In the recent film adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s novel “It Ends With Us,” tension became prominent between co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who was also the director of the film.
Hoover’s story follows main character Lily Bloom, played by Lively, as she faces the traumatic reality of her abusive husband Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Baldoni, and the choice of breaking free from the cycle of abuse.
When this movie arrived in theaters on Aug. 9, many viewers unfamiliar with the book were caught off guard by the topic of domestic violence. This was a result of the opposing marketing strategies between Lively and Baldoni. Lively focused on themes of hope, encouraging viewers to, “grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it!” In dramatic comparison, Baldoni stressed the importance of bringing awareness to abuse and providing resources to victims affected by the issue.
Fans began to sense tension between the co-stars during press for the film, where it became prominent that the two were avoiding one another. Not even taking photos together on the red carpet at the New York premiere sparked confusion amongst the fanbase.
The issue began to unfold on Dec. 20 when Lively first filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, and later in federal court, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, emotional distress, and strategically attempting to destroy her reputation in an online smear campaign. As a result of these allegations, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, on Dec. 21.
In days following, Hoover and cast members Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar showed their public support for Lively’s complaint.
On Dec. 24, Baldoni and his publicity team were sued by his former publicist Stephanie Jones and her agency, Jonesworks. The lawsuit stated that Baldoni’s current PR team had attempted to steal Jones’ clients and taken efforts to launch a smear campaign against Lively.
Baldoni and his publicists then filed a $250 million libel lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against The New York Times on Dec. 31. This lawsuit accused the Times of running an unverified and bias story about sexual harassment allegations against Baldoni without regarding evidence contradictary to Lively’s claims.
More than two weeks later, on Jan. 16, Baldoni directly sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation. He also accused Lively of hijacking the film from him since he was the director.
On Jan. 21, Baldoni’s legal team released a 10 minute video of uncut footage from the set on May 23, 2023. The video was in response to Lively’s claims that he behaved inappropriately while filming a slow dancing scene for a montage in the movie. Lively’s lawsuit stated that Baldoni “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘it smells so good.’” The released footage uncovered a reaction similar where Lively says, “I’m probably getting spray-tan on you,” to which he responds, “It smells good.”
On Jan. 27 a nearly seven minute voice memo was released by The Daily Mail. The voice note was from Baldoni and received by Lively at 2 a.m. during the production of “It Ends With Us”. Within the message Baldoni apologizes for his less than pleased response to the changes Lively had made to the script. He refers to himself as “a very flawed man”, and to Lively breastfeeding her newborn child.
As evidence continues to come out in support and against each lawsuit, fans have taken to social media to share their conspiracies. Some believe that Lively fell in love with Baldoni while on set, while others believe that the true villain is Ryan Reynolds. The current trial date is set for March 9, 2026, but due to widespread conspiracies in the media, this is subject to be moved up.
