Blake Lively’s legal team took significant action this week as tensions between her and co-star Justin Baldoni escalated following the release of It Ends With Us. The movie, which debuted in theaters last August and began streaming on Netflix in December 2024, originally drew attention for its sensitive portrayal of domestic violence. However, the focus has now shifted to the off-screen fallout between the film’s lead actors.
According to Deadline, Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, confirmed on February 12 that subpoenas were issued to several major companies, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, AOL, Cloudflare, Inc., and an individual named Jed Wallace, who is accused of manipulating social media. The subpoenas are part of a broader effort to gather records and evidence that Lively’s legal team believes will shed light on what they describe as a campaign to “destroy” and “bury” her reputation and family over the past year.
Lively’s strained relationship with Baldoni, her co-star and director on It Ends With Us, has been widely reported. While Lively played Lily Bloom, a woman caught in an abusive relationship, Baldoni portrayed her abusive husband Ryle. During press events and the New York premiere of the film, fans noticed the two actors seemed to avoid being photographed together, and rumors swirled about their difficult working relationship, which allegedly extended beyond the movie’s release.
In the final months of 2024, Lively faced additional personal and professional challenges. Her beauty brand, Blake Brown Beauty, experienced a disappointing product launch, and she became embroiled in lawsuits related to her conflict with Baldoni. There were also reports that plans for Lively to host Saturday Night Live were abruptly canceled, further fueling speculation about her public image issues.
Despite these setbacks, Lively’s legal team is optimistic that the subpoenas will uncover crucial evidence about the alleged smear campaign against her. “We will now receive all of the ‘receipts’ that, unsurprisingly, are nowhere to be found on Mr. Freedman’s website,” Hudson and Gottlieb said, referring to the party they are suing. “Like Ms. Lively, those ‘receipts’ will have their day in court.”