In Dispute: Lively v Baldoni (2025) Movie Script
[Aaron] When I moved to Hoboken
about a dozen years ago, it just
struck me just how friendly
and how small town it felt.
So what you see behind me
here is the actual location for
Lily Bloom's flower shop
in the film "It Ends with Us."
A scout reached out to
me and said that they were
interested in seeing
if it would work for
an upcoming film.
So I was going through the
contract, and I was showing
it to my wife, and
when she read the title,
"It Ends with Us," she froze.
She actually picked up
the book off the bookshelf.
More than three years on
a New York Times
best-sellers list,
that's a long time.
[paparazzi] Can
you turn this way?
[paparazzi #2]
Justin, right here.
The movie came out
in the summer of 2024.
Social media noticed that
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
were not doing
any press together
for a movie where
they are the co-leads.
[woman 2] "It Ends with Us."
[voices overlapping] "It Ends
with Us." "It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us" is
about domestic violence,
but the message of the film
has been clouded because
of the scandal around its stars.
She claims that there was
sexual harassment on set.
Maybe this guy isn't the
guy that you think he is.
And then a big jaw-drop moment.
[suspenseful music playing]
He claims civil extortion,
defamation, and that all of
this really is about her
wanting to have control
of the movie.
[ID] Is Blake Lively a victim?
That is the question.
This is, like, the most
high-school fight that
people with millions of dollars
can have with each other.
The longer this goes on,
the more reputational
damage they will suffer.
[ID] This isn't just a
fluffy celebrity feud.
The actual story is, I think,
a lot darker and a lot more
complex than that.
I work on crisis communication
plans, lifestyle PR,
and strategic public relations.
But also, I am a huge
Colleen Hoover fan.
I've read all of her books.
Every single one,
probably once or twice.
So, I'm familiar with the
book and was really excited
for the movie.
[Sheinelle] It follows Lily Bloom,
who moves to Boston to fulfill
her dream of
opening a flower shop.
After a chance encounter
with a neurosurgeon,
a relationship quickly heats
up between the two of them.
[Matthew] On TikTok, certain
books go viral, and Colleen Hoover's
novels, in particular,
"It Ends with Us,"
became incredibly
popular on there.
A woman got verbally
and physically abused
and made it out
on the other end.
The domestic violence aspect
of it is something that really
caught people's because it
covered the serious topic while
still doing it in a way that
felt engaging and accessible.
And that really gave studio
executives in Hollywood
a feeling that young people
were interested in the novel,
and that if they optioned
it, as Justin Baldoni did,
that it could turn
into something that
people would show
up at the theaters for.
[Tia] I'm an actress.
I worked with Justin Baldoni
on the set of "Jane the
Virgin" many years ago.
["Jane the Virgin" narrator] This
seems like a good time to catch up on
what Rafael has been up to.
I was actually playing
one of his girlfriends.
["Jane the Virgin" narrator]
He has, in fact, been having sex.
Lots and lots of sex, with
a lot of different women.
He was very down-to-earth,
very considerate.
He just wanted to make
sure that everything in
our scene worked.
[keyboard tapping]
I started following him on
social media and just kind of
kept up with everything else
that he was doing
outside of acting.
[audience clapping]
[Emily] Justin
has this platform.
He did a TED Talk about
debunking toxic masculinity.
I don't just want
to be a good man,
I want to be a good human.
And he started a
podcast, "Man Enough."
What would the world
look like if our boys
got to grow up and feel
that men were safe spaces
and safe places?
In 2019, when Justin acquired
the rights from Colleen Hoover,
it was really aligned
with his brand.
[up-tempo violin music playing]
The "Ends with Us" story first
hit my radar when Blake Lively
was cast -- I covered
her casting news.
She's a household name.
I understand why you'd want
to go for someone with a pretty
solid commercial track record.
The cast for "It Ends
with Us" has officially
been announced, and I am unwell.
Lily Bloom is gonna be
played by none other than
Blake Lively. What?
[man] Hey, Blake!
[Emily] This
breakthrough role was
"Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants."
Rule number 11 -- "In the event
of an emergency, the pants will
automatically go to
the sister in need."
And she got really
famous with "Gossip Girl."
She's also known as being
Taylor Swift's best friend,
and, yeah, of course she's
married to Ryan Reynolds.
[Green Lantern] Evening, ma'am.
Blake and Ryan met on
"Green Lantern" and hit it off.
Now they are the
Hollywood power couple.
She has a persona
in the public eye
of being fun and
fashionable and trendy
and all of the things
that I think most women
really aspire to be.
The fact that Justin
Baldoni's name was mentioned
along with someone
who is a big A-list celebrity,
also married to an A-lister.
It makes sense why this
became such big headline news.
[Aaron] Hoboken being such
a small town, word travels fast.
When the first day
of shooting arrived,
people were lining the streets
to catch a glimpse of, you know,
Hollywood in our small town.
The crew from L.A.
put layers upon layers of
wallpaper to age this space,
and then they would redo
the entire interior once again,
and this time transforming
it into the flower shop.
[knocking]
OK, here we go.
[laughing]
-Wow.
-[Allysa] Yeah.
This doesn't even
look like the same shop.
At the conclusion,
Justin invited me over.
He raised his hands up, and
I raised mine to mirror him,
and it was just a very
special moment to share.
[car horns honking]
The film premiered in New
York City on August 6, 2024.
[paparazzi] Justin, right
here! Justin, right here!
[crowd] Solo! Solo!
-[overlapping voices shouting]
-[paparazzi] Justin, right here!
Things felt like they
were off at the premiere.
Social media noticed
that Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni were
not doing any press together.
What is going on with
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Have you heard anything
about the rift happening
behind the scenes?
For a movie where
they are the co-leads,
that is highly unusual.
