Harvey Weinstein is backing Justin Baldoni in his
ongoing legal battle
against Blake Lively.
The
convicted rapist
— who is serving over a decade in prison for multiple sex crimes — said Wednesday that he believes he and the “It Ends With Us” director were unjustly targeted by the New York Times.
In December 2024, the news outlet published an article titled, “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which included partial texts from Baldoni’s PR teams claiming they could “bury anyone” — including Lively — in an apparent attempt to
launch a smear campaign against her
.
The “Jane the Virgin” alum and his publicists have since claimed in
a bombshell $250 million libel lawsuit
against the NYT that the messages were taken out of context, “cherry-picked” and altered to tell a false narrative.
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“Watching Justin Baldoni take legal action against the New York Times and its reporters — accusing them of manipulating communications and ignoring evidence that countered Ms. Lively’s claims — hit me hard,” Weinstein, 73,
told TMZ
.
He then claimed, “It brought back everything I experienced when the Times reported on me in 2017. They did the same thing: cherry-picked what fit their story and ignored critical context and facts that could have challenged the narrative.”
In 2017, the NYT published a scathing exposé about the disgraced Hollywood producer, with multiple women accusing Weinstein of
sexual abuse spanning three decades
for the piece.
The investigation — led by journalists Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Ronan Farrow — helped kickstart
the #MeToo movement
and won the outlet the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
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Danielle Rhoades, spokesperson for the New York Times, tells Page Six in response to Weinstein’s remarks Wednesday, “Our comprehensive investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against Mr. Weinstein was rigorously reported over many months and based on on-the-record interviews, legal settlements paid to accusers and other documents.
“None of the facts in our coverage are in dispute. Mr. Weinstein acknowledged his misconduct in a statement that was
published in full in the Times
. He’s since been criminally convicted of rape and sexual assault.”
Weinstein was
sentenced to 23 years in a New York prison
in 2020 for rape and sexual abuse, though that conviction was
overturned by the New York Court of Appeals
in 2024. He is looking to be found not guilty in a new New York trial set to begin April 15.
He was also
hit with a separate 16-year sentence
in 2023 for forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by a foreign object after a California trial but appealed that decision, as well.
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The former filmmaker added to TMZ Wednesday, “I should have stood up and fought back then. I should have had the courage to speak out against the way the truth was twisted.That failure still haunts me.”
Weinstein also noted that he will be watching Baldoni and Lively’s case “closely,” stating, “It matters to anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of a media takedown, and even more to someone who’s had to pay a high legal price.”
Reps for Lively did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
A rep for Weinstein further clarifies to Page Six Thursday, “Harvey is not taking sides in the Baldoni–Lively matter. He is not familiar with the details and has only ever had the kindest, warmest interactions with both Blake and Ryan [Reynolds].
“His comments were solely related to the New York Times and its handling of the story about him, specifically in reference to what Baldoni suggested regarding the piece involving him and Lively.”
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The convicted sex offender’s allegiance to Baldoni may come as a surprise given that he and Lively, 37, have previously been spotted chatting and looking friendly at Hollywood events.
In 2014, Page Six reported that
Weinstein shared the same publicist
as Lively, Leslie Sloane.
Sources also claimed to us at the time that the Weinstein Company and MSG executive Jim Dolan
provided the financial backing for the renowned publicist
to start her own publicity firm, Vision PR.
Weinstein was overheard telling insiders at the time, “Leslie’s next move is going to rock the industry.”
However, a rep for Sloane exclusively tells Page Six Wednesday, “Leslie Sloane never represented Harvey Weinstein.”
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Craig Barritt
“In 2014, after Sloane left BWR, she and Weinstein engaged in preliminary discussions concerning a potential working relationship with their companies but that never came to fruition,” the rep further explained.
“Contrary to false rumors being spread online, Sloane has never worked to silence victims of sexual abuse in any way and indeed has actively supported victims of sexual abuse.”
Sloane has also been dragged into Lively’s legal saga, as Baldoni named her as a co-defendant in
his $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit
against the “Gossip Girl” alum and Reynolds, 48.
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The publicist, like her clients Lively and Reynolds, has asked the judge in the case to
dismiss her from the suit
, claiming Baldoni’s complaint was filed to simply “discredit and blame his victims and punish anyone who speaks out against him.”
Lively has maintained that she has told the truth in regards to her alleged experiences on and off set with her former co-star, including that he
made multiple women feel uncomfortable
and often spoke about
inappropriate subject matter that was sexual in nature
in front of his colleagues.
Baldoni has denied any wrongdoing. Their cases are
set to go to trial
in March 2026.
