It's funny how a single image can define a career while simultaneously haunting the person in it. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Instagram lately, you’ve probably seen the clips. Specifically, the ones from It Ends With Us or those classic Jane the Virgin scenes where Justin Baldoni is, well, lacking a shirt. To most of the internet, it’s just eye candy. A "thirst trap." But for Baldoni himself, being seen as the "hot guy" who can just take his clothes off on cue has been a decades-long struggle with his own reflection.
Honestly, it’s weird to think about. We see a guy with a physique that looks like it was chiseled out of marble and we assume he feels like a god. The reality? He’s been incredibly open about the fact that he often feels like the skinny, bullied kid he was back in high school.
The Viral Moments and the "It Ends With Us" Drama
Lately, the conversation around justin baldoni shirtless has taken a bit of a sharp turn. It’s not just about the fitness anymore; it’s wrapped up in a whole lot of set drama. During the press tour and subsequent release of It Ends With Us, rumors swirled about a massive rift between Baldoni and his co-star Blake Lively.
One of the most talked-about snippets involved a behind-the-scenes "body shaming" allegation. Reports surfaced—mostly via TMZ—that Baldoni, who has a history of chronic back issues, reportedly asked his trainer how much Lively weighed before a scene where he had to lift her. He wanted to know how to protect his back from injury. Some saw it as a practical health concern; others, including allegedly some on set, viewed it as insensitive.
Then there’s the "sexy" video. A leaked clip showed Baldoni on set using the word "sexy" while directing a scene with Lively and Jenny Slate. His legal team eventually released more footage to show the context—claiming it was just two actors working through a romance scene—but the damage to his "sensitive guy" image was already being debated in every comment section from here to London.
Why We Can't Stop Talking About His Physique
The fascination with his body isn't new. In Jane the Virgin, his character, Rafael Solano, was basically the human embodiment of a romance novel cover. Baldoni has admitted that for years, his "six-pack" was his meal ticket. If the script called for a shirtless scene, he felt a crushing pressure to look "perfect."
He’s talked about "muscle dysmorphia" before. It’s a real thing. It’s that distorted perception where no matter how many hours you spend in the gym, you still feel small or "not enough." He told People magazine back in 2018 that he’d go on extreme diets and workout binges for weeks before a shirtless shoot.
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"It became a part of my identity because that's how the TV business saw me—I could take off my shirt. It's also been a struggle because I'd always felt like I had so much more to offer."
Basically, he was making his money off the very thing that was triggering his deepest insecurities. That’s a heavy paradox to live in.
The "Man Enough" Philosophy
You’ve probably heard of his book or podcast, Man Enough. This is where Baldoni tries to deconstruct the "tough guy" image. He’s spent a lot of time arguing that traditional masculinity—the kind that says men shouldn't cry or show weakness—is actually a trap.
He’s even criticized the "hero" trope. You know, the one where the guy has to be the strongest person in the room to be worthy of respect. By being so public about his body image issues, he’s trying to give other men permission to admit they feel the same way. It's kinda radical if you think about it. A guy who looks like that telling you he’s scared to look in the mirror? It breaks the script.
Fitness and the "Natural" Look
In 2025, during his appearances at the Cannes Film Festival, people noticed he looked a bit different—leaner, maybe a bit more "real." Rumors of Ozempic use started flying because, well, that's what happens in 2026 when any celebrity loses weight.
Baldoni shut that down pretty quickly. He’s been adamant that his transformation was about "feeling good inside and out" rather than hitting a specific weight. His routine these days is less about "shredding" for a camera and more about sustainability.
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- Strength Training: He focuses on compound movements but keeps it consistent rather than extreme.
- Yoga and HIIT: He uses these for mobility and cardiovascular health.
- Mental Health: He literally treats his gym time as a way to process "stress hormones" and trauma.
He’s moved away from the 8-pack-all-year-round lifestyle because, as he puts it, he has a life now. Two kids, multiple businesses, a directing career. The "perfect" body requires a level of obsession that he’s just not willing to give anymore.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception about justin baldoni shirtless content is that it’s fueled by vanity. If you listen to him speak for more than five minutes, you realize it’s actually fueled by a weird mix of professional obligation and personal healing.
When he directed Five Feet Apart or Clouds, he wasn't in front of the camera. He was behind it, telling stories about vulnerability and mortality. You could tell he was relieved to not have to worry about his macros for a few months. But the industry has a way of pulling "the hot guy" back in.
The Industry Pressure
The TV business is notoriously superficial. If a show's ratings are down, they write in a pool scene. Baldoni has lived through that. He’s mentioned that even when he was in the best shape of his life, he was using props or specific lighting to hide parts of his body he didn't like.
It's a reminder that what we see on screen is a highly manufactured version of reality. Between the "pump" before a scene, the spray tans, and the strategic oiling of muscles, the justin baldoni shirtless look is a production, not a permanent state of being.
Navigating Masculinity in 2026
We’re in a weird spot with celebrity culture right now. On one hand, we demand that actors be perfectly fit. On the other, we want them to be "relatable" and "vulnerable." Baldoni is trying to walk that tightrope.
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He’s leaning into "emotional fitness." It’s a term he uses to describe the work men need to do to understand their own hearts. He says it’s harder than any leg day. And honestly? He’s probably right. It’s easy to lift a weight; it’s a lot harder to sit in a room and admit you feel inadequate despite having millions of fans.
Moving Beyond the "Thirst Trap"
If you're looking for ways to apply Baldoni's "Man Enough" approach to your own life or just want to understand the guy better, here are some actual takeaways from his philosophy:
- Audit your "Why": Next time you're at the gym, ask if you're there for your health or because you're chasing an image you saw on Instagram. Baldoni found peace when he switched to the former.
- Practice Self-Compassion: He literally recommends looking in the mirror and telling yourself "I am enough." It sounds cheesy, but he swears it's the only thing that helped his dysmorphia.
- Acknowledge the Mask: We all have one. Whether it's a "tough guy" exterior or a "perfect" social media feed, recognizing that it's a performance is the first step to letting it go.
- Prioritize Mobility over Vanity: As we get older (and Baldoni is very vocal about being in his 40s now), functional strength and back health matter way more than a visible six-pack.
The fascination with his physique isn't going away anytime soon—that's just the nature of Hollywood. But if we can look past the abs, there’s a much more interesting story about a man trying to figure out what it actually means to be strong in a world that only cares about how you look without a shirt on.
Focus on building a body that supports your life, rather than a life that supports your body. That’s the real lesson from the Baldoni saga. Check out his "Man Enough" podcast if you want to hear him dive deeper into these topics with other guys who are tired of the old scripts.
For more insights into how celebrities are navigating the intersection of fitness and mental health, keep an eye on how actors like Baldoni are shifting the narrative toward "emotional fitness" over purely physical aesthetics. It’s a trend that’s finally starting to stick.