The ongoing lawsuit between It Ends With Us co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is one that won’t go down without a fight from both sides, but who will settle? Only two can answer that question: the courts, and time.
A Bit About Baldoni
Justin Louis Baldoni is an actor, producer, and director who was born on January 24, 1984 to Sharon and Sam Baldoni in Los Angeles, California. He comes from part Jewish and Italian Catholic faith, but associates with his Jewish heritage and has even visited Israel multiple times.
He attended California State University at the Long Beach Campus on a partial athletic scholarship due to his soccer career in high school. Baldoni later dropped out of college after meeting a manager who convinced him to pursue a career in acting.
His breakout role was playing Rafael Solano on the CW’s “Jane The Virgin.” He began his expansion to directing in 2019. It Ends With Us is Baldoni’s twenty-third movie he has starred in.
On August 9, 2024, the widely-controversial movie It Ends With Us starring Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively hit theaters with a bang. The film, which is an adaptation of the book by Colleen Hoover, has been highly criticized for the film’s inability to take such a dark topic seriously and call attention to it rather than just profit off of it.
It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Bloom, a young woman who moves to Boston to open her own flower shop, Lily Bloom’s, where she finds herself falling for neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. Ultimately, the story is one that is hard to read for many, as Ryle ends up abusing and sexually assaulting Lily in the novel, which forces her to come to terms with facing her traumatic past of watching her mother go through the same thing as a child. In the end, Lily ends up pregnant with Ryle’s child, giving birth to a baby girl.
At the end of the book, Lily and Ryle split up for the sake of her and her daughter’s safety, to only be comforted by yet another man, the homeless kid she sheltered while growing up in a broken home, Atlas. The novel ends with Lily and Ryle figuring out the best way to co-parent for their daughter, while Lily and Atlas begin their relationship.
Forget therapy, healing, and unlearning abuse and narcissistic behavior, because to Colleen Hoover, true love can be found as long as you stick out the first one who nearly killed you after (spoiler alert) he pushes you down a full flight of stairs.
From the moment the movie released, it became a much more widespread household name other than on TikTok’s Bok Tok, which opened up the door to soliciting this kind of behavior to younger generations, especially with the marketing around the film which made it seem like your average rom-com. But not only did this film open up a much more clear examination of the book, author, and all the cast and crew involved, but its continuously marketed existence made it visibly clear It Ends With Us was not the feminist anthem it so proudly proclaimed to be.
Though the entire It Ends With Us franchise has now been corrupted from the release of the movie and all of the publicity surrounding it, most would agree it’s been a long time coming for both the book and author to get called out on their lack of research and empathy for true victims of domestic violence. Hoover published the book back in August of 2016, though the book didn’t pick up traction until 2019 and didn’t become ‘famous’ until 2022, when BookTok came to its height.
Just days after it hit the theaters, fans began to notice some odd aspects about the film’s marketing and the film as a whole.
TIMELINE::
April 2019: Back in 2019, Hoover and Baldoni started communicating about beginning the process of creating the movie for the book. Due to the lengthy legal battle between Baldoni and Lively, his lawyers have created a public database of all of their evidence to promote full transparency with the public, including screenshots and emails of all of the people they have corresponded with.
September 2022: Baldoni and non-profit organization “NO MORE” connect to donate a portion of the proceeds to the organization, which benefits survivors of sexual and domestic abuse.
This event, though what seems like an ordinary thing to do for an actor trying to be an activist for their upcoming film, would later call into question the intentions of Baldoni after Lively would go on to allege sexual harassment.
It’s been known throughout the inner grapevine of Hollywood that men who are accused of (or secretly hide) sexual abuse and harassment of fellow co-stars, producers, publicists, and women in general tend to try and clean their image up by donating to organizations like “NO MORE” and raising awareness about the damage sexual abuse has on people.
Case in point, actor Brad Pitt who’s ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, has accused him of sexual abuse and harassment over the course of their twelve year relationship.
To make matters worse, Pitt has been associated with Harvey Weinstein, Hollywood’s notorious sexual abuser who has since been erased from the spotlight after his abuse came to light from his victims and their stories, which later sparked the #MeToo movement across Hollywood.
Due to the nature of men in Hollywood and how they behave, Baldoni’s own intentions are still unclear, and while it’s definitely not impossible he has sexually assaulted Lively, there is more to the story than either is letting on.
