes, Emily gave her husband-to-be permission to share the video with the world on YouTube, and it has amassed a whopping 14 million views as of this writing.
However, while many thought the proposal was the most romantic thing they'd ever seen, it seems some have changed their minds in the meantime. One user on Reddit pointed out that the video seemed more geared towards giving Justin's ego a boost than to proclaim his love for Emily. "He made her sit silently through a short film starring himself... as a way to propose. It's not sweet it's just weird and creepy. All the red flags," another user opined.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Justin apologized to his wife during his wedding vows
While we're all suckers for emotional wedding vows that make us ugly cry, apologies aren't usually on anyone's bingo card. But that's exactly what Justin Baldoni did for his 2013 nuptials to Emily Baldoni. The "Five Feet Apart" director's speech made headlines after Blake Lively's allegations of sexual misconduct against him hit the public sphere. In a resurfaced video from the couple's wedding, an emotional Justin tells his wife, "I would like to start off my vows to you with an apology. I'm sorry for all my faults, my shortcomings, for my insecurities and my ego and for everything I've ever done or said that's hurt you and anything I ever brought to this relationship that hasn't been pure," (via News.com.au).
Justin then pledged to "cherish, listen to you, honor you and respect you," per the Daily Mail. While throwing an apology into your vows is pretty unprecedented, it actually seems like the Baldonis' relationship has been better for it. Celebrity marriages have a reputation for being short-lived, but Justin and Emily have been happily married for over a decade as of this writing. Meanwhile, fans took to Reddit to discuss this eyebrow-raising information, with some users claiming that Justin's vows were a major red flag. Others felt digging into them just to prove the legitimacy of Lively's claims against him was a bit of a stretch.
He often makes jokes about having marital issues
Being a famous actor and filmmaker means that his marriage is constantly in the spotlight, and Justin Baldoni has taken to publicly making some lighthearted jokes about some of the issues he and wife Emily Baldoni have faced over the years. While some find it refreshing, others consider it a bit odd that he would make fun of it at all. In December 2024, Justin took to his Instagram Stories to joke that the only reason their union has survived so long is because he is always on top of the latest technological inventions. In this case, the "Jane the Virgin" star was referring to hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which he convinced Emily to try.
"There are no marriage issues an hour of pure O2 can't fix," he quipped at the time (via E! News). According to the Mayo Clinic, this therapy, which is commonly employed to treat decompression sickness, consists of administering concentrated oxygen to patients in a high-pressure chamber, which aids body tissue in absorbing more oxygen than usual. The Cleveland Clinic notes that it should only be administered if ordered by a doctor for serious conditions, but these days, there are some off-label uses, with the treatment said to be able to improve depression, hair loss, migraines, and even alleviate Covid-19 symptoms.
Justin is very open about the inner workings of their marriage
Plenty of celebrities prefer to keep their private lives private, but Justin Baldoni has shown an impressive willingness to speak openly about his marriage. While some might find it strange that he's so willing to open his relationship up to public scrutiny, others admire his and Emily Baldoni's transparency. "Marriage isn't a fairytale," Justin wrote in a candid 2017 Facebook post. "It's not about a happy ending or the illusion of perfection. Marriage is about real WORK." He continued by explaining that anyone who thinks marriage is easy is in need of a dire reality check, proclaiming, "We are all flawed and just trying to figure it out — some more openly messy than others."
The "It Ends With Us" star echoed these sentiments in a 2021 Instagram post, where Justin shared a video of Emily speaking about several times when they haven't been on the same page as a couple. In the caption, Justin elaborated that he doesn't believe there's such a thing as a honeymoon phase when it comes to marriage. "We all have stuff. We all have sh*t. Let's stop pretending we don't and embrace it," the actor wrote. Unfortunately, the inner workings of Justin's marriage also came to the forefront in Blake Lively's lawsuit.
In her complaint, she accused him of adding intimate scenes to the script of "It Ends with Us" that were not present in the original text she initially agreed to. The "Shallows" star alleged that, while Justin agreed to remove most of these scenes, he insisted on keeping one depicting their characters climaxing together on their wedding night because "he and his partner climax simultaneously during intercourse," per the Daily Mail.
His wife starred in one of the most controversial movies of his career
It's not unheard of for directors' family members to make appearances in their movies, but the fact that Justin Baldoni's wife, Emily Baldoni, portrayed one of the characters in the film that has now garnered immense public scrutiny amid Blake Lively's sexual harassment accusations is, er, rather awkward. The couple also allowed their kids to make a swift appearance at the end of the movie. "They're in the final scene in the farmer's market. There are two kids that are running into the farmer's market, and that was their kind of debut — I said, 'Action,' and then they ran off," Justin proudly informed E! News.
Emily had a small part in "It Ends With Us," portraying the doctor who conducts Blake Lively's character's pregnancy scan. This has naturally left many wondering whether she happened to have any insider information on what really went down between her husband and his co-lead on set (Emily has yet to comment). Justin has continued to vehemently deny Lively's shocking allegations, of course. "These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media," his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told the New York Post firmly.
He's admitted to his wife being lonely because of his work
Justin Baldoni isn't the only one who's been open about how hard marriage can be. His wife, Emily Baldoni, has also made a habit of not sugarcoating things. Having a spouse who works in the entertainment industry cannot be easy, and alongside a candid Instagram snap of their family of four, Emily wrote, "There are days when this is the best. And there are days when this is really hard." The director also expressed regret about the time he spent away from his family while he worked on "It Ends with Us," confessing, "[It was] devastatingly difficult for many reasons," while making an appearance on an episode of Elizabeth Day's "How to Fail" podcast, which has since been removed following Blake Lively's allegations against him (via the Daily Mail).
Evidently, the extended periods of time the "Jane the Virgin" star spent away from his family while filming the movie took their toll with Justin explaining that Emily was "lonely," which is something he finds challenging to "[forgive] myself for." The film took about two years to complete, and time spent with Emily was very limited. "I missed some of the most important things that if I could give anything I would go back in time and experience," Justin sadly recalled. "I took on the role of the provider and we ended up in very stereotypical gender roles without having ever talked about it [...] She was doing the invisible work of motherhood and I missed so much." He and Emily hashed it out afterward but he didn't intend to spend as much time away from his family again.