It Ends with Us controversy explained: Why is Blake Lively suing Justin Baldoni?

It Ends with Us released back in August 2024, but rumors and speculation surrounding behind-the-scenes cast drama with Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Justin Baldoni are still spreading.

One of the biggest new movie releases for the summer was It Ends with Us, the romantic tragedy based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel that went viral on TikTok in 2021.

There’s a lot of tension on screen, but it seems there is even more behind closed doors. After the film was first announced, fans were quick to slam the aging up of its cast, but rumors then surfaced surrounding director and star Justin Baldoni.

The cast reportedly unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram when the film was released, alongside avoiding answering questions about working with him while on the press tour. Now, Lively is suing the director and star, and her list of demands has resulted in even more questions about what happened on set.

Initial It Ends with Us cast drama rumors

At the time of release, all speculation about the It Ends with Us cast drama came from online rumors. None of the cast or creative team directly confirmed or spoke about any tension, but there were two separate threads of thought concerning both Baldoni and Lively on set.

TikTok user @clairenotdanes addresssed strange coincidences during the movie’s press tour in a viral clip.

During the video, she noted that none of the movie’s main cast members followed Baldoni on Instagram (Baldoni continued to follow them all), and there weren’t any photos of Baldoni with any of them during the It Ends with Us world premiere.

On top of this, long-time friends of Baldoni were in attendance but only posted about co-star Blake Lively on social media. Lively was instead seen with husband Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool & Wolverine co-star Hugh Jackman.

Though it was revealed she played Lady Deadpool in July, fans speculated the pair might have been in attendance as a distraction for Baldoni’s absence. Similar rumors started about why Lively chose to wear a dress most famously worn by Britney Spears in 2002.

This later led to fans on X/Twitter picking up on Jenny Slate, who plays Allyssa in the movie, avoiding answering a question about working with Baldoni when asked on the red carpet.

“I just found out about the whole It Ends with Us cast drama and omg they asked her what it was like to work with Justin and she completely ignored the question,” one fan commented.

Another Reddit fan posted, “I know the editor. Justin and Blake hate each other. Unclear to me why but the editor’s on Justin’s side.”

“There’s nothing random about this. Most movies are complete sh*t shows where everyone hates each other. But you are definitely correct that THIS amount of social media unfollowing etc is rare,” another weighed in.

Page Six reported industry sources told the outlet, “It’s not just Blake. None of the cast enjoyed working with Justin… They certainly didn’t talk to him at the premiere.”

They also alleged Baldoni made the on-set atmosphere “extremely difficult,” while also making Lively feel “uncomfortable” about her post-partum body.

A source also confirmed to People magazine that neither the cast nor author Colleen Hoover would “have anything to do with him.” However, the same source suggested cast member Brandon Sklenar thought Baldoni did a “great” job on set.

Ryan Reynolds’ alleged involvement explained

During the world premiere of It Ends with Us, Blake Lively revealed husband Ryan Reynolds wrote a pivotal scene in the script. This led to rumors of Lively and Reynolds’ ‘steamrolling’ production, with the scriptwriter weighing in on the changes.

Lively confirmed to E! News on the red carpet that Reynolds was involved in writing the script, adding, “The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you know. We help each other. He works on everything I do; I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.”

While nothing concrete has been confirmed, fans believe there may be underlying tension because of Reynolds’ involvement.

“Saw another video that alleged Blake and Ryan funded a big chunk of the movie in the hopes of pushing Blake for an Oscar nod,” one fan posted on the same Reddit thread.

“Blake and Ryan basically took over and assumed creative control, the movie is allegedly directed and written by them but Justin has the credit and is the scapegoat in case the movie bombs. Allegedly!”

Meanwhile, screenwriter Christy Hall had a different approach to the script changes. She told People Magazine: “There were a couple of little things that I thought had been improvised. Like when he says, ‘Pretty please with a cherry on top,’ and she talks about the maraschino cherries.

“When I saw a cut I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cute. That must have been a cute improvised thing.’ So if I’m being told that Ryan wrote that, then great, how wonderful.

“There were a few little flourishes that I did not write, but I assumed that they had been improvised on set. But, again, like I said, the moments that I felt like needed to be honored are there. So I recognize the scene and I’m proud of the scene. And if those flourishes came from Ryan, I think that’s wonderful.”

One fan responded, “Blake saying Ryan wrote that rooftop scene is so f**king shady to the *actual screenwriter*.”

“You also can’t just WRITE A SCENE?!?! That’s not how it works? They’re so strict about credits, especially for writing. To me, this speaks to them railroading everybody,” added another.

Entertainment Tonight confirmed that Reynolds’ scene in the movie “came as news” to Baldoni, who only found out about it after the red carpet interview seen above.

In addition to the added scene drama, Reynolds’ Instagram post saw him taking over the It Ends with Us press junket, grilling co-star Brandon Sklenar about his onscreen connection with Lively.

Justin Baldoni hired Johnny Depp PR manager amid alleged drama

According to The Hollywood Reporter, It Ends with Us director Justin Baldoni hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan as rumors began to swirl about drama with Blake Lively.

Nathan is possibly best known for representing Johnny Depp during his trial against Amber Heard, previously working under Hiltzik Strategies. She launched The Agency Group earlier this summer, partnering with Baldoni under the brand.

Unlike previous rumors, The Hollywood Reporter alleged this hiring is linked to a slightly different reason.

As per industry sources, there was supposedly a different cut of It Ends with Us commissioned by Lively from Shane Reid, who you might recognize as an editor on Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s unknown whether this cut was used – if any of it – but it was allegedly different to Baldoni’s version.

The final edit is credited to Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan.

