Unless you spent the holidays under a rock, you’ll have heard something of the never-ending ruckus between Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, and their conflicting allegations surrounding their 2024 movie It Ends With Us. Public sparks first flew last August when, during the promotional trail, fans noted how strange it was that Justin, who – as well as starring opposite Blake in the film, also directed it – didn’t appear on any red carpets alongside the main cast. At the same time, Blake started getting heat for her “tone-deaf” approach to the publicity of the film about a florist who is abused by her partner, encouraging fans to “wear your florals” to go to the cinema, instead of focusing on the movie’s serious themes of violence and domestic abuse. Then, old interviews started resurfacing, in which the former Gossip Girl actress appeared to be rude and arrogant. Reports flew that Blake and Justin had fallen out over her attempts to take over production and bring in her A-list husband, Ryan Reynolds, to gain control and, as the end of the year approached, it seemed that Blake’s career was on the brink.
But then, everything changed when, in December, the actress filed a legal complaint – accusing Justin, his co-producer and his studio Wayfarer of creating a hostile work environment and for launching a smear campaign against her in retaliation for her discomfort over his behaviour on set. She also accused him of sexual harassment in the workplace. Her allegations were published, with jaw-dropping evidence included, in the New York Times – prompting Justin to sue the publication in a $250m libel lawsuit, claiming they had cherry-picked texts and other pieces of evidence to twist the narrative. As we stand, the “he saids” and “she saids” are stacking up against the pair – with both being accused of hiding context that paints the fullest picture. Here we break down what’s been said so far…and what’s been thrown back in a vicious game of expensive celebrity mud-slinging.
Blake’s initial complaint accused Justin of improvising sex scenes
In her complaint – which she followed up with a formal lawsuit on 31 December – Blake accused Justin and producer Jamey Heath of inappropriate behaviour on set, and trying to bury said behaviour by launching a smear campaign against her, which she said caused her “grief, trauma and extreme anxiety”. Among her issues, she said that Justin had “inserted improvised gratuitous sexual content” during filming – which hadn’t been agreed upon in her contract – and that he had often entered her trailer “uninvited” between takes while she was changing or breastfeeding. According to Blake, things got so untenable that she and her husband Ryan (who wasn’t involved in the film) had held an emergency meeting at their New York penthouse to hash out a plan moving forwards. Justin allegedly agreed to adhere to their demands, which included having an intimacy coordinator on set, no longer improvising kissing scenes (including biting her lip), and no longer showing her unsolicited pictures of birth scenes or genitalia (er, what?). As the New York Times article spread, it truly seemed like Justin was caught in the act of some very unsettling behaviour…
She alleges Justin plotted her downfall – with texts as ‘proof’
It only got worse from there, as Blake doubled down on his dodgy dealings. According to her, in allegations rehashed by The New York Times, Justin had been wary of how her complaints about him might play out in the public eye. So, he’d allegedly hired a PR crisis team to damage her reputation – amplifying negative stories about her in the press and pushing old social media posts that attested to her supposed arrogance and unprofessionalism. In her complaint, Blake included resurfaced text messages shared between Justin and his PR team that appeared to plot her downfall. In one exchange, it was shown that Justin had sent a screenshot of an article entitled “Hailey Bieber’s history of bullying many women” – writing next to it, “This is what we would need.” His team agreed, adding they’d focus on Reddit and TikTok to get the job done. So far, so incriminating.
Justin claims the NY Times altered the incriminating texts
But then came Justin’s rebuttal – which kicked off with his $250m libel lawsuit against The New York Times. In his counterclaim, the actor and director said that the paper had “cherry-picked” texts and altered communication, including eliminating emojis, to strip the messages of necessary context. He then refuted a number of Blake’s own complaints, insisting she had “invited” him into her trailer while she was breastfeeding. He included a text from her, which read, “I’m just pumping in my trailer if you wanna work out our lines”, to which he responded, “Copy. Eating with crew and will head that way.” He also took issue with her allegations that he’d launched a smear campaign against her, claiming it was – instead – the other way around, and that her publicist had planted “a false story alleging that there were ‘multiple’ HR complaints during production”. As things stand, Justin’s legal complaint remains directed at The New York Times, but his lawyer Brian Freedman, a powerful Hollywood attorney who’s known in celebrity circles as a legal “pitbull”, has insisted they next plan to sue Blake directly, claiming, “We plan to release every single text message between the two of them. 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.” They’ve also demanded a jury trial – to ensure that all evidence from both sides comes to light.
The movie’s cast have sided with Blake
As mentioned, it initially seemed as if Blake was firmly in the right, after the majority of the cast distanced themselves from Justin. Nobody posed with him on the red carpet, nor joined him for joint interviews during the film’s release, and Colleen Hoover – who wrote the book that inspired the film – pledged her allegiance to the actress. Co-stars including Jenny Slate and Brandon Skenlar likewise voiced their support, implicitly putting the blame on Justin in the bitter feud. But again, all was apparently not what it seemed. According to Justin, Blake – who leveraged her way to producer status – “initially refused to permit” the director to attend the film’s premiere. He added, “Only after significant pressure did she reluctantly agree to allow Baldoni and the Wayfarer team to attend, but under humiliating conditions” – which included making him and his family wait in the basement while she did her photocall. He also said he’d been “segregated” from the main cast and “barred” from the official after-party. In an A-list world where connections are everything, many have since suggested that the cast sided with Blake as they know that she and husband Ryan wield a great deal of power in Hollywood and that, ultimately, they’re keeping any future jobs in mind.
Justin has a LOT to say about Ryan Reynolds
Speaking of Ryan, his involvement makes things all the murkier. During that infamous press tour, Blake herself revealed that Ryan had written a scene for the movie (something Justin apparently had no knowledge about). According to Blake, Ryan was “affected mentally, physically and professionally” by the pain inflicted upon her and, consequently, their four children. But Justin clapped back again – accusing the Deadpool actor of using his power and prestige to belittle him and change the picture. He said that – in their “traumatic” meeting at the power couple’s home – Ryan had “berated” him in front of executives and that he had “never been spoken to like that in his life.” Some have argued that Ryan was quite rightly supporting and defending his distressed wife; but others have asked in what other industry would a husband ever step in like that and publicly attack his wife’s boss? Now, as both sides continue to prepare their arguments and responses, we wait with bated breath for what’s to come. Either way, it’s safe to say the It Ends With Us drama is far from ending anytime soon. In fact, it all starts now.