The drama It Ends with Us, which was released this year in August, became a box office leader, earning $350 million (against a budget of $25 million). The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel tells the story of a florist, Lily Bloom, who has an abusive relationship with a neurosurgeon, Ryle. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni play the main characters.
After the film’s premiere, information began to spread online that Blake and Justin were feuding on the set. A meeting was even organized to discuss the tense atmosphere on the team. During the premiere, Lively and the rest of the crew had no contact with Baldoni.
Recently, it became known that Blake is suing Baldoni for defamation and libel. This was reported by The New York Times. According to the publication, the statement mentions numerous episodes when Baldoni made Lively feel uncomfortable. In particular, he could enter the actress’s trailer without permission during makeup and even breastfeeding. Among other things, Justin allegedly showed Blake photos and videos of naked women, talked about his porn addiction and sex life, discussed the genitals of actors and crew members, and made comments about her weight.
Baldoni’s lawyer said the actress’s accusations are “completely false, outrageous and intentionally obscene with the aim of publicly insulting and rephrasing the story in the media.”
The media also published correspondence between Justin Baldoni, his publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan, who led Johnny Depp’s media campaign during the legal battle with Amber Heard. The reports show that Baldoni turned to Abel “as planned” in case Blake blocks him on social media while promoting the film. Justin is worried because the actress’s husband, 48-year-old Ryan Reynolds, has already done this before.
According to the NY Times, the “plan” was to “whitewash” Baldoni in front of the public and the audience by taking a clearly defined position on the film, which focuses on domestic violence. Then, if you remember, the actress was condemned because she allegedly failed to properly address the film’s main problem. This is where Melissa Nathan came in.
It is not yet known what decision the court will make. Still, Baldoni has already faced the consequences of the scandal: the WME agency has stopped working with him. Colleen Hoover also took Blake’s side.