The Hollywood Reporter also states Baldoni “took a step back at times on set to let the women take charge, given that the film is told from a woman’s perspective and focuses on the sensitive issue of domestic violence.”

During filming, Baldoni claimed to be “mesmerized” with Lively, something he told People Magazine in August.

“She’s an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant,” he added. “And I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don’t believe I’ve seen in another film.”

Blake Lively backlash explained

In the weeks that followed initial cast drama rumors, reports emerged that Lively feared “her career is over” after backlash extended past what happened on set.

The Daily Mirror suggested Lively had to retreat from the public eye to “reassess her future” after both cast drama allegations and backlash from previous interviews.

When allegations between Lively and Baldoni first surfaced, an old interview with Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa for the 2016 movie Café Society resurfaced, with Flaa claiming the experience made her want to “quit her job.”

“Sitting down with Blake Lively and her co-star Parker Posey for Café Society (2016) is the most uncomfortable interview situation I have ever experienced,” Flaa explained.

“Is it not ok to congratulate someone on their pregnancy or to ask another woman about costumes she is wearing in a film?”

On top of this, Lively’s marketing of It Ends with Us has also drawn criticism, slammed by fans as “tone-deaf” and “garbage.”

In a TikTok clip titled ‘The downfall of Blake Lively’, Bee Better Company also pulled the star up on using the movie to promote her alcohol brand, Betty Booze.

“They decided to sponsor the premiere with specialized drinks like ‘Ryle You Wait,’ which is the name of the man who abused his wife in the film,” they explained.

“It’s an absolute garbage line. It’s getting horrible reviews. It has a 50% return rate. And they’re pretending the product is sold out online, but they’re not, because they’re still stocked at Target.”

“Blake Lively really said ‘grab your friends and your florals’ to see a movie about domestic abuse. Tone deaf asf,” another fan commented on X/Twitter.

A sequel has likely been nixed

Talks of a sequel were allegedly in the mix, with drama casting doubt on whether the project could ever go ahead.

According to Variety, Baldoni holds the cinematic rights to the movie and Hoover’s sequel novel, It Starts with Us. The latter focuses on the blossoming relationship between Lily (Lively) and childhood sweetheart Atlas (Sklenar).

The box office speaks for itself, with It Ends with Us becoming one of the most profitable movies of 2024. Yet a source told the outlet “This is uncharted territory, and nobody has any idea of what a sequel could look like.

“There’s probably no world where these two will work together again.”

In our own review, we described It Ends with Us as “just frustratingly average – something we’ve had plenty of in 2024. Peppered with solidly portrayed, surface-level trauma, the movie acts more as a showreel for how cool Blake Lively is, and how much we want to be her regardless of what life throws at us.”

Lively sues Baldoni in December 2024

In December 2024, it was announced that Lively was suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation, which led to Baldoni being let go by his agency, WME.

Lively, who is also represented by WME, remains a client.

The lawsuit is being filed against Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios. According to Lively, she made repeated attempts to address inappropriate behavior on set, and on January 4, a meeting took place that involved both parties and their representatives (including Ryan Reynolds).

According to the complaint filed by Lively, “after the list below was reviewed and discussed in its entirety, all parties present agreed that the outlined conduct would cease.” The list comprised of 30 items, including the following:

• No more showing nude videos or images of women, including producer’s wife, to BL and/or her employees;
• No more mention of Mr. Baldoni’s or Mr. Heath’s previous “pornography addiction” or BL’s lack of pornography consumption to BL or to other crew members;
• No more discussions to BL and/or her employees about personal experiences with sex, including as it relates to spouses and/or others;
• No more mention to BL or her employees of personal times that physical consent was not given in sexual acts, as either the abuser and the abused;
• No more description of their own genitalia to BL;
• No more jokes or disparaging comments to be made to BL, and/or her employees about HR complaints Wayfarer has already received on set, or about “missing the HR meeting”;
• No more inquiries by Mr., Baldoni to BL trainer without her knowledge or consent to disclose her weight;
• No more mention by Mr. Baldoni of him “speaking to” BL’s dead father;
• No more personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments by Mr. Baldoni or Mr. Heath to be tolerated by BL and/or any of her employees, as well as any female cast or crew without their express consent;
• No more improvising of kissing. All intimate touch must be choreographed in advance with BL and an intimacy coordinator. No biting or sucking of lip without BL consent. And all on intimate on-camera touch and conversations must be “in character”, not spoken from Mr. Baldoni to BL personally;
• No more adding of sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.

The complaint also cited several specific incidents in which Lively felt uncomfortable, including one in which Baldoni allegedly made comments towards a revealing costume Lively was wearing for a scene, and a birth scene, in which Lively was made to lie down on a table with her legs open, naked from the chest down, while extras and production crew were allowed to freely roam. (Lively also alleged that Baldoni hired his “friend” to play the doctor in the scene, who would spend an extended amount of time at the lower half of her body.)

The complaint also included excerpts from alleged messages between Baldoni and his legal team, which contained evidence of a smear campaign against Lively. One such included message from Nathan read: “You know we can bury anyone. But I can’t write that to him. I will, I’ll be very tough.”

Since the lawsuit has been made public, a severe shift in narrative can be noted. Social media accounts and influences are being called out for promoting an anti-Lively mindset around the time of the film’s release. Some even alleged that third parties had actively and knowingly played a role in the alleged smear campaign against Lively.

Samples of messages logged by the official complaint made by Lively

Kjersti Flaa, the journalist who went viral for her interview with Lively titled ‘The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job’, addressed the situation in a video. She said: “I was as shocked and appalled as everyone else, and I would never take part in anything like that.”

In a statement [via Deadline], Lively has said: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, released a statement on behalf of the actor, calling the allegations “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”