Candace Owens cuddles up to Justin Baldoni after meeting in an airport… and trolls Blake Lively by sharing selfie set to Taylor Swift anthem

Candace Owens had a random run-in with Justin Baldoni last week, sharing the encounter on social media and taking a cheeky jab at Blake Lively. 

‘There was an approximate 1 in 100 million chance that I ran into Justin Baldoni at an airport in Iceland on a Friday afternoon,’ the political commentator, 37, captioned a selfie that showed her cuddling up to the actor. ‘Just incredible.’

She added the hashtag #Cousins in a nod to her support of Baldoni, 42, amid his public feud with his It Ends with Us co-star Lively, 39. 

‘NOBODY messes with my cousin,’ Owens added. 

In another subtle jab at Lively, Owens posted the photo to her Instagram Stories, accompanying the image with the Taylor Swift track My Tears Ricochet. 

The song was used in It Ends With Us and Lively and Swift were previously close friends before their high-profile falling out. 

Candace Owens, 37, shared a selfie alongside Justin Baldoni, 42, on her Instagram Monday, as they crossed paths at an airport in Iceland 

Owens added the hashtag #Cousins in a nod to her support of Baldoni amid his public feud with It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively, 39. Pictured in May in NYC 

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Owens and Baldoni for further comment on the story.

One user was tickled by Owens’ trolling, writing: ‘Now Candace that’s just messy … got Taylor playing in the background.’ 

One person called the song selection ‘brilliant,’ adding, ‘I need to know who suggested this particular T. Swift song … I can feel the joy emanating from both of you here – what a cool moment!’

A person remarked, ‘The song lol … Listen … No one gives Candace the comedic credit she deserves,’ while another said, ‘THE SONG CHOICE LMAOOOOOOO.’

Others remarked on the unlikely chance encounter between the political personality and actor-director, and their aforementioned ‘cousins’ nickname.

One commenter asked, ‘WAIT I need to know who recognized WHO first?! Did Justin overhear Candace hit the kids with an “alright you guys” and turn around like… wait just a minute, I know that voice.’

Another person wrote, ‘We want Justin on the podcast!!!!! Cousins forever!’

The comment section of the post was populated with remarks touching on the irony of the post, particularly the song selection 

One person commented that ‘it’s the timing of this chance meeting that makes it spectacular.

‘After Candace finally having the opportunity to thank friends who poured so much into her after Charlie’s assassination, she meets the stranger whom she poured so much into during his time of need, who is able to say thank you!’

A user remarked to Owens, ‘Girl you manifested the crap out of this,’ while another said of Baldoni, ‘Look how genuinely happy he is.’

The chance encounter came less than a week after a federal judge ruled Wednesday that Lively will get just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought in legal costs from Baldoni after they settled their fight over the production of their 2024 film.

Judge Lewis J. Liman explained in a written decision in Manhattan why Lively was not entitled to the full amount that her lawyers claim was spent after Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, filed their own claims in response to her December 2024 lawsuit.

Acknowledging Lively and Baldoni had ‘waged fierce battle against each other in court,’ the judge denied Lively the bulk of legal fees she sought, citing the limits of a California law designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits.

The law meant to protect sex abuse survivors from legal actions designed to intimidate and silence victims could only be construed to let her be reimbursed for what she paid lawyers to defend against defamation claims rather than all claims Baldoni made against her, Liman wrote.

Thus, the judge ruled, Lively is entitled to $363,245 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206 in costs.

The chance encounter came less than a week after a federal judge ruled that Lively will get just over $400,000 of the $8 million she sought in legal costs from Baldoni after they settled their fight over the production of their 2024 film. Lively seen in NYC May 19 

Lawyers on both sides claimed victory for their clients.

Attorney Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, called the ruling a ‘significant victory for my clients’ that will leave Lively with less than 5% of what she requested in legal fees.

He said in a statement that it also ‘sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain.’

Attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, representing Lively, said in a statement that Liman’s decision was ‘historic’ because it was the first time under the California law that money was awarded. They said it showed ‘there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits.’

The lawyers added that Lively had ‘lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct.’

In her lawsuit, Lively asserted that she had been subjected to sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.

Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and starred in it with Lively, denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.

Weeks after Lively sued, Baldoni and Wayfarer asserted claims in a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing and economic interference.

Baldoni pictured leaving a court in NYC this past May 

In June 2025, Liman tossed out the countersuit Baldoni and Wayfarer had filed and nearly a year later rejected Lively’s sexual harassment claims on the grounds that she was an independent contractor rather than an employee when she worked on the film.

In early May, two weeks before a scheduled trial, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement, saying in a joint statement that Lively’s concerns ‘deserved to be heard’ and that they ‘remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.’

It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a relationship devolving into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box office expectations despite criticism that it glorified abuse. Lively and Baldoni’s fractious falling out took attention away from the film, overshadowing its message and success.

Lively said in her lawsuit that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene, and pushed for nudity — against Lively’s wishes — during a scene in which her character was giving birth.

Baldoni denied doing anything outside the realm of the normal creative process of making a movie.

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