Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle has exploded since the actress accused him of sexual harassment and a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation after their film, It Ends With Us. The star, 37, sued her co-star months after the release of their box office hit based on Colleen Hoover's novel, in which she pays Lily Bloom and Justin, 41, who directed the film, stars as her abusive partner, Ryle Kincaid.

Rumours of a feud between the pair plagued the film's release last year, as they appeared to avoid each other during the promotional tour and Blake was called out for her 'tone-deaf' behaviour in interviews amid the dark subject matter. Blake alleged in her lawsuit that Justin orchestrated a negative PR campaign to harm the star's reputation in the media. Justin counter-sued the actress and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400million for allegedly trying to 'destroy' his reputation and sued the New York Times for defamation for $250million.

The actor has since released unedited footage from It Ends With Us, voice notes and text messages with Blake, and a website dedicated to defending himself against her sexual harassment claims - prompting Blake and Ryan to file for a gag order. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle has exploded since the actress accused him of sexual harassment and a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation after their film, It Ends With Us.

Blake, 37, sued her co-star, 41, months after the release of their box office hit based on Colleen Hoover's novel. August 13, 2024 - Feud rumours swirl and Justin hires Johnny Depp’s crisis management PR firm. Rumours of a feud between Blake and Justin began circulating on social media as the co-stars appeared to avoid each other while promoting It Ends With Us, which was released on August 9. Fans noticed that Blake and Justin did not follow each other on social media, with many of their cast members following Blake and not Justin.

The cause of the fallout was due to 'fat-shaming', inappropriate comments, and Justin kissing for too long during scenes, TMZ alleged. There was also online chatter that Deadpool star Ryan was too involved in the making of the film. Justin hired crisis management specialist Melissa Nathan, who previously represented Johnny Depp during his successful defamation trial against Amber Heard, as well as rappers like Drake and Travis Scott.

Melissa's hiring suggested that Justin was planning a major reputation defence as she has previously handled allegations of orchestrating social media smear campaigns. 15 August – Blake faces backash over her 'tone-deaf' promotion of the film. Rumours of a feud between Blake and Justin began circulating on social media as the co-stars appeared to avoid each other while promoting It Ends With Us. Blake, known for her playful demeanour in interviews and with her husband Ryan, began to face criticism for her marketing of It Ends With Us.

Critics blasted the Gossip Girl star for promoting her new haircare line in interviews, telling fans to 'bring their florals' to watch the film - in a nod to the 'wear pink' trend for the Barbie film - and for avoiding overt reference to the film's theme of domestic violence. TikTok, X, and Instagram were flooded with hundreds of comments accusing her of glossing over the film's heavy subject matter.

Critics also took issue with themed cocktails relating to the film, with one called 'Ryle You Wait' - named after a character in the film who threw Blake's character Lily down the stairs. Amid mounting criticism, Blake wrote on her Instagram Story: 'One in 4 women aged 18 and older in the US alone have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.'. 15 August - Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa shares a 2016 interview with Blake that made her 'want to quit' her job.

Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa shared a 2016 interview with Blake that made her 'want to quit' her job. Kjersti Flaa shared a video on YouTube of her interview with Blake to promote the star's film, Cafe Society, in 2016. In it, she congratulated Blake on her pregnancy, prompting the actress to sarcastically reply: 'Congrats on your little bump.'. When Kjersti praised the film's decadent 1930s fashion, Blake ignored her remarks and said to co-star Parker Posey: 'Everyone wants to talk about the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes.'.

Kjersti titled the video, 'The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job' and was flooded with comments of support that branded Blake 'rude'. 21 December - Blake files lawsuit against Justin accusing him of sexual harassment. Blake accused Justin of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and of launching a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation. The Age of Adaline star, her husband Ryan, Justin, and their legal teams attended a meeting in which she outlined her issues and set specific conditions for continuing to work on the film, according to the filing.