Blake Lively is suing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and a campaign to “destroy” her reputation, months after the release of their box office hit.
The 37-year-old plays Lily Bloom in the film based on the TikTok sensation, It Ends With Us, a novel by Colleen Hoover. Baldoni, who directed the film, stars as Ryle Kincaid, her abusive partner.
Rumours of an on-set feud had been percolating online, as the pair appeared to avoid each other during the film’s promotional tour. Lively was called out for a “tone-deaf” approach to the movie, as some felt she failed to treat its heavy subject matter with the appropriate solemnity.
However, the lawsuit also alleges that fan backlash was part of a carefully orchestrated effort by Baldoni’s PR team, whose lawyers have counter-alleged that Lively’s lawsuit is likewise an attempt to “fix her negative reputation”.
Baldoni is a married father-of-two and has positioned himself as an avid supporter of women’s rights, adding further fuel to the controversy.
January 2023 - Casting for It Ends With Us is announced
After the success of Hoover’s bestseller, Baldoni optioned the story for a film adaptation through his company, Wayfarer Studios, in January 2019. Lively was cast as the lead in the film in January 2023, with Baldoni starring alongside her.
Hoover was excited by the prospect of both as she wrote on Instagram at the time, “Our Lily is going to be played by Blake Lively - Blake Lively y’all! She’s my dream Lily. And then when I first met Justin Baldoni, who is directing the film for us, I immediately wanted him to be Ryle. I just thought that he had what it takes to play that character. And the good news is, he’s going to be Ryle - so we have our Ryle and our Lily.”
May 2023 - Filming is halted amid strikes
Filming began in Hoboken, New Jersey in May 2023, but was halted shortly thereafter because of the Hollywood Writers and Actors Guild strikes. It remained on pause at the time of the SAG-AFTRA strikes in July. Shooting resumed in January 2024.
9 August 2024 - It Ends With Us is released, Baldoni praises Lively
The film was released in August, with Baldoni praising Lively as “strong, funny and intelligent — all the things you want from a female heroine”. He added, “There wasn’t a part of this production that she didn’t touch and have an influence on. And everything she put her hands on and her mind to, she made better.”
It goes on to be a box office success, grossing a worldwide total of $351m (£291m).
13 August - Feud rumours circulate as Lively and Baldoni avoid each other, director hires Johnny Depp’s crisis management PR firm
Rumours of a feud start circulating on social media as Baldoni and Lively avoid each other during the film’s promotion. Internet sleuths notice that the stars do not follow each other on social media, with many of the film’s cast following Lively but not Baldoni. Hoover also notably keeps her distance from Baldoni.
TMZ alleged that the cause of the rife was a result of “fat-shaming”, inappropriate comments and Baldoni kissing for too long during scenes. There had also been rumours online that the rift had been caused by Lively and her Deadpool and Wolverine husband, Ryan Reynolds, being too involved with the film.
Baldoni hires crisis management and PR professional Melissa Nathan, whose previous clients include Johnny Depp, Drake and Travis Scott, according to Deadline. Nathan represented Depp during his successful defamation trial against Amber Heard, which occurred during rumours of an organised social media campaign against her.
15 August - Lively faces backlash for ‘tone deaf’ marketing
Lively, known for her upbeat demeanour and comedic rapport with husband Ryan Reynolds, begins to face backlash online for a “tone deaf” approach to the movie’s marketing.
Criticism focused on Lively promoting her new haircare line during her movie tour, encouraging cinemagoers to “bring their florals” in an echo of the “wear pink” trend around Barbie last year, and for avoiding explicit mention of domestic violence.
Hundreds of social media critics flooded Lively’s comments, suggesting that she had misread the room. Commercial tie-ins promoting the film have also raised eyebrows, including the actor’s themed cocktails. One is called the “Ryle You Wait”, and is named after a character in the film who throws Bloom down the stairs.
Following the criticism, Lively shared a message to her Instagram stories on Tuesday (13 August) writing: “One in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.”
