Yahoo Lifestyle A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Feud In Court, Online & In The Media
Sony’s It Ends With Us adapted Colleen Hoover’s powerful story about domestic violence and a resilient woman, but drama between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni behind the scenes and afterwards has lingered beyond the film’s release in theaters. Arriving to the big screen last August and later heading to streaming on Netflix in December 2024, the Justin-Baldoni-directed film drew many moviegoers, though some didn’t realize what the story was fully about.
Tensions mainly lie between the film’s costars — Lively, who portrays main character Lily Bloom, and Baldoni, who also stars as Ryle, the abusive husband of Lily, in addition to directing the film with a script from Christy Hall. During press for the film, it became clear that Baldoni and Lively were maintaining distance from each other, and even on the red carpet at the New York premiere, they didn’t take photos together.
More from Deadline
Late in 2024, revelations came about through a nixed SNL hosting campaign for Lively, a disappointing Blake Brown Beauty product launch for the actress, lawsuits and more. For a complete timeline of moments, large and small, that make up the feud that bloomed between the stars, their publicists, lawyers and more, follow along below — and we will be updating:
Dec. 20, 2024 – Blake Lively Accuses Justin Baldoni of Sexual Harrassment & “Astroturfing”
Months after the film’s awkward premiere and weeks after the film went to Netflix for streaming, a new round of explosive evidence came out that something definitely went down between the two stars. Lively accused Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios as well as others behind the film of sexually harassing her and also strategizing to “destroy her reputation.”
Lively filed a 10-claim complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, detailing a “hostile work enviornment’ as well as the alleged “Astroturfing” campaign.
“Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation for Ms. Lively exercising her legally-protected right to speak up about their misconduct on the set, with the additional objective of intimidating her and anyone else from revealing in public what actually occurred,” the 80-page complaint, packed with seemingly damning text messages between Baldoni and crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan and her company, The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG) declared.
RELATED: Blake Lively Nixed ‘SNL’ Season 50 Premiere Hosting Gig Due To ‘It Ends With Us’ Smear Campaign
The complaint also described Lively and her employees being subject to “nude videos or images of women, including producer’s wife,” mentions of Baldoni’s or fellow producer Jamey Heath’s “previous ‘pornography addiction,’” discussions “about personal experiences with sex,” a “description of their own genitalia” and “personal, physical touching of, or sexual comments.” The filing, which was a prelude to a lawsuit, also contains inquiries by Baldoni to Lively’s trainer “without her knowledge or consent to disclose her weight.” It also alleges Baldoni and/or others added “sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing by [Lively] outside the scope of the script.”
Dec. 21 Consequences for Baldoni
WME swiftly dropped Baldoni following the bombshell accusations. Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called the allegations “completely false.” This was Dec. 21, the same day the New York Times posted its in-depth “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Campaign” expose.
Two days later, Liz Plank — co-host of Baldoni’s podcast “Man Enough” — quit the project to distance herself from the Jane the Virgin vet. Plank posted on Instagram about her departure, but she did not name Baldoni or mention the allegations against him.
Dec. 21-23: Support for Lively
Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Schumer, Paul Feig, Kaitlin Olson and Amber Heard voiced support for Lively, denouncing the campaign against her.
After the film arrived in theaters in early August 2024, Lively’s costar Brandon Sklenar, who plays Lily Bloom’s other love interest in the film Atlas Corrigan, initially backed Lively when rumors started to swirl about what could be going on behind the scenes.
“I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online,” Sklenar wrote in a statement posted on Instagram. “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.”
RELATED: Blake Lively Thanks ‘It Ends With Us’ Author Colleen Hoover For Changing Her Life “For Good”
Many members of the celebrity community have also since release statements supporting Blake Lively, from Hoover’s additional words of praise and wisdom to Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars and more.
Sklenar and Jenny Slate also expressed concern for Lively following the reignition of the drama, with Sklenar urging people to read her complaint and Slate calling the situation “dark, disturbing and wholly threatening.”
Sony, the studio that distributed the film, condemned “any reputational attacks” on Lively, supporting the actress, whose cut of the film was shown over Baldoni’s.
Dec. 24 – The Lawsuits
Justin Baldoni and his publicists received a defamation suit on Christmas Eve 2024 from the Wayfarer Studios co-founder and former PR company Jonesworks, and its owner Stephanie Jones. The filing also names Wayfarer Studios and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel for not only defamation but also breach of contract.
Nathan was hired by Baldoni following the film’s arrival in theaters. She and crisis PR guru Matthew Hiltzik worked with Johnny Depp during the Pirates star’s successful $50 million defamation action against ex-wife Amber Heard and the 2022 trial.
