Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Feud, Legal Battle: Complete Timeline

The “It Ends With Us” press tour in the summertime of 2024 was overshadowed by rumors and hypothesis of a feud between lead star Blake Energetic and Justin Baldoni, her costar and director.

However whereas the film survived the backlash and went on to develop into one of many summer time’s largest hits on the field workplace, grossing $350 million worldwide, the “It Ends with Us” drama did not finish there.

In December 2024, Energetic filed a authorized criticism towards Baldoni, setting off a cascade of subsequent lawsuits introduced by Energetic, Baldoni, and even tangential characters like Baldoni’s ex-publicist Stephanie Jones.

In February 2025, Baldoni’s legal professionals launched a public web site containing paperwork associated to his authorized battle with Blake Energetic, because the state of affairs turned more and more tangled.

In June 2025, a decide threw out Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit. However the saga is not over for good — here is all the pieces we learn about their feud and authorized battle.

Baldoni did not work together with different solid members at press occasions, sparking feud rumors.

Followers suspected one thing was amiss when Baldoni and Energetic did not work together in the course of the press tour regardless of taking part in companions within the movie.

Energetic did press occasions with costars Brandon Sklenar and Isabela Ferrer and creator Colleen Hoover, who wrote the ebook the movie is predicated on. Baldoni did most of his press solo.

Once they each attended the New York premiere on August 6, they weren’t photographed collectively. Energetic posed along with her castmates, Hoover, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and Hugh Jackman, his “Deadpool & Wolverine” costar. Baldoni was photographed together with his spouse and a number of the different producers who labored on the movie.

Whereas chatting with Leisure Tonight on the carpet on the New York premiere, Baldoni defined why he was stepping again from the limelight.

“This is not my evening — it is a evening for all the ladies who we made this film for,” he mentioned.” This can be a evening for Blake, it is a evening for Colleen. I am simply so grateful that we’re right here, 5 years within the making.”

On social media, followers theorized concerning the potential drama between the 2.

The hypothesis intensified after a consumer on the r/ColleenHoover subreddit famous on August 6, 2024 that Energetic and Hoover didn’t comply with Baldoni on Instagram. Followers additionally observed that the movie’s different stars, together with Sklenar, Ferrer, and Jenny Slate, didn’t comply with Baldoni. Baldoni adopted all of them besides Hoover.

Enterprise Insider couldn’t confirm whether or not they beforehand adopted Baldoni.

Including to this concept was a clip of Slate seemingly sidestepping a query about Baldoni on the film’s New York premiere. Requested about having Baldoni as each a scene companion and a director, she responded by not mentioning him and as a substitute talking about how “intense” it have to be to do each jobs.

As hypothesis elevated, followers turned on Energetic.

Many followers started blaming Energetic for the supposed feud, accusing her of attempting to take over the movie.

This concept was supported by Baldoni and Energetic’s interviews within the lead-up to the premiere.

On August 9, 2024, Baldoni instructed At this time that Energetic and Reynolds, who was not a producer on the movie, contributed considerably to it.

“You’ll be able to’t summarize Blake’s contribution in a sentence, as a result of her power and imprint is all around the film and actually, actually made the movie higher, and from starting to finish,” Baldoni mentioned.

Baldoni additionally mentioned he struggled to stability permitting collaboration and having his voice drowned out solely.

“You do not have to hearken to everyone, and that did not occur on a regular basis, however there have been simply moments the place I’d get out of the best way an excessive amount of,” he mentioned.

Baldoni mentioned Energetic ought to take over as director to adapt the sequel to the “It Ends With Us” novel, “It Begins with Us.”

In the meantime, Energetic instructed E! Information on August 7, 2024 that Reynolds helped pen the opening scene of “It Ends With Us.”

The movie’s screenwriter Christy Hal instructed Folks a day later that she wasn’t conscious that Reynolds had written a number of the dialogue used within the remaining model of the script.

“After I noticed a reduce, I used to be like, ‘Oh, that is cute. That will need to have been a cute improvised factor,'” Corridor mentioned. “So if I am being instructed that Ryan wrote that, then nice, how great.”

