'It Ends with Us': All the legal drama between Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni explained

"It Ends with Us," the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestseller, was supposed to be a BookTok Hollywood success story. Instead, it's become a Hollywood PR nightmare as Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni take legal action amid accusations of misconduct on set and manipulative public relations strategies.

It all started Aug. 6 at the New York City premiere of the movie, when fans noticed there wasn't a single shot of the entire cast together. Lively was photographed with husband Ryan Reynolds (who joined in on the press junket run for this movie), fellow A-lister friend Hugh Jackman, and co-stars Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar.

But what stood out to fans the most was that Baldoni only appeared on the red carpet solo and side-by-side with his wife, Emily Baldoni, and other friends and family — but never with Lively or other co-stars.

Red carpet premieres and press junkets came and went, and the movie began streaming on Netflix in December, but behind the scenes, a lawsuit against Baldoni claiming sexual misconduct on set and a smear campaign against his co-star was brewing.

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Fast forward to Dec. 21, Lively claimed that Baldoni, who directed the film, coordinated a PR campaign with a crisis firm, which her lawyers called "'social manipulation' designed to 'destroy' Ms. Lively's reputation" after she took issue with on-set behavior, according to a copy of a legal complaint obtained by USA TODAY. That same day, The New York Times also published an in-depth report about Lively's accusations.

The news shocked fans of Baldoni, who rose from a beloved character on "Jane the Virgin" and built a platform defending women and speaking up against toxic masculinity.

Then on Dec. 31, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, additionally alleging sexual harassment and "severe emotional distress," and Baldoni launched legal action against The New York Times for libel.

From an awkward promotional press tour for the movie and interview snubs from the cast to sexual harassment lawsuits against the film's director, here's everything you need to catch up on.

Justin Baldoni claims Ryan Reynolds 'aggressively berated' him

Weeks before the New York premiere of "It Ends with Us," Baldoni claimed Reynolds "had aggressively berated Baldoni during a meeting at their penthouse in New York, accusing him of 'fat shaming' Lively."

Baldoni had allegedly asked his trainer − who was introduced to him by Lively − how much she weighed. He did so because due to his back issues and multiple bulging discs, he wanted "to ensure he could safely perform" a lift during a scene of the movie without injury, per Baldoni's legal complaint.

The inquiry made its back to Lively and Reynolds. "The confrontation that followed was so aggressive that Baldoni felt compelled to offer repeated apologies, despite his question being entirely reasonable and made in good faith," the complaint reads.

In Lively's Dec. 31 lawsuit, the actress claimed she was allegedly "routinely degraded" by Baldoni as he found "ways of criticizing her body and weight."

"A few weeks before filming began and less than four months after Ms. Lively had given birth to her fourth child, Ms. Lively was humiliated to learn that Mr. Baldoni secretly called her fitness trainer, without her knowledge or permission, and implied that he wanted her to lose weight in two weeks," her lawsuit reads.

Full context: Justin Baldoni alleges Ryan Reynolds accused him of weight-shaming Blake Lively

Blake Lively files formal lawsuit against Justin Baldoni

On Dec. 31, Lively officially sued Baldoni in New York federal court.

The lawsuit came ten days after she filed a headline-generating complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni, which surfaced on Dec. 21. The Dec. 31 lawsuit mirrors Lively's earlier claims laid out in her complaint, which allege that Baldoni — along with Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath — engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct in and out of the workplace.

Her lawsuit also claimed that "as a direct, foreseeable, and proximate result of this unlawful discriminatory conduct" by Baldoni and others named, Lively "suffered, and continues to suffer, substantial damages."

Justin Baldoni sues The New York Times for libel over Blake Lively report

In an 87-page complaint filed Dec. 31 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Baldoni filed a legal complaint against The New York Times, seeking to sue for $250 million.

Baldoni and a group of nine other plaintiffs, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel and "It Ends With Us" producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, allege libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract.

Attorney Bryan Freedman, who filed the lawsuit on Baldoni's behalf, told USA TODAY, "In this vicious smear campaign fully orchestrated by Blake Lively and her team, the New York Times cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful 'untouchable' Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative."

More: Justin Baldoni files $250M lawsuit against New York Times over Blake Lively claims

Justin Baldoni loses podcast host, stripped of award

On Dec. 9, at an event in New York City, Baldoni was honored alongside three other male recipients by Vital Voices, a non-profit organization advocating for domestic and sexual violence prevention based in Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 23, two days after the Lively complaint surfaced, Vital Voices announced that they were stripping Baldoni of his Voices of Solidarity Award, which the organization describes as an honor for "remarkable men who have shown courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls."

Vital Voices issued a statement, calling the accusations against Baldoni "disturbing" and "abhorrent." The organization continued: "The communications among Mr. Baldoni and his publicist included in the lawsuit — and the PR effort they indicate — are, alone, contrary to the spirit of the Award. We have notified Mr. Baldoni that we have rescinded this award."

Baldoni's podcast co-host, masculinity-focused feminist and journalist Liz Plank, publicly announced she had quit on Dec. 23 in an open letter to listeners, writing in a lengthy statement that "we all deserve better."

Blake Lively files complaint against Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment

On Dec. 21, Lively filed a legal complaint against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment.

The allegations laid out in the complaint include showing videos and images of nude women, discussing his past pornography addiction, detailing personal sexual experiences, describing his genitalia, improvising kisses, talking to Lively's trainer about her weight, entering her trailer while she was naked, adding sex scenes and making personal, physical and sexual comments.

