TLDR: The It Ends With Us movie (August 2024) turned into one of Hollywood’s messiest feuds. Blake Lively sued director/co-star Justin Baldoni in December 2024 for sexual harassment, claiming he asked about her weight (postpartum), lingered during kissing scenes, and hired a PR firm to orchestrate a “smear campaign” against her.
Baldoni countersued for $400 million, claiming Lively and Ryan Reynolds “hijacked” the film by rewriting scenes (Reynolds wrote the rooftop scene), forcing her cut in post-production, and threatening to boycott promotion.
Two separate cuts were made (Baldoni’s vs. Lively’s). Lively’s cut was used. The cast unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram. Lively’s marketing was criticized as “tone-deaf” (promoting a domestic violence film with “florals” and cocktails).
PR texts leaked showing Baldoni’s team saying “We can bury anyone.” Baldoni’s $400M suit was dismissed under California’s AB 933 law protecting harassment accusers. Trial is set for May 18, 2026. Author Colleen Hoover is “embarrassed” and deleted her Instagram.
The It Ends With Us movie was supposed to be a massive hit. Instead, it became a legal war between its two stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, that’s exposed the ugly machinery of Hollywood power struggles, crisis PR, and what happens when a director and his lead completely turn on each other.
Here’s the complete timeline of the feud, what each side claims, and where things stand heading into a May 2026 trial.
What Is It Ends With Us?
It Ends With Us is a 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover about domestic violence. The main character, Lily Bloom, falls for a charming neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid who becomes abusive. The book went viral on BookTok in 2020-2021 and sold millions of copies.
In January 2019, Justin Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios bought the rights. Baldoni would direct and star as Ryle. Blake Lively was cast as Lily in January 2023 and joined as an executive producer.
The movie was released August 9, 2024. It made $350+ million globally. But by then, the two leads weren’t speaking.
The Early Honeymoon Phase (Early 2023)
When Lively was first cast, everything seemed great. Text messages released in court show Ryan Reynolds messaging Baldoni in February 2023:
“I’m excited for Blake to crack open her creative piggy bank with someone as dynamic as you. This is gonna be INCREDIBLE. I happen to adore you, Justin.”
Lively texted Baldoni defining her communication style upfront:
“If you knew me (in person) longer you’d have a sense of how flirty and yummy the ball-busting will play. It’s my love language. Spicy and playfully bold, never with teeth.”
These texts are important because they show the relationship started friendly. Baldoni’s lawyers later used Lively’s “ball-busting” description to argue his on-set banter wasn’t inappropriate since she’d established that tone herself.
The First Crack: Ryan Reynolds Rewrites the Rooftop Scene
The first major conflict happened in pre-production over the script. The screenplay was credited to Christy Hall, but Lively and Reynolds started making changes.
The biggest one: Ryan Reynolds completely rewrote the rooftop scene (the opening where Lily meets Ryle).
According to Baldoni’s later testimony, Lively invited him to her apartment for a meeting. Reynolds surprised him with new pages and dominated the discussion about the scene’s tone and dialogue.
Baldoni said Reynolds confronted him in an “angry, aggressive meeting,” calling the original script a “disaster” that he had to “save.”
This planted the seed of Baldoni’s “hijacking” narrative. Reynolds wasn’t officially contracted on the film, yet he was rewriting major scenes.
Filming Begins (May 2023) and the WGA Strike
Filming started in Hoboken, New Jersey in May 2023. Early paparazzi photos showed Lively and Baldoni laughing on set, but reports of “creative disagreements” surfaced almost immediately.
Production halted on June 12, 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike. This hiatus is important because when the rooftop scene rewrite was revealed publicly in August 2024, it sparked accusations that Reynolds may have written it during the strike, which would be “scabbing” (violating union rules). The timeline is murky.
The “Fat-Shaming” Incident (January 2024)
When production resumed in January 2024, tensions exploded. One of Lively’s central allegations is that Baldoni “fat-shamed” her.
What Happened
There’s a scene where Ryle lifts Lily. Baldoni has a chronic back injury. He asked Lively’s on-set trainer how much she weighed to determine if he could safely perform the lift repeatedly or if they needed a rig or stunt double.
Lively’s Perspective
Lively had recently given birth to her fourth child. She felt the weight inquiry was insensitive and humiliating, a comment on her postpartum body that made her feel singled out.
Baldoni’s Perspective
Baldoni’s lawyers argue this was a standard health and safety question necessitated by his medical history. They say asking the trainer (rather than Lively directly) was the professional way to avoid awkwardness, but it backfired.
This incident shows how the same event got interpreted completely differently depending on whose lens you’re looking through.
The Intimacy Scenes Breakdown
The worst conflicts happened over intimate scenes. The film requires graphic depictions of both passion and physical abuse.