December 2022- January 2023: Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and Sony Pictures Studios develop the marketing campaign of the film, partnering up with “NO MORE,” and designing the “Lily Bloom pop-up shops” the film would become notorious for later on. During this time period, Lively and Baldoni connected and began to share their contacts with one another, like Lively’s personal trainer.
February 2023: Lively and Baldoni first begin chatting about the film and their roles, to which Lively quipped she had “only 20 more [pounds] to go” before she reached her goal weight for the film, as she had just given birth to her son, Olin Reynolds, two days before she and Baldoni began discussing the film and their roles.
Lively and her lawyers claim that Baldoni had fat shamed her later down the road during production when he asked how much she weighed before shooting a scene in which he had to lift her.
Baldoni and his team claim he only asked because he has a chronic back issue and did not want to sustain any injuries that would prevent the crew from filming.
Lively and her team have used this as leverage in their lawsuit in Baldoni, yet their text messages in Baldoni’s online database prove Lively was the one who originally brought up her weight in the first place from her own insecurities, while Baldoni reassured her by disliking her message about her negative comment towards herself and never made a direct negative comment to her.
In addition, when Lively was stressing about the sexual scenes the two would have to do together later down the road, Baldoni reassured her by texting, “I want you to know—you will look amazing. Anything you are insecure about we will talk through and get creative together and make you comfortable.” His text to Lively would be one of many that made it clear he was there to support her and provide the safest environment for the both of them, but where did it all go south?
April 2023: By now, Baldoni is putting the film’s script together with input from Lively, allowing her to have her own say in how she envisions certain scenes coming to life.
Also, Baldoni hired an intimacy coordinator during the time to ensure the safety of the two during their sexual scenes, but Lively had decline to meet the coordinator until the production of the film began, which though Baldoni had admitted in a separate text to a producer Lively’s decision would “mess up the workflow,” he didn’t pushback on her decision.
In an article published by Page Six, Lively’s inside sources claim she was not the only person who felt uncomfortable around Baldoni, and he in fact made the entire cast and crew uncomfortable on and off the set, but Baldoni’s texts between various producers on more than one occasion in addition to the work he did before, during and after the film contradicts that statement.
Also during this time, Baldoni agrees to meet with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, at their apartment in New York, where Lively completely rewrote the script of the rooftop scene in the film, with Reynold’s praising Lively’s writing.
Baldoni’s team claims a ‘megacelebrity’ friend of the couple was present during the meeting, which has been rumored to be global superstar Taylor Swift.
Lively and Swift have been friends for over ten years, with Swift considering Lively to be in her ‘inner circle’ of friends, but amidst Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni, Swift has since cut ties with her and Reynolds and has gone off the radar to avoid being dragged further into Lively and Baldoni’s mess.
After the meeting at Lively’s apartment, she becomes increasingly involved in the writing process, to which Baldoni responds the appropriate way, by suggesting they would run any further notes by the scriptwriter.
In addition, Baldoni comments on how Lively referred to Reynolds and Swift as her ‘dragons,’ as they protect her as both a writer and a person.
Baldoni thanks Lively for her notes, but ultimately feels the presence of Reynolds and Swift was ‘unnecessary,’ as he had already loved the pages just as they were without needing to be pressured to do so.
What’s even more interesting is how Baldoni’s original write up of the script was made to be kept ‘as close to the book’ as possible, ‘knowing the genre they were in.”
Baldoni’s original script intended to tread lightly around the entire dynamic between Lily and Ryle when they first meet, an incredibly crucial part of the book, whereas in the film, Lively’s version is more like a rom-com than a film bringing awareness to domestic violence.
Despite this, Baldoni praises both Lively and her husband and tells her how much he values her thoughts and her notes are always welcome.
By the end of April, actor Brandon Skelnar had been casted for the role of Atlas, and production soon began underway. Meanwhile, the crew had growing concerns about Lively’s involvement in the film, as she had begun to take charge of the film, forcing Baldoni to take the backseat.
May 2023: Lively has now been altering the script daily, causing a rift among the cast and crew.
In addition, Lively and Baldoni’s relationship had progressed, and they had become more comfortable around one another, hence the two making jokes in their friendship and communicating daily. Fans, online celebrity blind pages, and other news sources, have considered the fact that Lively and Baldoni had actually been having an affair after catching feelings for one another and the legal battles are a way to distract the public from what is actually going on. Though, rumors are rumors, but in this case, nothing is off limits.
