The drama surrounding It Ends With Us has escalated from awkward press tour moments to a full-blown legal battle, with Blake Lively suing co-star and director Justin Baldoni. The allegations are serious, the stakes are high, and the story has more twists than a Colleen Hoover novel.
The Lawsuit
Blake Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. According to Lively, Baldoni didn’t just ignore her complaints of harassment on set but actively worked to tarnish her reputation. Her lawyers claim that Baldoni enlisted crisis PR expert Melissa Nathan and her firm, The Agency Group, to spread negative press about Lively.
The suit includes 22 pages of text exchanges allegedly showing Baldoni’s publicist discussing plans to “bury” Lively in damaging press coverage. One text exchange is particularly damning, with Nathan reportedly acknowledging Baldoni’s desire for Lively’s public image to be ruined, though cautioning, “we can’t write we will destroy her.”
In a statement to The New York Times, Lively said she hopes her lawsuit will expose “sinister retaliatory tactics” and prevent others from experiencing similar treatment. The gravity of the allegations is especially striking given the film’s focus on domestic violence—a topic now overshadowed by the off-screen drama.
Baldoni’s Response
Justin Baldoni’s team has strongly denied the allegations. His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called the lawsuit a “desperate attempt” by Lively to repair her public image, labeling her claims “shameful” and “categorically false.” Baldoni’s camp has doubled down, framing Lively’s accusations as baseless and an attempt to deflect from her own controversies.
The tension between Lively and Baldoni has been brewing for months. Fans first noticed trouble during the It Ends With Us press tour, where the two stars avoided joint appearances and skipped each other’s social media shoutouts. The tension only worsened after the film’s release.
Baldoni faced allegations of being “chauvinistic” and “borderline abusive” on set, while Lively was criticized for her promotional approach, which some felt trivialized the film’s serious subject matter. The friction between the two co-stars became impossible to ignore, culminating in this high-profile lawsuit.
The lawsuit adds yet another layer of complexity to an already fraught situation. If Lively’s allegations are proven true, it could mark a turning point for accountability in Hollywood. Conversely, if Baldoni is vindicated, the fallout could reshape how such allegations are perceived in the industry.
This legal battle is a reminder of the human cost behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. At the heart of the story are allegations of harassment, abuse, and retaliation—issues that no one, famous or not, should have to face. The courts will ultimately decide the truth, but the implications of this case will undoubtedly ripple far beyond the set of It Ends With Us.