Followers additionally criticized how Energetic promoted the film, selecting to concentrate on its lighthearted and romantic parts as a substitute of its heavy home abuse plot.

Baldoni was the one solid member who persistently spoke concerning the home abuse component.

A clip of Energetic making an off-color comment to a reporter in a 2016 interview resurfaced amid the ‘It Ends With Us’ drama.

As on-line sentiment towards Energetic turned more and more unfavorable, journalist Kjersti Flaa launched an archival clip of an interview with Blake Energetic on August 10, 2024 titled “The Blake Energetic interview that made me wish to give up my job.”

“It truly took me some time to recover from the expertise,” Flaa instructed BI in an e mail on August 19, 2024 of the interview, which happened years earlier.

“Each time I entered a room after this I acquired nervous that one thing comparable may occur once more,” she wrote.

Energetic’s costar made a press release asking folks to cease specializing in ‘what might or might not have occurred.’

Sklenar, who performs Energetic’s different love curiosity in “It Ends With Us,” spoke out concerning the backlash in an Instagram publish on August 20, 2024.

“Colleen and the ladies of this solid stand for hope, perseverance, and for ladies selecting a greater life for themselves. Vilifying the ladies who put a lot of their coronary heart and soul into making this movie as a result of they consider so strongly in its message appears counterproductive and detracts from what this movie is about,” he mentioned.

“This movie is supposed to encourage. It is meant to validate and acknowledge,” Sklenar added. “It’s not meant to as soon as once more, make girls the ‘unhealthy man,’ let’s transfer past that collectively.”

Representatives for Baldoni, Energetic, Reynolds, Hoover, and Sklenar didn’t reply to requests for remark from Enterprise Insider.

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Months later, Energetic filed a criticism towards Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and a smear marketing campaign towards her.

On December 20, 2024, Energetic filed a authorized criticism towards Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, inflicting “emotional misery,” and conspiring to break her public repute.

Energetic’s criticism additionally named Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni’s manufacturing firm, and Jamey Heath, the corporate’s CEO, as two of the 11 defendants.

Within the criticism, Energetic mentioned an all-hands assembly about Baldoni and Heath’s habits on set was held in January 2023. She accused him of exhibiting her nude movies and pictures of ladies, improvising kissing scenes or intimate scenes, and getting into her trailer whereas she was bare.

Energetic mentioned Heath and Baldoni responded by hiring Melissa Nathan, a disaster PR consultant, and Jed Wallace, a Texas-based contractor, each defendants within the criticism, to orchestrate a “multi-tiered” plan to “destroy” her public repute and cease her or anybody else from talking out about what occurred on set.

She additionally mentioned that the solid agreed to a advertising plan created by the movie’s distributor, Sony Photos Leisure, to keep away from speaking concerning the unhappy components of the film, which Baldoni broke away from.

“What the general public didn’t know was that Mr. Baldoni and his workforce did so to elucidate why most of the Movie’s solid and crew had unfollowed Mr. Baldoni on social media and weren’t showing with him in public,” the criticism mentioned.

Baldoni’s lawyer mentioned Energetic blamed Baldoni in hopes of enhancing her repute.

Bryan Freedman, an lawyer for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, instructed BI in a press release after the criticism was filed: “It’s shameful that Ms. Energetic and her representatives would make such severe and categorically false accusations towards Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet one more determined try and ‘repair’ her unfavorable repute, which was garnered from her personal remarks and actions in the course of the marketing campaign for the movie; interviews and press actions that had been noticed publicly, in actual time and unedited, which allowed for the web to generate their very own views and opinions.”

Freedman mentioned Nathan was employed as a result of Energetic made a number of calls for and threatened to not present as much as set or promote the movie in the event that they weren’t met.

When requested to answer Freedman, a consultant for Energetic referred BI to a press release shared with The New York Instances on December 21, 2024: “I hope that my authorized motion helps pull again the curtain on these sinister retaliatory techniques to hurt individuals who converse up about misconduct and helps shield others who could also be focused.”

