On Aug. 2, 2016, Colleen’s Hoover best-selling novel “It Ends With Us” was released, captivating the attention of millions. In her novel, Hoover portrayed the cycle of abusive relationships and the fearlessness it takes to break free from them.
In the years that followed, the popularity of the novel grew when it was discovered by TikTok. Fans on TikTok started trends about the characters coming to life and which actors they wished to play the characters in the film (if it ever came to be). Naturally, when it was announced that the book would be adapted into a film, the fans were thrilled.
Later in 2019, Justin Baldoni conveyed his interest in a film adaptation of the novel to be produced through his Wayfarer Studios company. In the subsequent years, the novel was adapted into a film with Baldoni as the Director.
Blake Lively was cast as Lily Bloom while Justin Baldoni was cast as Ryle Kincaid. Fans were extremely upset with the casting due to the age imbalance between the book and the film.
The movie took about a year to film, premiering in theatres on Aug. 9, 2024. Many fans loved the film, tearing up over how deep it was, while others thought differently.
“Two hours was way too short to tell the story. I felt like we just missed the depth and background of Atlas and even Ryle,” a TikTok user wrote.
In the days that followed the movie premiere, fans began noticing through interviews and press clips that Baldoni and Lively rarely interacted, if they did at all. People began sharing their thoughts on how Baldoni appeared to be more attentive and dedicated to the central theme of the movie, spreading awareness about the film, while Lively appeared to be unprofessional, setting aside the goal and message of the film.
Shortly after, the Lively hate train took off and fans expressed their annoyance with Lively for being out of touch with the message of domestic violence in the movie across all social media platforms.
On Dec. 31, 2024, Lively formally filed an 80-page lawsuit in New York federal court against Baldoni, his publicist, Wayfarer Studios, and other defendants for “retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns.”
Lively’s complaint was filed with the California Civil Rights Department where she sued Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment during filming “It Ends With Us.”
Lively claimed that Baldoni “entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed” as well as “pressuring her to lose weight four months after giving birth.” She also accused him of facilitating a “PR campaign with a crisis firm designed to destroy her reputation.”
Fans were furious and the internet quickly began siding with Lively, while others eagerly waited for Baldoni’s response. The internet proved that even though Lively is not well-liked doesn’t mean that she isn’t a victim and shouldn’t be empathized with.
“There is no perfect victim,” a TikTok user wrote.
Shortly after Lively’s claims came out, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency, pushing him to come out with his side of the story.
Since the legal battle between both actors, Baldoni’s acting career has been severely put in jeopardy, with multiple of his projects being dropped and destroyed due to the allegations.
Weeks after Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni clapped back and sued co-star Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloan with a 170-page lawsuit accusing them of defamation and extortion. Baldoni also sent out pictures of his family in the basement of the NYC film premiere, claiming that Lively and her husband relegated him and his family to the basement of the movie’s premiere.
Baldoni’s suit accuses Lively, Reynolds, Sloan of arranging a smear campaign against him, pushing the narrative that he’s a sexual predator, which Baldoni denies.
Although Lively had primarily filed the lawsuit against Baldoni, she and Reynold’s lawyers have shown that they plan to dismiss the lawsuit against them after several videos and claims were posted by Baldoni, causing fans to believe that she may not have been “sexually harassed” and may have just caught feelings and been rejected after all.
In response to both of the co-star’s lawsuits, the internet has been overpoweringly siding with Baldoni in this legal battle.
Ultimately, the central theme and message of not only the novel, but the film, has been ripped to shreds and ignored due to the legal battle between the co-stars, and has set the cast apart from each other.
