It Ends with Us controversy

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Actress Blake Lively (left; pictured in 2011) and director Justin Baldoni (pictured in 2017)

It Ends with Us is a 2024 American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni from a screenplay by Christy Hall, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. The film stars Blake Lively alongside Baldoni and premiered in August 2024. It was a box-office success, grossing $351 million worldwide against a $25 million budget.

The production became mired in controversy due to disputes between Lively and Baldoni, with the former drawing criticism for not addressing the film's themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse during its promotional tour and the latter being accused of sexual harassment on set. Between December 20, 2024, and January 31, 2025, several lawsuits were filed regarding various issues on the set of the film.

On December 20, 2024, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging Baldoni created a hostile work environment through inappropriate sexual comments and boundary violations. The complaint coincided with a New York Times article^[1] alleging that Baldoni hired a PR team to ruin Lively's public image in retaliation for the complaints. On December 31, 2024, Lively filed a federal suit against Baldoni for the same issues from her complaint to the Civil Rights Department. Lively additionally sued two of Baldoni's public relations representatives, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, for violat[ing] federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns.^[2]

On December 26, 2024, Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit for $250 million against The New York Times.^[3] On January 16, 2025, he also filed a $400 million civil suit against lead actress Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloan for extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.^[4] Baldoni's filings allege that Lively used the threats of false sexual harassment complaints and walking away from production to take creative control over the movie production, successfully shutting him out, firing his editors, and banning him from the premiere of the film. Baldoni claimed that he did not participate in a smear campaign, and that the negative public image that Lively garnered during promotion of the film was organic.