Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively: The 'It Ends With Us' Drama Explained

Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively and the “It Ends With Us” controversies at a glance

Am 15. August 2024 lief, the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novelin the main role, in German cinemas. Lively was on a non-stop press tour for the film leading up to it, but did you notice who was often conspicuous by her absence? Her co-star and the film's director, Justin Baldoni.

What was going on there? The internet wondered the same thing, sparking a lot of speculation that there is and/or was beef and drama between the actors behind the scenes. Apparently so, becauseIn December 2024, Blake Lively reported her co-star Justin Baldoni.

To explain: “Just One More Time” is the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestseller, which was originally called “It Ends With Us”. In the book, the florist Lily Bloom () in the devastatingly good-looking but toxic and controlling neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni).

We'll try to clear up any "It Ends With Us" rumors here - but be careful, even we have to speculate a bit. That's what she claimedDaily Mailthat Justin Baldoni exhibited chauvinistic and toxic traits on set. He would be responsible for the “extremely difficult” atmosphere on set. But what's the point?

Justin Baldoni is rarely seen in other cast photos

While looking through photos from the New York film premiere, some creators on TikTok noticed that the cast of the film, including their attachments, were photographed together, but no one seemed to appear in any pictures with Justin Baldoni. Instead, Baldoni posed on the carpet with his wife, Emily Baldoni, and some of his friends.

“I'm convinced he and Blake don't get along. How come there is ZERO promo of them together and no photo at the premiere?" a fan asked under one of Baldoni'sInstagram-Posts. And this is by no means the only comment in this direction, rather one of hundreds that speculate about an alleged drama between the acting duo.

Blake Lively, “Just One More Time” author Colleen Hoover, Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar don't appear to follow Baldoni on Instagram. In 2024, this is comparable to a bitter end to a friendship or working relationship.

This is what actress Jenny Slate says about Justin Baldoni on the red carpet

When asked what it was like having Justin Baldoni as both a scene partner and a director on "It Ends With Us," actress Jenny Slate pivoted and said that it was a "tough job" to do both at the same time - and that she didn't want to have two jobs at the same time. Uhhh, that's not the answer to the question, is it?

Now Blake Lively is speaking out about the rumors

has confirmed that he had creative differences with Justin Baldoni on the set of “It Ends With Us.” For example, she really wanted to play the song “Cherry” by Lana Del Rey when Lily and Ryle were still on good terms, but the relationship was about to take a negative turn. Everything would become really tense as soon as Lily's ex-boyfriend Atlas appeared on the scene: Then, according to Lively, conflicts, pain and tension would break out. “That’s the soulmate, the person I can’t let go of.”

And although Blake Lively was asked by Justin Baldoni and Co. not to use Lana Del Rey's emotional song at this point, she prevailed. However, that seems to be just the tip of the iceberg of the bad mood behind the scenes of “Just One More Time.”

Apparently Lively is already being considered for the second film adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel, “It Starts With Us” – at least that’s what Justin Baldoni believes, as he said at the film premiere in New York: “I think Blake Lively is ready to direct to lead. I am convinced of that.” That doesn't sound like there's bad blood between the actors; but who really knows what happened behind the scenes other than those involved themselves?

What role does Ryan Reynolds play in this matter?

Nun,(who co-produced “Just One More Time”) recently revealed that Ryan Reynolds wrote a key scene in the film: “The iconic rooftop scene was written by my husband,”Lively told E! News, “no one knows but you.” She continued: “He collaborates on everything I do. I collaborate on everything he does. So his successes, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.”

This has led to a lot of speculation from fans thatmay have seized creative control of the film - to the dismay and annoyance of Justin Baldoni.

“You can't tell me Ryan Reynolds isn't the reason for the whole Justin Baldoni/'It Ends With Us' drama. "I feel like Justin doesn't want anything to do with the drama and that's why he has withdrawn from the PR events leading up to the film,"saidPopkultur-TikToker Arianna Lilliein a video. "And I'm not saying that Blake Lively specifically is problematic... But I knew something was wrong when I heard Ryan Reynolds came and rewrote scenes from a movie that Justin Baldoni not only stars in but also directs and is therefore significantly involved in this project.”

The TikTok creator noted that Reynolds is Blake Lively's secondLove Interestfrom the film and claimed that he was trying toand “Just one more time” to “nextto do, adding, "It seems like Justin is being pushed out of this whole situation, which is honestly kind of sad because he was the most excited about this whole thing from the start."

In an interview with US magazinePeoplein April 2024, Justin Baldoni said that there was "not a part of this production that she [Lively] did not work on and had no influence on." He added: “Everything she tackled with her hands and her mind made her better.”

