Justin Baldoni’s buddy tears into Blake Lively ‘ contrived’ Met Gala appearance after settlement: ‘If you could hear eyes roll’

Justin Baldoni’s Friend Criticizes Blake Lively’s Met Gala Appearance After Settlement

Only hours after Justin Baldoni had last-minute legal settlement with Blake Lively, a friend of the filmmaker, Adam Mondschein, is publicly expressing his opinion about her Met Gala appearance.
“If you could hear the sound of people stuffing their hands in their pockets to cover up their smiles, ” said Mondschein, 50, exclusively to Page Six, when asked about Lively, 38, going to the star-studded event after the settlement news.
“It’s really unfortunate when you see people willing to go so far in order to keep up appearances. Lively’s decisions to attend the Met Gala after the news of the settlement certainly seemed like an attempt to deflect attention and to maintain her public image, in my opinion, ” he continued. “I don’t know, it just feels like a show. Actors. Like the sound of a hollow tin can.”

Baldoni’s Friend Says Met Gala Display Feels ‘Hollow’ After Settlement

Mondschein, the actor who portrayed OBGYN Dr. Dunbar in the famous delivery-room scene of *It Ends With Us*, had already spoken up for Baldoni the director. The 42-year-old director was targeted in a dramatic lawsuit filed by Lively in December 2024. It contained allegations of sexual harassment also creating a toxic work environment.
He went on to explain how Lively’s Met Gala look reminded him of the holiday window displays that are too extravagant and flashy from the outside but “empty” inside once you take a closer look.
“When I was a kid in New York City, I used to love going to the city and seeing the Macy’s Day window displays for Christmas, ” he said.
“The wonderful thing was that the gifts were all so shiny, wrapped up so nicely and it was awesome. But, in fact, there was nothing in those windows, ”
Lively’s Met Gala next line of critcism: “It just shows that this is all a facade, ” he added. “They are really empty, very hollow, very empty.”
On the other hand, Mondschein revealed that Baldoni stayed at home with family on the Met Gala night in a very quieter manner.
“Justin was spending time with his family and also I think he’s still recovering from a cold, ”
He got teary as he talked about how the negative impact of the public fallout, that is believed to have affected Baldoni, is quite profound.

Mondschein Supports Baldoni’s Side Despite The Wrath

“What he is is a human being, ” Mondschein remarked. “And along with the rest of us, as a human being, he’s really going through all this madness. And it’s impossible for a person to handle.”
“He is genuine and he really is the one, ” he went on to say. “That’s tough for people because they can sometimes perceive it as cheesy at worst, but in this industry, it is a struggle for people to believe that someone has integrity, that someone really does care.”
Giving thanks to Baldoni’s previous efforts, Mondschein mentioned his The Man Enough podcast, as well as his documentary series, My Last Days, which depicts deceased people sharing their life stories.

“He’s always taking a tiny bit of fame that he has and doing something good with it, ” Mondschein said. “He’s a very caring person.”

Page Six had reported that Lively and Baldoni astonished everyone by agreeing to end their courtroom conflict on May 4 in a “last-minute deal” according to insiders.
An insider said the It Ends With Us actors had been in discussions for weeks and were strongly pushed to settle.
“They actually signed the settlement today. It is a last-minute deal, ” the source spoke to us immediately after the settlement was done. “Both the magistrate and the judge were against them taking it to trial because it was going to be a long, drawn-out case, so they were nudged to reach an agreement.”