In the complaint, Lively alleges that the filming of “It Ends with Us” became uncomfortable, leading to an “all hands” meeting involving her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to address alleged inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath. During the meeting, Baldoni and Heath were asked to cease showing nude videos and discussing personal experiences of sex and pornography addiction in front of Lively and others. Lively also requested they refrain from describing their own genitalia. She demanded that no additional sex scenes or on-camera climaxing be added beyond her approval. Lively also addressed other set issues and asked Baldoni to stop referring to her late father and pressing her about her religious beliefs.
After the film’s release, Lively claims Baldoni engaged in a campaign to harm her reputation, causing severe emotional distress. The lawsuit includes excerpts of texts and emails detailing a plan to damage Lively’s reputation. In a statement, Lively expressed hope that her legal action would expose retaliatory tactics and protect others from similar targeting. The complaint follows rumors of a feud between Lively and Baldoni during the film’s promotion.
In response, Baldoni’s attorney, Freedman, dismissed Lively’s lawsuit as a desperate attempt to salvage her reputation. Freedman described the accusations as false and salacious, aimed at harming Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. The statement refuted claims made by Lively’s team and highlighted proactive steps taken by Wayfarer Studios to manage the situation. Baldoni’s attorneys accused Lively’s team of fabricating stories about Baldoni to the press prior to the film’s marketing campaign.
Wayfarer Studios decided to enlist the services of a crisis professional to develop internal scenario planning in preparation for any potential issues that may arise, as stated in the announcement. However, it was noted that Wayfarer Studios did not take proactive actions or retaliate, but instead chose to respond to media inquiries in order to ensure balanced and accurate reporting, while also monitoring social media activity.
The statement emphasized that the communication provided did not highlight any proactive engagement with the media or other avenues, but rather focused on internal planning and confidential discussions with public relations experts, which is standard procedure in such situations. TODAY.com has reached out to legal representatives for Lively and Sony Pictures, the film’s distributor, for comments regarding Baldoni’s response to the complaint.
Speculations about tensions between Lively and Baldoni surfaced during the promotional activities for “It Ends with Us,” which premiered in theaters in August 2024. The film, based on Colleen Hoover’s popular novel of the same name from 2016, follows the story of Lily Bloom, played by Lively, who becomes involved with a charismatic neurosurgeon named Ryle, portrayed by Baldoni, only to find herself in an abusive relationship.
On December 21, Hoover posted a photo on her Instagram story embracing Lively, tagging the actor and seemingly addressing the allegations. She expressed her gratitude towards Lively for her honesty, kindness, support, and patience since their first meeting, praising her for being true to herself.
Despite online observations that Baldoni did not pose with Lively or other co-stars at the film’s premiere on August 6 in New York, rumors of discord among the cast circulated. Further fueling the speculations was the fact that Lively, Hoover, and other cast members followed each other on Instagram, but not Baldoni. Additionally, Baldoni chose to conduct his media interviews separately from group promotional events with other actors, with Lively being more actively involved in joint media appearances.
While Lively and Baldoni did not publicly address the rumored conflict, Baldoni commended Lively for her intelligence and creative input during an interview on TODAY. He even suggested that Lively direct the potential sequel to “It Ends With Us,” indicating that she was well-suited for the role.
Amidst the escalating rumors, Lively faced online criticism for her promotional interviews about the film, with some questioning the alignment of her behavior with the movie’s serious themes. Likewise, Hoover received backlash for supposedly romanticizing domestic violence in her book, drawing negative attention from online commentators.
Brandon Sklenar, who portrays Atlas, Lily’s former high school boyfriend in the film, also weighed in on the situation.
The film has been at the center of numerous controversies, prompting a detailed response from the filmmaker on Instagram on August 20th. In his statement, he stood up for actresses Lively, Hoover, and other female collaborators who have faced online criticism. Sklenar emphasized that regardless of any possible issues behind the scenes during the filming process, these should not overshadow the original intentions behind creating the film. “It’s disheartening to witness the level of negativity that is circulating online,” he expressed.