In an interview withVogueLively paused when asked about her own interest in writing, wondering why the interviewer brought up the topic. When asked if she would be interested in writing a screenplay from scratch, she replied: "A blank page is not nearly as exciting to me as a script that I start and find something in that people miss have. To say: 'No, no, no, there's something, there's more in it!' For me it's like a treasure hunt. And if I can see the treasure, then I'll become an archaeologist. I can dig, I can dig it up, I can find it and show people the value it has. For me, that’s what I love.”

December 2024: Blake Lively reports Justin Baldoni

A big bang just before Christmas: As various US media outlets unanimously reported on December 21, 2024, actress Blake Lively reported her co-star Justin Baldon. The reasons given are “sexual harassment” and a kind of character assassination in the form of a “smear campaign” by Baldoni against Lively. Lively also claimed that her "It Ends With Us" co-star's behavior caused her and her family extreme stress and is now seeking damages. Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, denies all allegations as false.

However, the lawsuit says according to the industry newspaperVariety, there was already a meeting during the filming of “Just One More Time” in which, in addition to Lively and Baldoni, Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds was also said to have been present and in which it was determined that Lively “would not make any further nude videos or images of Women” would be shown, Baldoni’s alleged former “porn addiction” should not be an issue, as well as “no further discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of the genitals of actors and staff, “no further inquiries about Blake’s weight and no further mention of Blake’s dead father” were permitted. It is unclear whether Baldoni broke this agreement and was therefore reported by Lively.

Lively also forbade any further “sex scenes, oral sex scenes and orgasm scenes” that were not in the script before production began and were not approved by her before filming began. Sony Pictures, the film's distributor, granted all of Lively's demands during filming. However, she accuses her director and co-star Justin Baldoni of a smear campaign against herself and her family after filming. The aim would have been to “destroy” her standing in Hollywood and her reputation.

TheNew York TimesThe “Gossip Girl” actress said of her complaint: “I hope my lawsuit helps lift the curtain on sinister retaliatory tactics that harm people who speak out about wrongdoing. I want to protect others who may become targets.”

January 2025: Justin Baldoni wants to sue Ryan Reynolds

It goes on. After Blake LiveLy charged Justin Baldoni in December, Justin Baldoni's lawyer team is now beating back and claims that Ryan Reynolds would have modeled him in his hit “Deadpool” just to help him. His lawyers are now looking for any connection to the character Nicepool from Disney to prove that this Justin Baldoni should represent in a bad light.

Peoplereports that Baldoni's lawyer team is looking for documents, among other things, “who refer to an intentional attempt or reflect them, to mock, to bother, to intimidate or to help Baldoni.

Is it really true that Nicepool should imitate Baldoni? Nicepool is a secondary figure (played by Reynolds) inalso wrote to the Reynolds. The figure is bun, describes itself in the film as a feminist, calls the figure Ladypool played by Lively played by Lively and says: "She just got a baby, and you don't even notice it." According to LIVELY, Baldoni repeatedly commented on her body during the shooting of her film after she had just born her fourth child.

In addition, there are rumors on social media about a deleted scene in “Deadpool & Wolverine”, which should play exactly on Baldoni again. Here the character Nicepool should say that it is his calling to start a podcast one day that makes the women's movement money. And lo and behold: Baldoni has been hosting a podcast called “Man Enough” since 2021, which deals with “modern masculinity”. His co-moderator Liz Plank left the podcast after Lively's accusations were published.

However, fans on social media show that Nicepool should be a parody on the stereotypical fake feminist “Nice Guy”, some of which are available. In the cinema, most fans have not recognized that this should be Justin Baldoni. But after the media reports, fans also see parallels - but that doesn't mean that they have pity. A fan writes: “Nicepool was a stereotyper, uncanny, pseudo -feminist sex plague. So when Justin Baldoni thinks that this is inspired by him, it says a lot more about him than someone else. ”

Blake Lively and her lawyers take a stand on Justin Baldonis indictment

It continues with the drama behind the scenes of “only once”. This time Baldoni Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds as well as the publicist Leslie Sloane and her PR company sued $ 400 million due to alleged defamation and extortion. It claims that the director was “humiliated” after he was “captured” in a basement at the premiere of the project in order to separate him from the film's leading actress, among other thingsEntertainment Weekly.

In a statement that ofPeoplePublished Lively's attendance team as “desperate” and “another chapter in the game book of abuse”. In this statement it says: “This is an ancient story: A woman speaks with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the perpetrator tries to turn the spit over the victim. Expert: Inside, this describes this as Darvo. Deny (deny). Attack (Attack). Reversed victim-perpetrator relationship (reverse Victim officer). ” The lawsuit is described by LIVELYS lawyers as a distraction maneuver.

In the end, it says in the statement: “In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the perpetrator focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively's lawsuit and will fail. ”

Behind-the-scenes videos should reveal the truth about Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively on the set

None: R of the two seems to want to give up, but they prefer to put one more. Justin Baldoni in particular is careful to disclose as much as possible.

