Blake Lively Withdraws YouTuber Subpoenas in Baldoni Lawsuit

Blake Lively has withdrawn subpoenas issued to three YouTube content creators—Kassidy O'Connell, McKenzie Folks, and Lauren Neidigh—who had covered her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of It Ends With Us. The subpoenas, originally sent to Google and X (formerly Twitter), sought personal data to investigate a possible smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by Baldoni's PR team, which he denies. The creators pushed back against the subpoenas, calling them baseless, burdensome, and an attempt to intimidate smaller creators, leading Lively's legal team to reconsider after reviewing publicly available information and statements from the creators. Despite dropping subpoenas against these three individuals, Lively's team emphasized that the broader investigation into the digital smear campaign continues, citing an alleged text message from Baldoni’s camp planning an "untraceable" PR attack against her. The larger lawsuit, in which Lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation, remains ongoing and is scheduled to return to court in March 2026. Lively's legal representatives characterize the subpoenas as part of a standard evidence-gathering process, while the creators maintain they were unfairly targeted.