If you’ve been keeping up with the ongoing drama surrounding It Ends With Us, you know the film has been plagued by tension and controversy involving its leading star, Blake Lively, and her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni. The situation escalated recently when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of harassment and fostering a hostile work environment.
Following this, Baldoni and several of the film’s producers, publicists and others close to the situation sued The New York Times over what they described as a “defamatory headline designed to immediately mislead the reader.”
Most recently, Baldoni also sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million, saying that the couple has attempted “to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media,” according to the actor’s lawyer Bryan Freedman.
Below, we dive into the details of both of Baldoni’s lawsuits and provide updates on Lively’s claims.
What to know about Justin Baldoni’s two lawsuits
Baldoni is currently suing both The New York Times and Lively in two separate lawsuits, claiming that both parties distributed information to the public in an attempt to ruin his reputation.
Baldoni, along with publicist Jed Wallace, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, as well as producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, announced that they would be suing The New York Times for their expose article ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine—published on Saturday, December 2, 2024. They claimed in the December 31, 2024, filing that the article “encapsulated in a defamatory headline designed to immediately mislead the reader.” They refuted the article’s premise, which claimed the plaintiffs orchestrated a retaliatory public relations campaign against Lively for speaking out about harassment, calling it “categorically false and easily disproven.”
The New York Times responded, saying, “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
As of publication, nothing further has developed in regards to Baldoni’s lawsuit against the international newspaper.
Baldoni’s other lawsuit against Lively, her husband Reynolds, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm, Vision PR, was announced on January 17, 2025, with the actor suing them for $400 million on the grounds of defamation and extortion.
“This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni,” his lawyer said in a statement.
“It is clear, based on our own all-out willingness to provide all complete text messages, emails, video footage and other documentary evidence that was shared between the parties in real-time, that this is a battle she will not win and will certainly regret. Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.”
“We want the truth to be out there. We want the documents to be out there. We want people to make their determination based on receipts.”
Lively’s legal team responded to the lawsuit soon after it was announced, saying, “The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate; it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”
The latest on Blake Lively’s lawsuit
Lively has filed her own lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging that he created a “ hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production.” She claims in the lawsuit that Baldoni added in several “improvised physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed or discussed with Ms. Lively, with no intimacy coordinator involved,” and once “was caressing Ms. Lively with his mouth in a way that had nothing to do with their roles.”
During those unplanned scenes, Lively claims that Baldoni told her that he was “not even attracted” to her after she tried to stop this sort of behavior from happening.
Additionally, Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath of pressuring her to film nude scenes that were neither included in the script nor part of her contract. According to the complaint, during a scene where her character gives birth, the men “suddenly pressured Ms. Lively to simulate full nudity.”
Lively claims ‘It Ends with Us’ backlash was calculated
Lively also claimed that both Baldoni and Heath exploited post-release backlash to damage her reputation, allegedly creating and promoting negative content about her. The complaint states, “They engaged in the same techniques to bolster Mr. Baldoni’s credibility and suppress any negative content about him.”
Baldoni has yet to publicly comment on the allegations but has since been dropped by his talent agency, WME. A lawyer on retainer for his production company, Wayfarer, told The New York Times in response that he believes the “claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.” Meanwhile, WME confirmed that the decision to part ways with Baldoni was not influenced by either Lively or her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds.
Colleen Hoover comments on the lawsuit
Colleen Hoover, who wrote the It Ends with Us book and was heavily involved in the production and press of the film, took to Instagram over the weekend of December 28, 2024, to voice her support for Lively, writing, “@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
The author also linked to an article written by The New York Times, which showcased various text messages detailing how Baldoni, Heath and a crisis management expert named Melissa Nathan allegedly tried to ruin Lively’s reputation, with Nathan reportedly saying, “You know we can bury anyone.”
Hoover has yet to comment on Baldoni’s lawsuits as of publication.
The history behind the ‘It Ends with Us’ lawsuit
During and after the film’s press tour back in August 2024, fans were quick to notice that Baldoni was absent from cast interviews and events. Furthermore, the internet also noticed that none of the cast followed Baldoni on Instagram.
Perhaps the largest part of the drama came from how the two leading actors promoted the film. While Baldoni promoted the film as a story about domestic assault awareness, Lively faced criticism for presenting it as a lighter, floral-themed movie, though some now view her approach as a coping mechanism amid on-set difficulties.
Cast members Jenny Slater and Brandon Skelner have publicly supported Lively, with Skelner stating, “The women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and choosing a better life.”
He continued, “Trust me when I tell you, there isn’t a single person involved in the making of this film who was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma–Domestic abuse–Or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see.”
Lively also commented on why she decided to move forward with the lawsuit, telling The New York Times, “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.”