“Defendants Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, to breach multiple contracts and induce contractual breaches, and to steal clients and business prospects,” declares an eight-claim complaint filed by the Quinn Emanuel represented PR boss this Christmas Eve.
Lively then officially sued Baldoni and his PR team on the last day of 2024 for unspecified damages.
“As laid out in this Complaint, the Baldoni-Wayfarer-led public attack of Ms. Lively was the intended result of a carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out about the hostile environment that Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath created,” the 13-claim complaint states of the Jane the Virgin vet and his Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath.
Dec. 31 – Baldoni Sues NYT for $250 Million
Baldoni and his publicists sued The New York Times for their story about Lively’s claims of sexual harassment.
The 87-page libel complaint was filed in LA Superior Court just hours before the end of 2024, accusing NYT journalists of being in league with Lively with a lengthy December 21 article that “cherry-picked and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead.”
The four-claim filing from Baldoni, Melissa Nathan, Jennifer Abel and others asserts “the Times’ complicity arises from its apparent endorsement of the criminal alteration of these text messages by Lively.”
Lawyer Bryan Freedman’s suit goes after Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane for her past associations with Harvey Weinstein, and it mentions Ryan Reynolds’ stern statement to Baldoni and Wayfarer studios in an all-hands Jan. 4 meeting as well as more moments.
Lively’s team quickly responded to the suit, denouncing the tactics behind it. On Feb. 3, Freedman told a NYC federal court the NYT suit would be dropped and the Gray Lady added as a defendant to Baldoni’s larger lawsuit.
Jan. 7 – Lively’s Lawyers Accuse Baldoni’s Team of “Blame The Victim” Tactics
Lively’s legal team doubled down on their suit by outlining “more attacks” of the actress by Baldoni through the media.
“This is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences; or a ‘he said/she said’ situation,” Lively’s Manatt, Phelps & Phillips attorneys and Willkie Farr & Gallagher lawyers said. “As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set. And their response to the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since her filing.”
These statements were made hours after Baldoni’s main attorney Bryan Freedman appeared on NewsNation taking swings at the New York Times.
Jan. 7 – Freedman Says ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Character Nicepool Was Based on Baldoni
Bryan Freedman accused Ryan Reynolds of making fun of Baldoni with the Deadpool & Wolverine character Nicepool, which fans have speculated references Baldoni’s apparent pseudo-nice guy persona. This was also said on The Megyn Kelly Show.
“What I make of that, is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni,” said Freedman. “There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean, anybody that watched that hair bun — if somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it. It’s a serious issue.”
Jan. 8 – Baldoni’s Voice Message About Basement Viewing of IEWU Premiere Released
Bryan Freeman, Baldoni’s attorney, also played a voice message on The Megyn Kelly Show from Baldoni complaining about being sent to the basement during the It Ends With Us premiere in New York City.
Freedman said in the interview that he planned to put “every single text message, every single document” in the public domain. Freedman has repped Kelly in the past. Deadline has been unable to independently verify or date the voice message.
Jan. 14 – Baldoni Letter to Disney About Deadpool & Wolverine Surfaces
Baldoni sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel boss Kevin Feige Jan. 7 asking them to “preserve evidence” foreseeing potential “commencement of litigation” against star in the red suit Ryan Reynolds as well as Lively.
The five-page correspondence from Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman wants no rock, smartphone, contract, “Blackberry devices,” paperwork, or floppy disk left unturned. The paperwork also asks for “all documents and communications relating to complaints of sexual or other harassment asserted against Ryan Reynolds by any person.”
Jan. 16 – Baldoni Directly Sues Lively and Reynolds for $400 Million
Baldoni’s complaint filed Jan. 16 demands $400,000,000 from Reynolds and Lively citing defamation, extortion and more.
“This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,” the 179-page filing from Freedman and NYC’s Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC says of Reynolds and Lively. “Then, when Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat. Tolerating a year and a half of their behavior while remaining polite and professional at every turn offered Badoni and Wayfarer no protection.”
Just hours after the big suit was filed, Lively and her legal team responded, describing the action as “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”
“This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim,” said Lively’s Manatt, Phelps & Phillips attorneys and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. “This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.”
Jan. 21 – Baldoni Releases BTS Footage from IEWU Film
Baldoni dropped behind-the-scenes footage from May 23, 2023 production on the movie to refute Lively’s sexual harassment claims.
The clip covers the slow dance scene between Lively’s character and Baldoni’s, which the Gossip Girl actress cited as one of several uncomfortable moments she experienced during production on the film.
“Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism,” reads a title card added by Baldoni’s side.
Lively and her team called the move a “stunt” and emphasized that it backs up her complaints.
