Leave it to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni to turn a hot-button legal dispute into a full-blown media circus. Lawsuits are already appearing over the film adaptation of “It Ends with Us.” This film is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book. On December 31, 2024, Lively made a smart move by filing legal action against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. She is asking for $500 million in damages, mostly on the claims of sexual harassment. Baldoni responded with a counter-suit of his own on January 16, 2025. He filed a $400 million suit for extortion and defamation against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist.
The lawsuits already have raised the temperature of the dispute, with each party hurling nuclear-level charges at the other. Lively’s complaint alleges that Baldoni engaged in inappropriate behavior during the film’s production phase. In an unexpected #MeToo turn, Baldoni turned around and accused an ex-girlfriend of sexually “traumatizing” him. This surprising new detail, which broke in a People Magazine exclusive, further complicates the continuing legal saga.
The entry into the fray by major figures like Taylor Swift has only upped the ante on both sides. Forthcoming texts released between Swift and Lively, filed as exhibits in Lively’s court hearings, show Lively’s unfiltered feelings about Baldoni. In one of those messages, Lively referred to Baldoni as “this doofus director of my movie.” Later, she would call him “a circus clown.” It was within the context of sharing these messages that Lively was looking for Swift’s help with the film’s overall message.
Fast forward to April 12, 2023, when Lively contacted Swift in the hopes of making the original screen adaptation script for “It Ends with Us” a little more polished. When she was riding home with Baldoni following her on a motorcycle, she thought to send Swift an invite. She then invited him to read the screenplay and share his thoughts.
“If you get here w this doofus director of my movie is still here (I’ll be ushering him out), but hope he is still here) can you do me a huge favor?” – Blake Lively
In her letters, Lively communicated a sense of urgency, emphasizing her desire to hear from Swift first. In particular, she emphasized the value of Swift sending a signal that she’d actually read the book. Swift was particularly enthusiastic about the pages she’d emailed her.
“Can you tell him you’re excited for the movie… That you read the book but what you’re freaking out over is the pages I sent you,” – Blake Lively
Swift’s response to the drama playing out appeared in the texts. She teased that Baldoni may be aware of any brewing trouble ahead. She felt like he was being a bit inappropriately sensitive about it.
“I think this b
