Scarlett Johansson did not sign up for this plot twist. Yet her name is suddenly echoing through a courtroom drama that already stars Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and, indirectly, Ryan Reynolds.
According to Page Six, an unearthed audio recording from a past conversation with billionaire Steve Sarowitz has been submitted in Lively’s ongoing legal case against Baldoni. In it, Johansson becomes the uninvited comparison point in a story that blends past marriages, present allegations, and Hollywood image management.
For fans who remember the Reynolds and Johansson years, then watched him marry Lively and build a picture-perfect family brand, the collision of these three names in one legal saga feels like a full-circle moment, with reputations on the line.
How Scarlett’s Name Ended Up in the Case
The new recording centers on Steve Sarowitz, co-founder of Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios. In the audio, described by Page Six as coming from filmmaker Claire Ayoub, Sarowitz speaks glowingly about working with Johansson as a first-time director on her film “Eleanor the Great,” which was released in September 2025.
“I love this women’s empowerment. We have another first-time director we supported,” Sarowitz, 61, reportedly tells Ayoub in the recording. When Ayoub jokes that she is excited to support “a woman named Scarlett Johansson,” Sarowitz quips, “We are trying to give her her first big break. Maybe people will hear of her after this.”
He then praises Johansson’s demeanor on set. “She was so cool, calm, collected and confident … and nice,” he says, according to Page Six. It is the word nice that becomes the turning point.
Sarowitz allegedly contrasts that experience with working with Lively. He notes that almost everybody he works with is nice, then adds, “and then there is Blake, she is totally different than everyone else. Not to say anything bad about her, but she is different.” He continues, “I think for the most part, most people see what we are doing, see we are nice, and they are nice back. Even if they were not perfectly nice. I just think some people forgot to learn how to be nice.”
The recording, Page Six reports, was submitted by Lively’s own legal team. That detail alone raises eyebrows. If her side is filing it, they are likely using it to support a larger narrative about the culture at Wayfarer and Baldoni’s leadership, even if the comparison seems to cut both ways in the court of public opinion.
Inside Blake and Justin’s Escalating Legal War
Lively’s battle with Baldoni grew out of their collaboration on the film adaptation of “It Ends With Us.” What began as a high-profile creative partnership between the “Gossip Girl” alum and the “Jane the Virgin” star has shifted into a legally charged clash involving allegations about behavior on and around the production.
According to Page Six, Lively filed a formal lawsuit against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages. Baldoni, 42, answered with an eye-popping $400 million countersuit against Lively and Reynolds, although that countersuit has since been tossed by the court.
Justin Baldoni was spotted surfing during a birthday trip to Costa Rica as Blake Lively’s lawsuit against him continues to make headlines. 📸: BACKGRID pic.twitter.com/u9POqx3Esd
— Page Six (@PageSix) January 28, 2026
Filmmaker Claire Ayoub, who previously worked with Baldoni and Wayfarer on the 2024 project “Empire Waist,” entered the fray in September 2025. As summarized by Page Six, Ayoub submitted a declaration stating she experienced “repeated, negative interactions” and “verbal abuse” from Baldoni and Wayfarer. The Sarowitz recording is understood to come from her orbit and is now part of the legal paper trail.
Trial proceedings have been scheduled for May 2026. Until then, the case exists in a limbo of filings, declarations, and media narratives, where every leaked document or resurfaced remark becomes part of the public story about what happened on the set of “It Ends With Us” and behind closed doors at Wayfarer.
Reps for Lively, Baldoni, and Johansson, Page Six notes, did not immediately comment on the audio’s emergence.
Ryan, Scarlett, and Blake in the Public Imagination
The legal details are one part of why this story is drawing attention. The other is pure Hollywood history. Scarlett Johansson is not just another name in a legal file. She is Ryan Reynolds’ ex-wife, a detail that instantly connects the past to Lively’s present.
Reynolds, 49, married Johansson in 2008. Their union placed two rising stars at the center of red carpet culture, with Johansson on her way to becoming a Marvel staple through “Avengers” and Reynolds carving out his leading man lane in both comedies and action. They quietly separated and finalized their divorce in 2011.
By 2012, Reynolds had married Lively. The pairing felt like an instant Hollywood power couple. He was the wisecracking charmer, she the fashion favorite with teen drama royalty from “Gossip Girl” and a growing big-screen resume. Together, they have carefully cultivated a playful, romantic image, frequently teasing each other on social media and appearing side by side at premieres, charity events, and brand campaigns.
Johansson, 41, wrote her own next chapter away from that marriage. She wed French journalist Romain Dauriac in 2014, welcomed a daughter, and later split in 2017. In 2020, she married “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost, merging Marvel prestige with late-night comedy. She has also added producer and director credits to her name, including “Eleanor the Great,” the very project Sarowitz was praising in the contested audio.
For Gen X and Boomer fans who have tracked these relationships over decades, Johansson’s name appearing in the middle of Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni pulls old memories into a strikingly contemporary dispute. It is not a love triangle, but it is a triangle of public perception that ties together one former marriage, one long-term partnership, and one escalating legal showdown.
Niceness, Power, and Hollywood Reputation
At the heart of the Sarowitz recording is a word that often sounds trivial, but carries real power in Hollywood: nice. When Sarowitz frames Johansson as calm, confident, and “nice,” then claims that some people “forgot to learn how to be nice,” he is not just giving personality notes. He is sketching a hierarchy of desirable behavior in an industry where reputation can be as valuable as a box office opening.
For Johansson, whose career stretches from child star roles to blockbuster franchises and now directing, being described as cool, collected, and kind reinforces the image of a seasoned professional. For Lively, whose brand has long blended relatability, glamour, and control over her own narrative, being cast as “totally different” lands in more ambiguous territory, especially when attached to a lawsuit about workplace conduct and power dynamics.
Whether Sarowitz intended his comments as a sharp criticism, an awkward comparison, or something in between, they now sit inside official court records. That means they are no longer just casual remarks. They are part of how lawyers, judges, and the public will hear the story of what happened behind the scenes of “It Ends With Us.”
As the case heads toward trial, one thing is clear. This is no longer just a dispute between a star and her director. It is a story about how Hollywood remembers its couples, protects its legends, and judges its favorites when the lights turn harsh and the cameras stop rolling. Johansson may be a supporting character in this particular script, but her legacy, and the history she shares with Reynolds and Lively give the drama an emotional depth that fans will not forget anytime soon.