When Lively came forward about the allegations, her lawyers claimed Baldoni colluded with crisis PR firm fixers to "destroy" her career in a choreographed attempt to conceal abusive behavior of his own.

In a statement provided to The New York Times, an attorney for Baldoni's production company, Bryan Freedman, described Lively's allegations as "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."

The swift impact of harassment claims: Justin Baldoni lost award, podcast co-host

Justin Baldoni promoted 'It Ends with Us' separately from cast

Lively promoted "It Ends with Us" in joint interviews with co-stars Sklenar, Slate and Isabela Ferrer. Even Lively's husband Reynolds got in on the promo action, conducting a playful interview with Sklenar, in which he pretended to crash the actor's press junket.

However, fans began to notice Baldoni was doing press for the film primarily in solo interviews, including appearances on the "Today" show, "CBS Mornings" and "Access Hollywood."

When asked about Lively on "Access Hollywood," Baldoni gushed about the "brilliance of Blake Lively" and how she informed his performance as Ryle. "She's such a wonderful listener," Baldoni said. "So, having her as a scene partner made me better."

Following the movie's premiere, internet sleuths scrutinized the cast's social media activity and claimed that Hoover and Lively unfollowed Baldoni on Instagram.

Per USA TODAY's review, none of the main cast members of "It Ends with Us" follow Baldoni on Instagram. Lively follows Sklenar, Hoover and Slate.

Jenny Slate avoids interview question about Justin Baldoni

Fans doubled down on the cast drama rumors when Slate — who plays Lively's on-screen best friend Allysa — avoided directly answering a question about Baldoni's directing chops.

"Talk to me, what was that like — having (Justin Baldoni) be director but also scene partner?" an interviewer for Deadline asked Slate at the New York premiere.

To which Slate answered, "I mean, what an intense job? To have to do so many things." She added that she "was looking around just being like, 'I'm good with just acting, I love it.' "

And at no point did she mention Baldoni.

Who plays Lily, Ryle and Atlas in 'It Ends with Us' movie? See full cast

However, during an interview with People magazine, Sklenar opened up about working with Baldoni and said the "Jane the Virgin" actor did a "great" job balancing his duties as actor, director and producer.

"The entire crew that he ensembled was so incredible," Sklenar added. "Everybody in this film is just on the top of their game across the board. It was a really pleasant environment to work in."

But following Lively's Dec. 21 legal complaint against Baldoni, Sklenar publicly defended his co-star. "For the love of God read this," he wrote on social media, sharing a link to the New York Times report.

More: Blake Lively's co-star Brandon Sklenar defends her amid Justin Baldoni 'It Ends with Us' claims

Justin Baldoni on working with 'complex personalities' on set

In an interview published on Today.com, Baldoni said, "Every movie is a miracle. And then, of course, you're navigating complex personalities and trying to get everybody on the same page with the same vision."

The actor said at times he felt as though people on set wondered "if I know what I'm doing or if I have a point of view because I'm so willing to have my vision changed."

In an interview with Elle UK published Aug. 9, Baldoni addressed "friction" on the set of "It Ends with Us": "As a filmmaker, you’re always navigating personalities."

"There are all these things that happen every day on set, there's always friction that happens when you make a movie like this. Then at the end of the day, it's that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art," he told Elle.

Blake Lively says Ryan Reynolds rewrote 'It Ends with Us' rooftop scene

While Baldoni served as director and producer of "It Ends with Us," it's Reynolds who Lively has praised for his creative contributions.

"The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it," Lively revealed to E! News. "Nobody knows that but you now."

"We help each other," she added. "He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his. I mean, he's all over this film."

The film's screenwriter, Christy Hall, told People magazine she wasn't aware Reynolds had any part in writing that scene.

Blake Lively posts the National Domestic Violence Hotline

While the film adaptation of "It Ends with Us" doesn't shy away from tackling the book's unflinching portrayal of domestic violence, many fans have taken issue with the lighthearted tone of the film's marketing.

On Tuesday, Aug. 13, Lively addressed the film's domestic violence on her Instagram stories in a pair of posts. "It Ends With Us is a story of the female experience," she wrote. "All the highest highs, and lowest lows. And we are so proud of it. We have been in celebration of this film and of getting a message so important out there to the masses."

In the next story, she shared statistics highlighting the prevalence of intimate partner violence and provided ways to reach the National Domestic Violence Hotline. "Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence," Lively wrote.

Justin Baldoni hires PR crisis manager

Reports from The Hollywood Reporter and People Magazine surfaced on Aug. 13 alleging Baldoni had hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan, founder of The Agency Group PR.

Nathan previously represented Johnny Depp during the actor's litigation with his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Brandon Sklenar defends Blake Lively before lawsuit became public

In an Instagram post on Aug. 20, Sklenar penned a lengthy statement aimed at "all this stuff swirling online. Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves."

"Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about."

Read his full statement: 'It Ends With Us' star Brandon Sklenar defends Blake Lively, Colleen Hoover amid backlash

Safe Horizon's hotline offers crisis counseling, safety planning, and assistance finding shelters 1(800) 621-HOPE (4673). It also has a chat feature where you can reach out for help from a computer or phone confidentially. 

Survivors can also call the New York City Anti-Violence Project's 24/7 English/Spanish hotline at 212-714-1141 and get support. If calling is not safe but email is possible, make a report at avp.org/get-help and leave safe contact information, and someone will reach out.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'It Ends with Us': Blake Lively officially sues Justin Baldoni