Jan. 24 – Lively And Reynolds Double Down on Gag Order Request
“Requiring counsel to heed the ethical rules that bind them is not a gag order; it is a mechanism that would ensure the proceedings in this Court are not prejudiced by counsel’s conduct outside of the courtroom,” attorney Esra Hudson argued for the couple in a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman regarding Baldoni, his main lawyer Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and others.
The gag order would be for “extrajudicial statements.”
Jan. 27 – Another Voice Message Surfaces, A Trial Looms
“I’m really sorry, I f*cked up,” Justin Baldoni told Lively in a 2 a.m. voice message in April 2023 following his response to a rewritten scene on the film. The scene itself, dialogue between Lively’s Lily Bloom and Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid, was in fact, rewritten by Reynolds, which Lively revealed during press to promote the film.
“I will admit and apologize when I fail,” the Jane the Virgin alum added in the six-minute message, talking about the rooftop sequence. “I’m a very flawed man, as my wife will attest.”
A federal judge had, at that time, selected March 9, 2026 as the trial start date for the bitter showdown between the pair of actors.
RELATED: Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds Aim To Have Justin Baldoni’s $400M Defamation Suit Tossed Out
Jan. 30 – A Preliminary Hearing Is Set For Early February
A consolidation of some of the suits is looking possible as a February 12 pretrial conference was moved up by Judge Liman to February 3. This hearing had Lively and Reynolds teams working to get Baldoni’s $400 million suit dismissed, which has since occurred.
Lively, Reynolds and their legal teams also called for disciplinary action for Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman for his “extrajudicial statements” made in the media against the Gossip Girl actress. Judge Liman consolidated Baldoni’s $400 million action and Lively’s New Year’s Eve lawsuit against the Jane the Virgin actor. Not long after, Baldoni’s supporting lawyer Kevin Fritz wrote to the court about the objection to a deposition, or Freedman taking to Lively under oath.
“Counsel for Ms. Lively has made clear that Ms. Lively does not want Mr. Freedman to be the attorney who takes her deposition,” Fritz said. “We are unaware of any situation that would warrant the deposed party to have a choice in which attorney takes her deposition. Parties to litigation simply do not have the right to dictate which of their opponents’ attorneys may or may not take their deposition or perform any other aspect of the opposing party’s case.”
Feb. 1 – Team Baldoni Establishes Website
After threatening to launch an online archive of all the evidence on Baldoni’s side, the Five Feet Apart director’s legal team went through with the action. The site contains the first amended complaint filed by Baldoni’s team Friday Jan. 31 in the January 16 $400 million defamation and extortion suit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds. There is also a timeline of text messages, emails and more communication around the events in the It Ends With Us production and press saga.
The documentation begins Jan. 1, 2019 with an email to Colleen Hoover, who executive produced the film, about her book on which the movie is based. It ends Jan. 29, 2024 examining the NYT expose article.
Feb. 3 – Trial Start Date of March 2026 Threatened To Move Up
At the preliminary court hearing on Feb. 3, a federal judge threatened to move the March 2026 start date of the trial between the IEWU costars up if the matter continued to be “litigated in the press”.
Judge Liman imposed the Empire State rule on both parties, meaning that neither side in the complex battle is to say anything in the press that could influence a potential jury. Such has already been occurring with comments from both sides.
Feb. 4 – A Texas Exit For Lively’s Team Despite SXSW
Though Lively is headed to Austin, Texas for the 2025 SXSW Film Festival next month for the premiere of Another Simple Favor, her lawyers won’t be carrying out any litigation in the Lone Star state. Almost two weeks ago, Lively’s legal team had filed paperwork there in Hays County “to take a pre-suit deposition of Jed Wallace,” but the request was pulled by Austin firm Haynes Boone LLP. A “notice of non-suit/dismissal” was placed in the Texas court docket Feb. 4 over talking to Wallace, Street Relations crisis management boss. The deposition would have questioned Wallace about what he did and didn’t do in an alleged online smear campaign last year against Lively.
Wallace, who has described himself as a “hired gun” could prove important in the trial, which is currently scheduled to take place starting March 9, 2026 in New York City.
Deadline will continue to update this piece as more news comes out around the tense situation.
Feb. 5 – Jed Wallace Files $7 Million Defamation Suit Against Blake Lively And Team
Architect of the alleged smear campaign aimed at Lively Jed Wallace launched a $7 million defamation suit against the A Simple Favor actress. The lawyer for the self-described “human crisis” navigator admitted Wednesday that the action is in response to Wallace’s likely addition to the It Ends With Us actress’ ongoing legal battles with Justin Baldoni, his company, his backers and his publicists.
RELATED: Everything We Know About ‘It Ends With Us’ So Far
Best of Deadline
The 2025 Oscars: Everything We Know So Far About The Nominations, Ceremony, Date & Host
2025 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Oscars, Spirits, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