On December 24, 2024, publicist Stephanie Jones sued Baldoni, his movie studio, Melissa Nathan, and Jennifer Abel, a former worker of Jones’ PR firm, for breach of contract and defamation.

Within the go well with, Jones alleged Baldoni and the PRs orchestrated a smear marketing campaign towards Energetic whereas her firm was working with Baldoni. Jones mentioned this was finished behind her again till August 2024, when Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios stopped working with the corporate and labored instantly with Abel.

Within the following days, Hoover and different stars reacted to the lawsuit.

Energetic’s costars from 2005’s “The Sisterhood of the Touring Pants” — America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel — shared a joint assertion supporting Energetic after she made the criticism.

Hoover and Sklenar, who labored on “It Ends With Us,” appeared to each throw their help behind Energetic by sharing hyperlinks to her allegations on their Instagram tales.

“@blakelively, you may have been nothing however trustworthy, sort, supportive and affected person because the day we met,” Hoover wrote in her story publish. “Thanks for being precisely the human that you’re. By no means change. By no means wilt.”

Hoover has since deleted her Instagram, TikTok and Threads account.

Representatives for Hoover didn’t instantly reply to a remark request from BI.

Baldoni was dropped by his expertise company.

On December 21, 2024, The New York Instances reported that Ari Emanuel, chief government of the mum or dad firm that owns Baldoni’s expertise company, William Morris Endeavor, mentioned the company had stopped representing him.

On December 9, 2024, earlier than the criticism was launched, Important Voices, a nonprofit group that helps girls leaders, awarded Baldoni the Voices of Solidarity Award to honor his advocacy work for ladies.

On December 23, 2024, Important Voices mentioned in a press release on their web site that they’d rescinded the award.

“The communications amongst Mr. Baldoni and his publicists included within the lawsuit — and the PR effort they point out — are, alone, opposite to the values of Important Voices and the spirit of the Award,” the assertion learn.

Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit towards The New York Instances.

Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and others talked about in a New York Instances story that detailed Energetic’s accusations towards Baldoni filed a lawsuit towards the newspaper on December 31, 2024.

The lawsuit, obtained by BI, mentioned the Instances’ story printed on December 21, 2024 “relied virtually solely on Energetic’s unverified and self-serving narrative” and accused the publication of “disregarding an abundance of proof that contradicted her claims and uncovered her true motives.”

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Courtroom, contained screenshots of messages that it mentioned contradicted the Instances’ reporting.

In a press release supplied to BI after the lawsuit was filed, a Instances spokesperson mentioned the newspaper stood by its reporting and would “vigorously defend towards the lawsuit.”

“Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based mostly on a evaluate of 1000’s of pages of authentic paperwork, together with the textual content messages and emails that we quote precisely and at size within the article,” the assertion mentioned.

The outlet additionally printed its full assertion responding to the allegations.

In a press release supplied to BI after Baldoni’s lawsuit was filed, Freedman, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, mentioned Energetic had orchestrated a “vicious smear marketing campaign” and that the Instances “cowered to the desires and whims of two highly effective ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites.”

Freedman additionally mentioned that they might additionally sue different people “who’ve abused their energy to attempt to destroy the lives of my purchasers.”

In a press release supplied to BI about Baldoni’s go well with, Energetic’s legal professionals mentioned: “Nothing on this lawsuit adjustments something concerning the claims superior in Ms. Energetic’s California Civil Rights Division Criticism, nor her federal criticism.”

Energetic filed her personal lawsuit in New York.

ETIENNE LAURENT/AFP by way of Getty Pictures

The identical day Baldoni filed his lawsuit towards the Instances, Energetic filed a lawsuit towards him, Wayfarer, and others in New York federal court docket.

Representatives for Energetic mentioned the lawsuit, which was obtained by BI, was based mostly on the authorized criticism Energetic beforehand filed with the California Civil Rights Division. The lawsuit accuses Baldoni and his PR workforce of partaking in a marketing campaign to retaliate towards her for talking out about sexual misconduct.

“Sadly, Ms. Energetic’s determination to talk out has resulted in additional retaliation and assaults,” her legal professionals mentioned in a press release supplied to BI. “As alleged in Ms. Energetic’s federal Criticism, Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state legislation by retaliating towards her for reporting sexual harassment and office security issues.”