SeaTMZBaldoni's team has published almost ten minutes of footage from the set, but so far the online magazine has only shown a two -minute clip from a scene in which the two figures dance. The scene does not contain a dialogue - in the final film it can only be seen in slow motion - and you can hear how the two actors talk about how they can best represent the moment. In Lively's version of the events, this seems to be the moment when Baldoni told her that she smelled well, in a way that she found inappropriately; The context of the video shows that this remark apparently referred to her self -tanner.

On the same day, on which Baldonis team published the video material from the set, his lawyer Bryan Freedman and his team toldPeople: "Justin Baldoni and his team ... have the right to defend themselves with the truth ... We will continue to show this with the upcoming website, which contains the entire correspondence and relevant videos that refute their claims."

What truth is right?

But what happens when a video is seen as evidence from both sides? While Baldoni's team argues that the video prove that there has been no harassment, Lively's team argues that “every second” LIVELYS claim confirms that there was one. "The video itself is stressful," say Lively's lawyers.

“The video shows how Mr. Baldoni repeats himself down to Ms. LIVELY, tries to kiss her, kiss her forehead, rub his face and mouth on her neck, stroke his thumb over her lips, stroke her, how to tell her how Well she smells and speaks to her outside of her character. Each of these moments was improvised by Mr. Baldoni, without prior discussion or approval, and there was no intimacy coordinator, ”wrote LIVELY's lawyers in their explanation, loudPeople.

The explanation continues: “Mr. Baldoni was not only the co-star of Ms. Lively, but also the director, the head of the studio and the boss of Ms. Lively. On the video you can see how Ms. Lively leans away and repeatedly asks that the characters just talk. Every woman who has already been touched in the workplace will recognize the discomfort of Ms. Lively. ”

Cases of sexual harassment and other forms of subtle or open abuse of power are often difficult to prove. In this case, however, both sides have claimed to have concrete evidence in order to underpin their accusations and defenses. A website with the evidence of Baldoni is not yet online.

Author Colleen Hoover is now disabling her Instagram account

The celebrated author of the novel “It Ends With Us” Colleen Hoover withdraws in the middle of the continuing legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni from social media. Fans have always looked for reactions from Colleen Hoover, but their account has been deleted on Instagram since January 22, 2025. In the end, her comment column was all about the legal dispute, and it seems that Colleen Hoover wants to have nothing to do with it.

What else do people say about “only once”?

Many fans suspected that Justin Baldoni's isolation could be a PR strategy that aims to remind the audience: in the inside that his figure of the "villain" of history is. However, not everyone was convinced, among other things because he is also the director of the film. Completely withdrawing does not sound like a smart strategy.

Appearances on the press tour of LIVELY and REYNOLDS“unsensibel”Described - especially if you consider the dark topics of the book and the film. It is not the first time that “only once” is confronted with this criticism: In January 2023, Hoover and the Atria Books publisher were accused of “romanticizing” domestic violence when a coloring book based on the bestseller was announced. Finally, Atria decided not to continue the project.

"When are you finally starting to talk about emotional and domestic abuse in a relationship and raise awareness of it?" Commented: E user: In a video of the female actresses and Colleen Hoover, which on LivelyysInstagram-Feedwas posted. "The dresses are cute, but this film has a deeper meaning," other commented on others. And anotheradded: "Where is Justin with all of this?"

"Am I the only one who sees that she [Lively] advertises in her name for things, but does not talk about what the book is actually about 😐," commented: E User: In LivelysInstagram-Post, in which she advertises her beverage company in connection with “IT Ends with Us”.

Many of Baldoni's interviews meanwhile revolved around the representation of abuse in the film: “There were many moments when I had to retire to a room to cry or shake it out of me and try to get Ryle out of me and this energy to get out of me because it is too real, ”said Baldoni in an interview published on August 7, 2024The Hollywood Reporter. “There are too many people who are the real Lily Blooms of the world who have to cope every day with abuse. I wanted it to be as real as possible, and yet it was very difficult to shoot these scenes. ”

“It End with us” drama: What exactly is going on here?

Well, we don't know - but many people defend and defend Justin Baldoni: "I will not see how they get Justin Mobben",commenteda user on Baldonis Instagram while anotheradded: “It breaks my heart 💔 to see them all separately. It is so sad that whatever is the problem, it cannot be communicated and solved behind closed doors for the benefit of the film. I mean he produced it. Nobody thanks him. "

It is quite possible that the fans are right and that there was a break between Baldoni and Lively. Lively's complaint also seems to confirm this.

Nevertheless, it is and remains important to know how quickly society turns against women in such situations. Women are always shown quickly as the evil, the angry. Can someone elseRemind you behind the scenes? Even.

This article comes from our college: inside of Glamor USA.