Justin Baldoni made a rare public appearance during the October 13 episode of Dancing With the Stars, watching from the audience with his wife Emily Baldoni and their children, Maiya, 11, and Maxwell, 8. The 42 year old actor cheered for the season 35 cast, including after Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas performed the night's opening dance. The family appearance also came with a small Hollywood connection. Julianne Hough , one of the show's cohosts, appeared in Baldoni's 2012 docuseries My Last Days, making the ABC studio a particularly familiar stop for the actor. Why is Justin Baldoni back in public? Baldoni's Dancing With the Stars outing happened about five months after he and Blake Lively reached a settlement in their nearly two year legal dispute connected to the 2024 film It Ends With Us. Lively alleged that she experienced a hostile work environment while filming the Colleen Hoover adaptation, claims Baldoni denied. In a joint statement issued by attorneys for both actors in May, the legal teams said the process had created challenges and expressed hope that the settlement would allow everyone involved to move forward. The statement also emphasized a commitment to workplaces free from misconduct and unproductive conditions. Baldoni began returning to public view more gradually after the settlement. In a July Instagram video with Emily, Baldoni said the couple had largely stayed quiet for nearly two years while allowing the legal process to unfold, and said their family was concentrating on healing. Lively's December 20, 2024 complaint to the California Civil Rights Department named Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, several executives, publicists, communications firms, and other associates as defendants, according to The New York Times and documents obtained by E! News.