Justin Baldoni Remembers Awkward Hug with Britney Spears
Justin Baldoni and Britney Spears Getty Images (2)
Justin Baldoni recently reflected on his encounter with Britney Spears during a throwback interview that has resurfaced online.
In a January 2017 chat with Fuse, Baldoni, now 40, recounted a cringeworthy moment while they were filming Jane the Virgin, where Spears was guest starring.
“I knew she was a fan of the show,” he remembered. “While we were shooting, a few of us who weren’t in scenes with her gathered to watch one of her scenes. Because I had tweeted her and she tweeted me back, I thought we were friends. So I went up to her, gave her a big hug, and I think I startled her.”
After that interaction, Baldoni noticed his co-stars chuckling, which led him to question, “Did I just harass Britney Spears?”
“I was a huge Britney Spears fan back in high school. What teenage boy wasn’t?” he mused. “The guest star I was most excited to work with was Britney Spears. However, I didn’t end up sharing any scenes with her, which was probably her decision.”
Baldoni portrayed Rafael Solano on Jane the Virgin for nearly 100 episodes from 2014 to 2019. During the second season, the show featured Spears, 43, playing herself.
“I had tweeted her and intended to bring a poster from her Live [From] Las Vegas tour to set, but I didn’t, as I didn’t have one,” Baldoni explained. “I thought I was joking, but she might have taken me seriously.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Baldoni’s representatives for a comment regarding the video.
Justin Baldoni Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Vital Voices Global Partnership
This resurfaced footage comes amid Baldoni’s ongoing legal dispute with his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.
In December 2024, Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for sexual harassment. The suit claims that a meeting was held to discuss her allegations of a “hostile work environment” on set. She also accused him of orchestrating a “social manipulation” campaign aimed at damaging her reputation.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, labeled Lively’s allegations as “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious” in a statement to Us, claiming she filed the lawsuit to rehabilitate her tarnished reputation and revisit a narrative concerning the film’s production.
Days later, Baldoni countered with his own legal action, being one of ten plaintiffs suing The New York Times for $250 million due to its coverage of Lively’s legal claims. His lawsuit contended that Lively had initiated a “strategic and manipulative” smear campaign against him, omitting critical facts while presenting selectively chosen communications.
A representative for The New York Times indicated that the outlet stands by its reporting and will “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