Representatives for Baldoni and Wayfarer didn’t tackle the lawsuit filed by Energetic when reached by BI.

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Baldoni’s lawyer accused Reynolds of teasing the actor with a ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ character.

On January 7, Freedman instructed SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Present” that his workforce deliberate to take additional authorized motion.

Freedman additionally alleged Reynolds used his affect to assist Energetic take over “It Ends With Us” and to mock Baldoni on “Deadpool and Wolverine,” by way of a brand new character within the movie known as Nicepool.

Within the movie, which premiered in July 2024 and was the second-highest-grossing film of 2024, Nicepool, a model of Deadpool from an alternate dimension whose face has not been disfigured, jokes a few girl’s being pregnant weight, claims to be a feminist and wears a person bun.

Freedman alleged this was based mostly on Baldoni, who has a repute for being a feminist and has been recognized to put on his hair in a bun prior to now.

Within the film, Nicepool is finally killed by Ladypool, a feminine model of Deadpool from an alternate dimension performed by Energetic.

“What I make of that’s that in case your spouse is sexually harassed, you do not make enjoyable of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman mentioned. “You do not make enjoyable of the state of affairs. You’re taking it very critically. You file HR complaints. You increase the problem and also you comply with a authorized course of. What you do not do is mock the particular person and switch it right into a joke.”

Baldoni’s firm Wayfarer sued Energetic, her publicist, and Reynolds.

On January 16, 2025, Baldoni, his associates at his firm Wayfarer Studios, and his publicists Nathan and Abel sued Energetic, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging they orchestrated a smear marketing campaign towards him.

Baldoni’s lawsuit, which seeks $400 million in damages, alleges that Energetic, with the assistance of Reynolds and Sloane, hijacked “It Ends with Us” by wresting artistic management away from Baldoni, then labored to destroy his repute and livelihood.

The go well with, which accommodates most of the similar particulars from Baldoni’s defamation go well with towards the Instances, additionally claims that Reynolds pressured the expertise company WME, which additionally represents Energetic and Reynolds, to drop Baldoni.

The company did so in December however a WME spokesperson beforehand denied Reynolds and Energetic put strain on the company.

Freedman instructed BI that their go well with was “based mostly on an awesome quantity of untampered proof detailing Blake Energetic and her workforce’s duplicitous try and destroy Justin Baldoni.”

“Justin and his workforce don’t have anything to cover,” the assertion provides, “paperwork don’t lie.”

Energetic’s authorized workforce mentioned Baldoni’s workforce’s go well with is one other try and “shift the narrative” from one about harassment claims to 1 round battles for artistic management.

“This newest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is one other chapter within the abuser playbook,” Energetic’s authorized workforce mentioned. “That is an age-old story: A girl speaks up with concrete proof of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser makes an attempt to show the tables on the sufferer.”

Baldoni’s workforce launched behind-the-scenes footage from the “It Ends With Us” set.

In Energetic’s criticism, Energetic mentioned Baldoni acted as himself as a substitute of Ryle whereas filming a slow-dance sequence for the romance movie.

“At one level, he leaned ahead and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he mentioned, ‘it smells so good,'” the criticism learn. “None of this was remotely finished in character, or based mostly on any dialogue within the script, and nothing wanted to be mentioned as a result of, once more, there was no sound.”

Her workforce alleged Energetic later objected to this habits and mentioned Baldoni replied, “I am not even drawn to you.”

On January 21, Baldoni’s manufacturing firm and lawyer hit again by sending an almost 10-minute behind-the-scenes footage of the solid filming the scene to retailers together with the Each day Mail.

Baldoni’s workforce mentioned in a press release originally of the video that the footage accommodates three takes filmed on Might 23, 2023, and mentioned these had been the one variations filmed of the scene.

“Each actors are clearly behaving nicely inside the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism,” they added.

The video additionally confirmed that the preliminary route within the “It Ends With Us” script is that Baldoni and Energetic’s characters simply dance collectively.

