Is Blake Lively using 'penguins' Morgan Freeman-style, to revive her Hollywood reputation, amid the Justin Baldoni lawsuit?

Blake Lively is trading red carpets and courtroom battles for icy landscapes and waddling birds. The Gossip Girl star is set to narrate Secrets of the Penguins, a National Geographic documentary premiering on April 20 to mark Earth Day. But as anticipation builds for the series, so does speculation—is Lively using this heartwarming, Morgan Freeman-style project to salvage her Hollywood image amid her ongoing legal war with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni?

Lively, who has built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most glamorous leading ladies, now finds herself at the center of controversy following a lawsuit she filed against Baldoni, accusing him of harassment. The 41-year-old actor responded with a staggering $400 million counter-lawsuit, turning what should have been a celebrated film collaboration into a legal battleground.

Now, with the Secrets of the Penguins release on the horizon, some industry insiders believe Lively is strategically using the nature documentary to reshape public perception.

A Soft-Reboot Strategy? Hollywood Weighs In

As the scandal surrounding Lively and Baldoni unfolds, critics are questioning the timing of Secrets of the Penguins. The series, executive-produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron, follows a team of scientists and filmmakers on an epic two-year journey across the globe to capture the secret lives of penguins.

According to a report from Radar Online, a Hollywood insider didn’t mince words about Lively’s involvement in National Geographic's project:

"This project is a very basic attempt to try and appear worthy with a voiceover for a soppy show about penguins. Her image has been dented over the Baldoni lawsuit, and she’s trying to add some much-needed luster to her tarnished reputation."

If that’s the case, the strategy might not be a bad one. Morgan Freeman famously cemented his place as Hollywood’s go-to narrator with March of the Penguins in 2005, a documentary that became a cultural phenomenon. Could Lively be hoping to follow the same path—swapping courtroom drama for a soothing voiceover gig that presents her as a voice of wisdom and compassion?

The Legal Battle That Won’t Go Away

While Lively lends her voice to nature’s most resilient birds, the fallout from her allegations against Baldoni continues to dominate headlines. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress has accused her former co-star of causing her “severe emotional distress” on the set of It Ends With Us, a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel.

Baldoni, however, has vehemently denied the claims, with his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, branding them "categorically false." In a strongly worded statement, Freedman criticized Lively’s amended complaint, arguing that it lacked substantial evidence:

"Her underwhelming amended complaint is filled with hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims."

Baldoni’s legal team has maintained that he has provided “receipts, real-time documents, and video” that contradict Lively’s allegations. With depositions looming, both sides are preparing for a battle that could reshape how Hollywood handles on-set misconduct claims.

Will Penguins Save Lively’s Career?

For now, Lively remains focused on her upcoming documentary, which takes audiences on a breathtaking journey from the icy landscapes of Antarctica to the tropical Galápagos Islands. The project is a departure from her usual Hollywood fare, allowing her to step into the world of science, exploration, and environmental awareness.

But will audiences buy into this softer, nature-loving version of Blake Lively? Or will Secrets of the Penguins be dismissed as a calculated PR move to shift focus away from her high-profile lawsuit?

Either way, one thing is certain—penguins may waddle, but Lively isn’t standing still.