BY: HALEY BROWN / STAFF WRITER
It Ends with Us is a 2024 American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni and adapted from Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel. Despite its box office success, grossing $351 million worldwide against a $25 million budget, the film's production and release became entangled in controversy, with allegations of workplace misconduct, lawsuits, and social media backlash.
Between December 20, 2024, and January 21, 2025, multiple lawsuits were filed regarding the production of It Ends with Us. On December 20, lead actress Blake Lively complained to the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni of fostering a hostile work environment, citing inappropriate sexual comments and boundary violations, including unwanted improvisational kissing during filming.
Shortly after, the New York Times published an article alleging Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively in retaliation. On December 31, Lively escalated her complaint to a federal lawsuit, also targeting Baldoni’s PR representatives, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, for allegedly violating federal and state laws by retaliating against her.
In response, Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times on December 26. On January 16, 2025, he launched a $400 million civil suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloan, accusing them of defamation, extortion, and invasion of privacy.
On February 5, 2025, a New York judge ruled that Baldoni and Lively’s dispute would go to trial. The judge set a trial date for March 9, 2026, and ordered both parties to submit case management plans. This is just one of several ongoing lawsuits between Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and Lively.
Baldoni’s lawsuit accuses Lively of fabricating harassment claims, conspiring with the New York Times to publish defamatory allegations, and using her celebrity status to seize control of the filmmaking process. The formal legal complaints include extortion, invasion of privacy, and defamation. Baldoni is also separately suing New York Times for $250 million.
Meanwhile, Lively’s lawsuit alleges Baldoni sexually harassed her on set, added unwanted intimate scenes to the script, shared unsolicited details about his sex life while asking about hers, and entered her dressing room uninvited while she was breastfeeding. She also accuses Baldoni of hiring a crisis PR firm to orchestrate an online smear campaign against her, claiming that the wave of social media backlash she faced was not organic but a coordinated effort to insulate Baldoni from misconduct allegations.
Speculation of tensions between the cast and Baldoni surfaced during the film’s promotional tour. Fans noticed that Colleen Hoover and much of the cast had unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram, while the director was conspicuously absent from press events. Interview questions regarding Baldoni were often deflected, further fueling rumors of conflicts over creative control.
During this period, social media discourse around Lively became increasingly negative. She faced criticism for promoting her alcohol brand while starring in a film centered on domestic violence, an issue often linked to alcohol abuse.
Additionally, her suggestion that audiences should "grab your friends and wear your florals" for the movie was deemed tone-deaf. She also promoted her hair care line during press engagements, further intensifying the backlash.
A resurfaced 2016 interview clip added to the controversy, in which Lively congratulated journalist Kjersti Flaa on her "little bump," unaware that Flaa was struggling with infertility. This moment resurfaced amid the online smear campaign, which Lively’s lawsuit attributes to Baldoni’s PR firm.
The entertainment industry swiftly reacted to the controversy. On December 21, 2024, Baldoni was dropped by talent agency WME. Colleen Hoover publicly supported Lively, and SAG-AFTRA praised her for advocating for workplace safety. Sony Pictures condemned any reputational attacks on Lively, while Vital Voices rescinded Baldoni’s Voices of Solidarity Award due to his PR team's reported behavior.
Amid the fallout, Baldoni’s Man Enough co-host Liz Plank resigned, and his former publicist Stephanie Jones filed a separate lawsuit against Baldoni and his studio, alleging breach of contract and defamation. Jones claimed Baldoni’s PR firm conspired to undermine her while orchestrating the campaign against Lively.
Baldoni’s libel lawsuit against New York Times accused the publication of presenting a one-sided narrative using "cherry-picked and altered communications." His legal team argued that Lively manipulated harassment claims to exert control over the production while using the ensuing controversy to distract from her public relations missteps.
The Times defended its reporting, asserting that its article was "meticulously and responsibly reported" based on thousands of documents, including unaltered text messages and emails.
On December 31, 2024, Lively officially filed a federal lawsuit against Baldoni, building upon her initial complaint to the California Civil Rights Department. The lawsuit underscored allegations of workplace harassment and retaliation, further intensifying the legal battle between the two Hollywood figures.
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