By the end of May 2023, Lively had flipped the script on Baldoni as production began, creating a narrative where he was a ‘pedophile’ who made ‘inappropriate comments about how ‘sexy’ Lively looked.’ Baldoni’s team claims these comments were misinterpreted by Lively. Baldoni reached out to Blake to validate her concerns and reassure her, which was not mentioned at all in Lively’s suit.
June 2023: After returning to production due to being ill, Lively sat down with Baldoni and the film’s producers to discuss other grievances she had experienced throughout production thus far, such as accusing Baldoni of behaving inappropriately during their meeting with the intimacy coordinator among other mid-production occurrences. Lively had initially accepted Baldoni’s apology and wanted to focus on creating a smoother transition from mid- to post-production, yetv the tension on the set would only escalate in the following months.
By the end of June, production had shut down after completing Phase 1 due to the WGA and SAG strikes.
July 2023: Production was still halted, Baldoni and Lively continued to not see eye-to-eye when the uncut footage they spent the past couple months filming was ready to be viewed.
August 2023: Baldoni shares the footage with Blake containing his edits, to which she disregards any notes about the film and instead thanks him for giving her a matcha machine.
October 2023: Lively’s agent and manager insist Baldoni shows her the assembly cut of the film, but Baldoni was unable to travel at the moment but would show her the rough footage when production resumed.
November 2023: As Baldoni and the cast and crew had been gearing up to return to production on November 15th, Lively’s lawyer had sent them an abrasive and lengthy email which accused Baldoni among other cast members of sexual abuse and harassment on set, and also listed out seventeen non-negotiable conditions to be met in order for Lively to return to work.
Baldoni was forced to adhere to these conditions, as he did not want production to stop or continue without Lively. In addition, Lively’s lawyers added she would like a new script to be added, which had nothing to do with her safety.
Sony, Wayfarer, and Production went back and forth with Lively’s lawyers, to which they ultimately ended up postponing Lively filming the movie in November and instead shooting was set to resume in December, which was postponed further into January as LIvely was unable to meet the December deadline either.
December 2023: Baldoni emails his team of producers, essentially “waiving the white flag and submitting” and would give Lively “98% of what she wants,” ( per evidence from Bryan Freedman and all Legal Personnel involved). He also expressed how terrified he was of letting Lively take full control of production, especially the intimacy scenes.
Later in December, Lively requested a meeting with Baldoni and the team before production resumed.
January 2024: Lively and Reynolds essentially cornered Baldoni and the rest of the team in their January 4 meeting at their apartment, bearing Baldoni for the alleged sexual harassment they accused him of in Phase 1 of production.
January 5 – February 9, 2024: Production resumed after the meeting without any grievances, and it seems both Lively and Baldoni pulled themselves together to get through filming the rest of the film.
February – March 2024: Cutting and editing of the film begins. Lively threatened to not promote the movie if she was not a part of the editing of the film, a PRODUCER role, to which Baldoni had to agree to, yet Lively was absent throughout most of the editing process even though she would leave notes of revisions she wanted to make that Baldoni and the producers had to abide to.
April 2024: Due to Lively’s absence in the editing process, Wayfarer tries to and her extreme demands to be a part of the process that is reserved for the producer and director puts the Film in jeopardy for if the lead actress cannot market the Film, it will not succeed no matter what kind of marketing the team puts into it. Wayfarer is, yet again, forced to agree to Lively’s extreme demands.
Late April – May 1, 2024: One of Baldoni’s editors is flown out to work with Lively on her portion of the film and make any cuts she feels necessary. Baldoni and his editor’s agreed to this process so they could meet Lively’s needs and just get on with the rest of the film, instead of dragging the process on further trying to fight her.
Wayfarer tries to get Lively to sign her acting contract which still remains unsigned, which would remove the threat of her refusing to market the film. Lively fires back when a Sony Marketing Executive informs Heath Lively would refuse any and all marketing of the Film or mention of her name is Baldoni’s acting credit was listed alongside hers.
May 2024: Lively’s withholds her cut of the film and refuses to comply with Wayfarer and Sony until her needs are met. Sony begins to apply pressure on Wayfarer to agree to her demands, otherwise the Film won’t meet the premiere date. Wayfarer agrees, and the trailer for the Film is released on May 16, 2024 to the world.
June 2024: Lively assumes full creative control and responsibility of the film, per the support from her own personal editor, the director, and the studio. Baldoni’s role as a producer is pretty much non-existent. Lively even goes so far as to remove the “Film By” title for Baldoni on the Film’s poster. Baldoni is forced to waive his film credit and Wayfarer reluctantly agrees to meet yet again another of Lively’s demands of giving her a producer credit.
