After 18 months of bare-knuckle brawling, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal saga ended with a whimper. The two sides settled their claims on Monday afternoon, exactly two weeks before Lively’s $400 million lawsuit against Baldoni was poised to hit a New York courtroom.

To be clear, there were no winners at the end of this fight unless you count the four high-priced attorneys — Bryan Freedman, Ellyn Garofalo, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson — who signed the joint statement released after the high-profile parties settled. And Lively and Baldoni certainly are leaving the fray with significantly lighter wallets. Sources tell Page Six Hollywood that the pair spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another. That’s a lot of money for what ended in a stalemate and potential career immolation. Reps for Lively and Baldoni did not respond to a request for comment.

Across the industry Monday, some top executives and producers with ties to the dispute were breathing a sigh of relief as they would no longer be required to testify in the case that was shaping up to be an even bigger media circus than the 2022 Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial. “I was very scared of the backlash,” said one source who was scheduled to testify.

To put that $60 million figure into context, that could finance two additional sequels of the hit movie. In fact, “It Ends With Us” cost about $25 million and earned $351 million. Baldoni, who financed the domestic violence-themed film, held the rights to a prequel, also based on a best-selling novel by Colleen Hoover. But that film will likely never be made after the legal war between Baldoni and Lively.

Sources say neither side can discuss the terms of the settlement, but both are free to speak to the press about anything else involving the drama that tarnished the careers of both Lively and Baldoni.

The sheer volume of embarrassing exchanges and footage released since Lively filed the first complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department — which alleged she was sexually harassed on set by her director/co-star, and was then the victim an alleged smear campaign — could fill a lower-rent Smithsonian. But that complaint, which morphed into a federal lawsuit against Baldoni, lost momentum over the ensuing 18 months, culminating with Judge Lewis Liman throwing out the sexual harassment claim in April.

Lively’s only path to victory in a courtroom rested on a smear campaign allegation that her side had dubbed “untraceable,” and Judge Liman was pressuring both sides to settle the matter and not waste the court’s time.

Now that the case is over, Lively and Baldoni will look to pick up the pieces of their respective careers. (Lively seemed unfazed as she posed for photos on the Met Gala red carpet hours after the settlement was announced). Folks across the industry, including top executives and agents, were weighing in with their opinions on who had done more damage to their career, and opinions were split this week. 

“Justin doesn’t have enough value in the market to overcome the suspicion that he may have created an unsafe set. I’m not sure he could cast a movie right now,” one high-level female studio exec told us.

“Blake will have to take a break and take a cut on her first paycheck, but she’s still a movie star.”

Added another female executive: “They both did major damage, but because she’s so established I think she stands a chance of re-emerging better than he does. I would struggle to hire both of them, but I would gamble on her. There’s a pretty big downside for both of them, but the upside is bigger for her.”

Baldoni, who recently sold his house in Ojai and has since moved to Nashville with his family, has several advantages according to sources. He is now considered more of a director than an actor, and most people don’t pay attention or even care who’s the person behind the camera. His Wayfarer Studios can finance its own projects, and backed Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut “Eleanor the Great,” which was released last year without any circus surrounding his involvement as an executive producer (Johansson was previously married to Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, who also got hit in the Baldoni legal crossfire. Hollywood reporters had a field day once they got their hands on text messages in discovery showing the A-lister allegedly putting pressure on execs at Sony, which released “It Ends With Us.”)

Lively faces some challenges moving ahead: As a leading actor who has proven that she can open a film, her return might be more fraught as she’ll need to win support of a director, studio or financier. “I think she can be in some TV show,” said a male executive. “But she’s hurt the worst since he can finance his own movies.”

Another male manager said, “Most of Hollywood knows what’s up. Yeah, maybe he’s a weirdo, but he didn’t commit any crime. Blake did this to herself whether they will admit it or not.”

Hoover, for one, emerges from the drama unscathed — and not having to testify. Amazon MGM has extremely high hopes for the psychological thriller “Verity,” which opens on Oct. 2. That film, top-lined by Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, is based on another Hoover best seller.

Lively and Baldoni’s joint statement that ended the case read: “The end product — the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind. We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”

Beyoncé’s latest look is anything but bare bones.

The star shut down the Met Gala 2026 red carpet Monday, marking her first time at the star-studded soirée in 10 years.

The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer — who’s serving as one of the ball’s co-chairs this year alongside Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Vogue’s Anna Wintour — looked incredible in a dazzling, skeleton-inspired gown complete with matching bone-adorned gloves.

The “Formation” singer added extra sparkle her look with diamond earrings and a bejeweled headpiece, in addition to layering with a furry ombré coat with a long train.

Experience the Met Gala through the eyes of the front row — follow Page Six on Instagram to watch us capture every red carpet detail with Ray-Ban Meta glasses, then shop the look to start filming your own POV.

Her look was right in line with the theme of this year’s exhibition: “Costume Art,” which explores the connection behind clothing and the human body.

She attended alongside Jay-Z and their 14-year old daughter, Blue Ivy. The latter wore a white tailored dress, sparkly shoes and a tennis necklace for the family outing, which makes her one of the youngest Met Gala attendee ever.

Though far from a fixture at the Met Gala, Beyoncé always makes waves with what she wears at Vogue’s annual event.

For her last appearance in 2016, the Grammy winner — then fresh off the release of her “Lemonade” album — showed up in a beaded, flesh-colored latex gown by Givenchy; in 2015, she arrived in a completely see-through bedazzled style from the same fashion house.

Other highlights include the feathery purple-skirted frock (also by — you guessed it — Givenchy) she chose for the 2012 gala and the gold-embroidered Emilio Pucci mermaid gown she picked in 2011.

The “Halo” hitmaker has also made headlines at past Met Galas for reasons entirely unrelated to fashion; following a post-ball party at the Standard Hotel in 2014, a viral elevator surveillance video showed Beyoncé looking on as her sister, Solange, got into a physical altercation with her husband, Jay-Z.

“At the end of the day families have problems, and we’re no different. We love each other, and above all, we are family,” the trio said in a joint statement at the time.

Beyoncé even referenced the internet-breaking incident in her 2014 “Flawless” remix, singing, “Of course, sometimes s—t goes down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator.”

Princess Eugenie is pregnant!

The royal shared she is pregnant with her and husband Jack Brooksbank’s third child on her return to Instagram Monday.

“Baby Brooksbank due 2026!” she captioned a photo of her two sons — August, 5, and Ernest, 2 — holding a sonogram.

The Royal Family confirmed the news in a statement shared on X, writing, “Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank are very pleased to announce that they are expecting their third child together, due this summer.

“August and Ernest are also very excited to have another sibling join the family. His Majesty The King.”

Eugenie, 36, also took to Instagram Stories to celebrate her husband’s 40th birthday, sharing several intimate family photos.

The couple met in the Swiss Alps in 2010 while celebrating her father now-former Prince Andrew’s 50th birthday. They went on to get married on Oct. 12, 2018, at Windsor Castle.

The sweet baby announcement marked Eugenie’s return to the platform after stepping back from public life following scrutiny surrounding Andrew and his links to the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In the recently released Epstein files, Andrew and his ex-wife — Eugenie’s mom — Sarah Ferguson were name-dropped.

Faced with public scrutiny, King Charles stripped his brother — now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — and his former sister-in-law of their titles and evicted them from their royal home in November.

Since then, Eugenie and her sister Beatrice have kept a low profile in public.

The sisters did not attend the royal family’s Easter Sunday service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, as they — and their husbands — were granted permission to skip it.

Andrew has long faced scrutiny over his association with Epstein. He has denied any wrongdoing.