Her co-star Brandon Sklenar defends Lively amidst what he calls the “disheartening” backlash, after a clip of an interview with the two of them also goes viral.
15 August - Interview with journalist Kjersti Flaa resurfaces
Amid the criticism surrounding Lively, 36, a Norwegian journalist, Kjersti Flaa, posted a clip of a 2016 interview with the actor, which made her “want to quit” her job.
The sit-down was in promotion of Lively’s film Café Society, directed by Woody Allen. Lively was accompanied by her co-star Parker Posey.
Sharing the clip to YouTube, Flaa titled the video: “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.”
Flaa began the interview by congratulating the actor on her “little bump” after which Lively sarcastically responded: “Congrats on your little bump.”
Speaking about the film, the journalist said she found it “visually amazing” and asked whether Lively and Posey enjoyed the fashion, which played a big role in a film set in the 1930s.
Lively is then seen ignoring Flaa, and instead turns to Posey to says: “Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.”
9 December - Baldoni awarded at Vital Voices event celebrating men who “elevate women”
Baldoni was awarded a 2024 Voices of Solidarity Award from Vital Voices, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending sexual and domestic violence. The star-studded event was dedicated to celebrating men who “elevate women, combat gender-based violence and promote gender equality worldwide.”
21 December- Lively sues Baldoni in bombshell lawsuit alleging sexual harassment
In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lively claims Baldoni exhibited behaviour that caused her “severe emotional distress”.
The lawsuit states there was a meeting attended by individuals including Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni and their lawyers, to address The Age of Adeline star’s claims, per TMZ.
Lively had a number requirements in order for her to work on the film that – according to the lawsuit cited by the outlet – included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”
Additionally, “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,” were other requirements included in the lawsuit, according to TMZ.
Per the outlet, the lawsuit says that the distributors of the film, Sony Pictures, approved Lively’s requests. However, the actor claims in the filing that Baldoni then began a campaign to “destroy” her reputation in response.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freeman, told TMZ that Lively’s lawsuit had been filed in order to “fix her negative reputation”.
He added to the outlet that the A Simple Favour star’s allegations are “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.”
The lawyer added that Lively had caused issues on the film set by “threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.”
22 December - New York Times investigation alleges PR campaign orchestrated to “bury” Lively
Private messages obtained by The New York Times appear to show an intentional attempt to “bury” Lively.
The battle over creative control was pitched as an idea for talking points during the press campaign, but Baldoni is said to have wanted more, as he said “Not sure I’m feeling the protection I felt on the call”, following a conversation according to the report.
“You know we can bury anyone,” Baldoni’s PR Nathan is alleged to have said, per The New York Times.
Baldoni is said to have sent examples of a viral social media thread accusing another celebrity of bullying writing, “This is what we would need.”
TheTimes alleged, “Ms Nathan soon floated proposals to hire contractors to dominate social media through ‘full social account takedowns,’ by starting ‘threads of theories’ and generally working to ‘change narrative.’
“‘All of this will be most importantly untraceable,’ she wrote.”
When approached by The Times, Flaa denies that she was involved in an organised smear campaign against Lively. Addressing the situation further in a new YouTube video, Flaa said that she would “never take money to jeopardize my integrity as a journalist.”
22 December - Baldoni dropped by talent agency
Baldoni, previously represented by the WME agency, parted ways with the actor following Lively’s lawsuit, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Lively – who is also repped by WME along with her husband, Ryan Reynolds – accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and alleged the actor had launched a campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
23 December - Hollywood stars come out in support of Lively
Colleen Hoover, Gwyneth Paltrow, America Ferrera, Amy Schumer, and Paul Feig share messages supporting Lively and stand with her in the aftermath of the allegations being made public. Lively’s sister and actor Robyn also weighed in as she wrote, “FINALLY, Justice for my sister Blake Lively”.
In a statement, Lively 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.”