July 2024: Baldoni, per Lively’s affiliation, is completely removed from the Film’s final cut. He was only permitted to give notes ‘as a studio,’ per his role at Wayfarer.
August 2024: Rumors on social media begin to swirl after Baldoni has been excluded from all the promotion and marketing Lively, Hoover, and the rest of the cast has been doing. Articles get published alleging Baldoni was a nuisance to the cast and disrupted production
August 9, 2024, the Film hits theaters
December 2024: Lively files a complaint against Baldoni, then the New York Times writes an article accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and his PR team ‘burying’ him to make him look innocent. Baldoni filed a lawsuit on December 31, 2024 against the New York Times. Consequently, Lively files for a lawsuit against Baldoni and his team.
January 2025: Baldoni files a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and their PR team.
WHAT NOW? As of now, both Lively and Baldoni are laying low, and their expected court date isn’t until 2026, so until then, the two most likely won’t be in the public eye or in any films or tv shows until after they have solved their legal battles.
Blake Lively’s Side
Lively’s Background
Blake Lively, who has been acting for over 25 years, was born on August 25, 1987, in Los Angeles, California. She has been married to renowned and well-loved actor Ryan Reynolds for over 12 years and the two have four children. Their family lives together in New York. She also is the creator and owner of her non-alcoholic beverage company, Betty Buzz, which she started in 2021.
Lively’s acting career started when she was just 11 years old, when she played a small role in the movie Sandman. She then continued on to her breakout film, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and has since furthered her career acting in popular series’ and films like Gossip Girl, The Shallows, A Simple Favor, and most recently, It Ends With Us.
Lively’s Timeline
2019: While the public first heard about the possible issues surrounding It Ends With Us in early 2023, the real strife between Lively and Baldoni dates all the way back to 2019, when production of the movie initially commenced. Lively fell ill multiple times before the start of filming for It Ends With Us, and Baldoni recommended a wellness coach for her, whom she later claims was a weight loss coach.
May 2023: Director Jamey Heath showed Lively part of his birthing video, which Baldoni asked him to do because he presumed that Lively would want to see it. Lively saw a small portion of the video, asked Heath if he was allowed to share it, and then said she would watch it later. However, she never did, which eludes to the fact that she probably felt very uncomfortable about the video, and she also used it in her evidence regarding sexual harassment against Baldoni and Heath later on.
Early April 2023: He also asked his personal trainer her weight, which he claimed was because he needed to know much to train for a lift scene. However, Lively stated that the scene did not exist. Baldoni said that the lift was supposed to be in the movie, but it clearly did not make the cut, due to the controversial feelings around it.
Late April 2023: Another source of strife between Lively and Baldoni came from the relationship between Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Baldoni. When Baldoni was at their home for a meeting Reynolds expressed his annoyance with Baldoni for being so concerned with his wife’s weight. Fans also quickly caught on to the fact that Reynolds and Baldoni did not follow eachother on instagram, which would have been customary given their perceived professional relationship.
July-August 2024: As Lively claims, it seems like a smear campaign was orchestrated against her and member’s of Baldoni’s team wrote messages that very much elude to the fact that they were controlling the media around the entire fiasco. Two members of Baldoni’s team were Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, shown below.
Throughout the entire filming of It Ends With Us, Lively and Baldoni constantly butted heads, which served for some rather awkward interactions. Lively wanted to be a part of the production process, and have a say in what happened, but Baldoni and his team didn’t seem particularly thrilled with that, to say the least. Lively also had her own issues with Baldoni, Heath, and the environment in which she was working. Evidently, both celebrities tried to control the media, and it is unclear who is really in the right. We may never know, but the lawsuit has to be settled somehow, and there is a trial scheduled for March of 2026…
SOURCES:
Stein, Clara, and nakeisha campbell. “Who Is Justin Baldoni, AKA Ryle from ‘It Ends With Us’?” PureWow, 9 August 2024, https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/justin-baldoni. Accessed 30 April 2025.
https://thelawsuitinfo.com/downloads/timeline-of-relevant-events.pdf
https://www.purewow.com/entertainment/justin-baldoni
https://serp.media/movies/all-justin-baldoni-movies-in-order/
https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/cannes-film-festival-detail-pictures-2014-34843218
https://people.com/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-legal-drama-timeline-8785868