Lively’s Allegations
Lively accused Baldoni of “lingering” too long during kissing scenes and trying to add unscripted explicit content, like a “close up of Young Lily’s face” with an “audible gasp” and scenes where she would “orgasm on-camera,” which she felt were voyeuristic.
Baldoni’s “Trap” Defense
Baldoni’s defense relies on text messages he sent to his agent on December 30, 2023 (during filming). These texts paint a picture of a director who felt he was being set up.
“She’s refused a body double… That’s just setting me up for a trap,” Baldoni wrote.
He explained that Lively rejected his storyboards and refused to use a body double for her own scenes, while insisting a double be used for him. He feared she was engineering a situation where forcing him to perform intimate scenes with her directly (after she’d expressed discomfort) would let her label any misstep as harassment.
“The whole thing is just a gigantic cluster f–k… I’m doing my best to just stay positive and give her as many wins as possible to just finish this thing,” he texted.
This “trap” theory is central to Baldoni’s defense. He argues Lively removed the safeguards (body doubles) that would have prevented direct contact, then complained about the direct contact.
The “All-Hands” Meeting: 17 Protections
By January 4, 2024, the situation was so bad that an “all-hands” meeting was called with Lively, Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, and studio executives.
The meeting produced a list of 17 Protections (agreed-upon conduct rules) required for production to continue:
No showing nude videos or images of women (Lively alleged Baldoni showed photos of his wife). No discussion of “pornography addiction” (Lively alleged Baldoni discussed his past struggles). No descriptions of their own genitalia. Strict adherence to intimacy protocols.
Lively’s team calls this a “smoking gun” proving Baldoni’s behavior was objectively problematic enough to require studio intervention.
Baldoni’s team says he agreed to the list solely to salvage production and that the allegations were exaggerated or decontextualized. For example, discussing porn addiction was part of his “Man Enough” podcast persona and public advocacy, not workplace harassment.
The Battle for the Final Cut
Post-production is where directors usually assert their vision. But in an unprecedented move, two completely separate editorial teams were hired.
The Baldoni Cut
Edited by Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan, representing the director’s vision.
The Lively Cut
Commissioned by Lively using her own resources, edited by Shane Reid (who edited Deadpool & Wolverine).
Baldoni claims both cuts were tested with focus groups and his version “tested significantly higher.” Despite this, Sony Pictures moved forward with Lively’s cut.
Baldoni alleges Lively leveraged her relationship with author Colleen Hoover to force the studio’s hand, claiming Hoover would publicly disavow the film if the Lively cut wasn’t chosen. He says he was “stripped of his ‘A Film By’ credit” and removed from key marketing materials.
This is the core of the “Creative Hijacking” narrative. A powerful producer-star, backed by Ryan Reynolds and the author, effectively ghost-directed the film in post-production.
The Marketing Disaster: “Florals” for Domestic Violence
The promotional tour in August 2024 became a textbook example of tonal disaster. The film depicts a woman trapped in an abusive marriage with graphic violence. But Lively’s marketing looked like the Barbie press tour.
The “Barbie-fication” Strategy
Lively launched a massive cross-promotional campaign with her personal brands: Betty Buzz (her sparkling mixer company) and Blake Brown (her haircare line).
The peak of the dissonance: a TikTok video where Lively, in bright floral prints, cheerfully said: “Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it!”
The Backlash
Survivors of domestic violence and critics were furious. The marketing framed a story about spousal abuse as a “fun girls’ night out” rom-com.
Specific incidents fueled the fire:
The “Ryle You Wait” Cocktail: At promotional events, they served a cocktail named after Ryle Kincaid, the character who beats his wife. This was condemned as grotesque.
The “Location Share” Comment: When asked how fans might approach her to discuss the film’s heavy themes, Lively responded sarcastically, “Like location-share? I could just location-share you…” This clip went viral as evidence of her disinterest in the serious aspects.
Baldoni’s Opposite Approach
While Lively promoted “florals,” Baldoni did the press tour solo, refusing to appear with the cast. His interviews focused exclusively on domestic violence statistics, the psychology of abusers, and resources for victims.
The contrast was stark. The director marketed a drama about abuse. The star marketed a rom-com and hair products.
The Red Carpet Split and Instagram Unfollowing
At the August 6, 2024 New York premiere, the rift became undeniable. Baldoni posed only with his wife and children. The rest of the cast (Lively, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Isabela Ferrer) posed together but ignored Baldoni.
Then internet sleuths noticed: the entire cast, along with author Colleen Hoover, had unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram.
Lively’s camp interpreted this as solidarity against a toxic boss. But to the public watching the “tone-deaf” marketing, it looked like “Mean Girls” excluding the only person treating the subject matter with respect.
The Lawsuits Drop (December 2024)
Lively’s Suit: Sexual Harassment and “The Smear”
On December 20, 2024, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department. On December 31, 2024, she filed a federal lawsuit in New York.
Her allegations:
Sexual harassment (weight comments, lingering intimacy, voyeuristic behavior). Hostile work environment. A coordinated “smear campaign” orchestrated by Baldoni’s PR firm.