Within the takes, Baldoni repeatedly strikes in to kiss Energetic, and Energetic pulls away and says it might be higher in the event that they talked in the course of the scene. At one level, Baldoni rubs his face on each side of Energetic’s neck seemingly with out warning, however the pair joke about it within the video.

The video has elicited a spread of responses on social media. Some customers thought Energetic appeared uncomfortable, whereas others believed Energetic was drawn to her costar.

Energetic’s attorneys despatched a press release to The Hollywood Reporter after the video was printed, saying that the footage corroborated Energetic’s story as a result of “each second of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no dialogue or consent upfront, and no intimacy coordinator current.”

“The video reveals Ms. Energetic leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to only speak. Any girl who has been inappropriately touched within the office will acknowledge Ms. Energetic’s discomfort,” the assertion mentioned.

“They are going to acknowledge her makes an attempt at levity to attempt to deflect the undesirable touching. No girl ought to need to take defensive measures to keep away from being touched by their employer with out their consent.”

Energetic’s attorneys additionally mentioned that Baldoni’s option to launch the video to the media as a substitute of presenting it to court docket was an “unethical try to control the general public” and a “continuation of their harassment and retaliatory marketing campaign.”

“Whereas they’re targeted on deceptive media narratives, we’re targeted on the authorized course of,” her attorneys mentioned.

Freedman responded in a press release despatched to Enterprise Insider by way of e mail on Wednesday: “Previous to submitting her lawsuit in court docket, Ms. Energetic went to The New York Instances in an effort to publicly destroy Justin Baldoni. When Mr. Baldoni workout routines his proper to publicly defend himself by placing forth precise details and proof, for Ms Energetic and workforce this immediately turns into morally and ethically fallacious.”

The assertion continued: “Ms. Energetic desires very totally different requirements to use to her however happily, fact and authenticity apply to everybody and may by no means be fallacious. Wanting on the video and the proof to return, I can perceive why Ms. Energetic would now, not need this to play out in public.”

Baldoni’s legal professionals created a web site containing his criticism and a timeline of occasions.

https://thelawsuitinfo.com

In February 2025, Baldoni’s legal professionals launched a web site containing two paperwork associated to his authorized battle with Energetic.

The primary is an amended model of Baldoni’s $400 million counter-lawsuit towards Energetic and Reynolds.

Within the amended criticism, Baldoni’s workforce claims that the metadata on The New York Instances’ web site reveals that the publication had entry to Energetic’s civil rights criticism a minimum of 11 days earlier than publishing its report on Baldoni’s alleged smear marketing campaign, titled “‘We Can Bury Anybody’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”

One other replace within the lawsuit took goal at Energetic’s husband and accused him of utilizing the character of Nicepool in “Deadpool & Wolverine” to bully Baldoni, saying that the “caricature of a ‘woke’ feminist” was a “clear and mocking portrayal of Reynolds’ warped notion of Baldoni.”

The second doc on the brand new web site is a 168-page “timeline of related occasions” associated to the feud and the film’s manufacturing. The timeline dates from January 2019, when Baldoni approached Hoover about adapting her novel, to January 2025.

In a press release to CNN, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman mentioned: “The choice to amend our lawsuit was a logical subsequent step because of the overwhelming quantity of latest proof that has come to mild.”

Selection reported that the Instances has disputed “inaccuracies” in Baldoni’s criticism.

A decide threw out Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit.

On June 9, US District Decide Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit, through which the actor and director accused Energetic of taking artistic management of “It Ends with Us” and damaging his repute. The go well with additionally alleged that Energetic had falsely accused Baldoni of sexual harassment as a option to take management of the manufacturing.

The countersuit had beforehand been mixed with a separate go well with Baldoni had filed towards The New York Instances and Energetic’s publicist Leslie Sloane, which accused Sloane of planting rumors to smear Baldoni within the press and the Instances of facilitating their circulation.

Decide Liman dominated that Energetic’s claims of sexual harassment had been legally protected and immune from a lawsuit. Liman remains to be weighing whether or not to dismiss Energetic’s lawsuit towards Baldoni.

This can be a creating story. Examine again for updates.