When Colleen Hoover received the offer to turn her international best selling novel, It Ends With Us, into a film, she could not have possibly anticipated the mess that would follow. The book became a bonafide phenomenon during the pandemic thanks to #BookTok and legions of fans around the world were eagerly awaiting the film adaptation, which came out in August 2024.
However, the film itself was quickly overshadowed by the alleged feud between the cast members, primarily the two lead actors, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Despite playing love interests in the film, the pair did not take part in any It Ends With Us press junkets together, as is customary for co-stars, nor did they pose for any pictures together at the film's various premieres. Most notably, though, Baldoni and Lively took very different approaches to promoting the film.
Lively encouraged fans to 'grab your friends, wear your florals', and was accused of downplaying the films heavier themes of domestic violence. While Baldoni was praised for pointing fans towards domestic violence helplines and tackling said themes head on. What followed was a widespread bashing of Lively on social media. She was accused of using her star power to dictate the final edit of the film, called a 'mean girl' after various unflattering interview clips from her past resurfaced online, and her reputation was undoubtedly harmed in the process.
In December, Lively shared her story with The New York Times, detailing the 'mental pain and anguish' she endured during that period, and filed a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment on set and accusing him and his PR team of launching a calculated 'smear campaign' against her. Later that month, however, Baldoni retaliated with a counter lawsuit accusing The New York Times of publishing Lively's allegedly 'false' and biased narrative and later sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds directly, accusing them of defamation and extortion.
It's been almost six months since the film landed in cinemas and there seems to be a new development to the legal saga every few days. For fans at least, it is becoming increasingly difficult to follow. The person caught in the crossfire is arguably Colleen Hoover herself, who has taken the decision to deactivate her social media.
When the saga first unfolded, Hoover made her support of Lively well known, writing via her Instagram Story, 'Blake Lively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.'
However, the author has been less vocal recently as both actors continue to leverage serious and damning accusations at one another. One can only assume she was being bombarded with DMs, comments and questions about the situation on her personal social media account – a position she does not deserve to be in.
It is in no one's best interests to fill in the gaps or make false assumptions about what is happening between Lively and Baldoni, especially on social media, when this is clearly a legal minefield. Hoover has made a sensible call in stepping back. Let's hope one day people can revisit her film without such toxic connotations.