The “We Can Bury Anyone” Texts
Lively’s team subpoenaed text messages between Baldoni’s PR reps, Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan (who represented Johnny Depp during the Amber Heard trial).
In one exchange, Abel allegedly wrote about Lively: “I was having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with.”
Nathan allegedly replied: “We can’t write it down… You know we can bury anyone.”
These texts became the cornerstone of Lively’s claim that the backlash she faced wasn’t organic, but a manufactured “hit job.”
Baldoni’s $400 Million Countersuit
On January 16, 2025, Baldoni fired back with a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane.
His claims:
Defamation (Lively falsely accused him to cover up hijacking the film). Civil extortion (threatening to withhold promotion unless she got creative control). The “Nicepool” parody (a character in Deadpool & Wolverine played by Reynolds is allegedly a caricature of Baldoni).
The Legal Ruling: Baldoni’s Suit Dismissed
In June 2025, Judge Lewis J. Liman issued a decisive ruling.
Dismissed the extortion claims: The judge ruled that “bargaining over working conditions,” even aggressively, is not extortion.
Applied California’s AB 933: This new law protects people who speak out about harassment from retaliatory defamation suits. Even though the case was in New York, the judge ruled California law applied.
Result: Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit was dismissed. He was given leave to amend certain contract claims but failed to meet the October deadline, leading to final dismissal.
Colleen Hoover: “Embarrassed” and Scrubbing Everything
Author Colleen Hoover initially sided with Lively, posting an Instagram story supporting her as “honest, kind, and supportive.”
But as the legal battle exposed toxicity on both sides, Hoover retreated. By late 2025, she deactivated her Instagram and scrubbed all photos of both Lively and Baldoni.
In an Elle interview, Hoover admitted she was “embarrassed” to say she wrote the book and that the lawsuit had “tainted” her work. “I can’t even recommend it anymore,” she said.
Her next novel, Woman Down (released January 13, 2026), features a plot about an author dealing with backlash from a film adaptation. She denies it’s autobiographical, but the parallels are obvious.
The Cast Gets Dragged In
Isabela Ferrer: Subpoena “Harassment”
Isabela Ferrer (young Lily) filed a motion accusing Baldoni of “harassing” her with aggressive subpoenas. She claimed Wayfarer refused to pay her legal fees (contractually owed) unless she gave them control of her legal strategy.
Baldoni’s team argued Ferrer was being manipulated by Lively’s camp. They cited texts Ferrer sent Baldoni after filming, thanking him for creating a “safe space” and calling it “life-changing,” which contradicted her later claims.
Jenny Slate: The Leather Pants Comment
Jenny Slate (Baldoni’s on-screen sister Allysa) reportedly filed a complaint during production. Baldoni allegedly called her leather pants “sexy,” which she felt was inappropriate.
In interviews, when asked about working with Baldoni, Slate famously refused to answer: “I don’t have anything to say about that.” Her silence was deafening.
The “Spray Tan Video” (January 2026)
In January 2026, Baldoni’s team released unedited footage from the set showing Lively and Baldoni joking comfortably. Lively teases him about getting spray tan on her. They’re laughing.
Baldoni argues this disproves the “hostile environment” narrative. Lively’s team says one friendly moment doesn’t negate months of problematic behavior.
What Happens Next: Trial Set for May 2026
As of early 2026, Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni remains active. Trial is scheduled for May 18, 2026.
Both sides have suffered massive reputational damage. Lively’s “florals” marketing alienated domestic violence advocates. Baldoni’s PR texts (“We can bury anyone”) exposed the ugliness of crisis management.
The verdict won’t restore either reputation. The legacy of It Ends With Us will be the destruction it caused off-screen, a cautionary tale of ego, power, and the cost of narrative warfare.
The Bottom Line: Who’s Right?
The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. Here’s what we can say:
Lively’s side has merit: The PR texts are damning. “We can bury anyone” is not something you say if you’re the victim. The weight question, even if medically justified, was handled clumsily. The intimacy coordination clearly broke down.
Baldoni’s side has merit: Ryan Reynolds did rewrite major scenes without being contracted. Two separate cuts is unprecedented and suggests Lively did assert massive creative control. The “trap” texts show genuine frustration, not malice. His marketing actually respected the subject matter.
Both made mistakes: Lively’s “florals” marketing was genuinely tone-deaf for a domestic violence film. Baldoni’s PR team shouldn’t have been strategizing to “bury” anyone. The “17 Protections” meeting suggests real problems, but also shows neither side could communicate professionally.
What’s clear: this was a production where traditional director authority collapsed under the weight of a powerful producer-star backed by Ryan Reynolds and the original author. The safeguards failed. The PR machines weaponized. And a film about breaking cycles of abuse became trapped in its own cycle of accusations and retaliation.
The May 2026 trial will reveal more. But the damage is already done.
