The drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has recently gotten to its boiling point. Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and trying to “destroy” her reputation. The lawsuit comes after the film they worked on, “It Ends With Us,” premiered in August 2024.
During the film’s promotional tour, there were reports that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni had a falling out. Baldoni additionally served as the project’s director, with Lively as the producer. Baldoni and his production firm, Wayfarer Studios, acquired the book’s rights in 2019. Afterward, Blake Lively’s role in the film became public in January 2023.
In particular, Baldoni was mainly missing from group press appearances. He also did not photograph with his co-stars and failed to announce the film prior to the screening. Here is what we know about the drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
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What Caused Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s Rift?
Ahead of the movie premiere, there were several stories of creative conflicts behind the scenes. While Baldoni directed and produced the film, Lively, who was the producer, lauded her husband Ryan Reynolds’ creative efforts at the premiere. She stated that he wrote the important rooftop scene involving Lily and Ryle.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, there was a rift among the filmmakers during the final stages of production. This was because two alternative versions of the film emerged. A source stated that it is common to have multiple film edits during post-production. They added that everyone agreed on the final version.
While the film was a box office hit, critics gave it mixed reviews, with some claiming it romanticized domestic abuse. Tim Robey of The Telegraph gave it two stars and described it as a “queasy drama” that “repackages domestic violence as slick romance.”
The film also created a dispute on TikTok, with some claiming that the trailer does not clarify that it is about an abusive relationship and instead appears to be a love story.
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Owing to this misunderstanding, several people found the film disturbing because they were unaware it contained scenes of domestic abuse.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively: ‘Smear Campaign’
During the film’s press tour, Justin Baldoni employed Melissa Nathan, a crisis manager who has previously worked with Johnny Depp and Drake. Shortly after the press tour, Lively received a flood of criticism on social media for comments she made during the tour and from previous interviews.
One of the resurfaced interviews was released by Kjersti Flaa, a Norwegian journalist who uploaded a video of her 2016 interview with Lively on YouTube, titled “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.”
Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas in the film, supported Lively, saying in an Instagram post that people were “vilifying” the women in the movie.
What We Know About the Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively Drama
Following the criticism, Blake Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024 for sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign that she described as causing her “grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.”
The suit also named Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni’s production firm that created “It Ends With Us,” as a defendant. The civil statement accuses Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath of “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior.” Some other female cast and staff members have also spoken out about their actions.
It also claims that Lively, Baldoni, and other film development team members attended a meeting in January. This aimed to address “the hostile work environment” on-set. According to the complaint, her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, joined her at the meeting.
Baldoni’s legal team stated that the charges were “categorically false” and that they hired a crisis manager after Lively threatened to oust the film unless her demands were granted.
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According to Deadline, talent agency WME, which also represents Blake Lively, let go of Baldoni on Saturday, December 21, after the actress’ lawsuit. However, the outlet claims the agency did not respond to calls for comment.
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