[Matthew] There seemed to
be this sort of tension around it,
but nobody could
quite put their finger on
what to make of it yet.
We do have "It Starts with Us,"
so I'm hoping to see you
back in the double-duty role.
When Justin was
asked about the sequel,
it was kind of surprising.
I think there are better
people for that one.
I think Blake Lively's ready
to direct, that's what I think.
He definitely alluded to
him not taking on the role
of director, but maybe alluding
to Blake should do it next time,
which was a little strange.
I mean, at that point, that's
where the rumor mill starts.
[paparazzi] Ladies,
together this way.
Ladies, together,
this way over here.
I saw rumblings on social media
hypothesizing that there had
been some kind of falling out
on set, because people noticed
that essentially all of
the cast had unfollowed
Justin Baldoni.
[indistinct chatter]
One headline said
that Justin Baldoni was
banished to the basement.
He wasn't even allowed
to be seen on the red carpet
with Blake and with
the rest of his co-stars.
And he and his family
actually had to watch it
in a separate location.
He said, "I wasn't
allowed to be seen.
"She didn't want me anywhere
near her or the rest of the cast.
"So they ushered me off
the carpet and sent us down
to the basement."
There are countless feuds
in Hollywood between actors,
between directors and stars.
It's very rare at a premiere
for them not to, you know,
at least look like
they're buddy-buddy.
"It Ends with Us" was a
financially successful movie.
It made way more than it cost
to film and market the movie,
and there was also a lot of
hope that the very important
topic of domestic
violence would be
resonating with the masses.
That was it.
The story began in
the summer of 2024,
and it was nonstop after that.
During the entire promotion
of this film, Blake Lively
hasn't been seen with Justin,
the main actor and director.
But of course, fans are
theorizing, as fans do.
[Emily] And boom,
you have a feud.
There was serious beef
between Baldoni and Lively.
The treating of this
as just kind of a fluffy
celebrity feud --
the actual story is, I think,
a lot darker and a lot more
complex than that.
I had been covering
celebrities across three decades,
and I had not seen
a story this big...
period.
[overlapping voices] Blake,
right here. Blake, right here.
[Perez] At the time of the release
of "It Ends with Us," Blake Lively
was getting a lot of negative
feedback on social media.
Director, we didn't have
one of those for this movie.
[Perez] It seemed like
everything she was saying
was rubbing social
media the wrong way.
Look at me in
flowers, Lily Bloom.
It's neoprene.
There were so many strange
memes right after and videos
about, like, kind of
being difficult to work with.
[woman 2] Congrats
on the premiere.
And congrats on
being a fat bitch.
This, I think, really launched
this "mean girl" energy.
People were making a
big deal of her promoting
all of her businesses.
-I'll start here.
-OK.
And it's dry shampoo,
but really, you know,
it smells amazing.
[Perez] While shying away from
the very important topic
of domestic violence.
[reporter] What has been the best
part in making this particular movie?
I've noticed so many
beautiful crystals on teeth.
Is that a big fashion thing?
[TikToker] Using a movie about
domestic violence to sell stuff?
It's not a good look.
She was full of
giggles and laughter,
and, oh, wanted to
promote her liquor brand.
Like nothing says
domestic violence
like a bottle of tequila. What?
[Natasha] On social
media especially,
there was criticism of the
way that she would kind of be
perhaps a little bit
lighthearted during
certain interviews.
There was an interview
with a journalist that portrayed
Blake to be a mean girl.
She was quoted as saying it
was the worst interview she's ever
given in her career.
[Kjersti] I'm an
entertainment reporter.
I'm originally from Norway,
but I've been living in the US
for 20 years.
I watched the movie,
and it reminded me of that
interview I'd had with her.
First of all, congrats
on your little bump.
At the time of her interview,
Blake Lively had confirmed
her pregnancy, so
it wasn't speculation.
It was just, "Congratulations."
Congrats on your little bump.
I still don't understand what
triggered Blake Lively.
That journalist was just
trying to break the ice.
What about my bump?
Kjersti ends up saying it was
the worst interview of all time.
There's footage and
clips of this interview
that are so tense.
Did you guys love wearing
those kind of clothes that you --
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-And, you know, working in digital
-- -Everyone wants to talk about
the clothes, but I wonder
if they would ask the men
about the clothes.
I would.
[Kjersti] I thought, OK,
this is not going well.
And from there on,
they just basically ignored me.
I love Jesse's suits and hat.
-That's what I'm saying. His wardrobe was beautiful.
-Oh, I know.
This Kjersti Flaa interview
had never been
shared publicly before.
That's why it went super viral.
[gasps] Mic drop.
Mic drop -- does not even
look at the interviewer.
It is so pointed.
It got a ton of attention,
and it definitely did not help
Blake Lively.
On December 20th, Blake
Lively files a complaint.
It broke headlines.
[reporter] Blake Lively
shocking Hollywood
with a new explosive
legal complaint...
about what she says was
happening behind the scenes
of her film "It Ends with Us."
Actress Blake Lively
accusing "It Ends with Us"
co-star and director
Justin Baldoni
of sexual harassment.
According to Blake
Lively, back in May of 2023,
things happened with
Justin Baldoni that made
her feel uncomfortable, and
she says that she reported it.
[Natasha] There was a meeting
where they agreed upon a document of
protocol that should
be enforced on set,
that Blake says is directly
in reference to concerns that
she had raised.
It is very specific.
Blake Lively says
she included items
that she and Wayfarer
Studios and Justin Baldoni
all agreed in a
production meeting.
They're really specific
items that allude to verbal
or physical sexual
conduct that occurred.
She says that Justin
would repeatedly walk into
her trailer unannounced while
she was by the breastfeeding,
pumping, or in a
state of undress.
She alleged the intimate
scenes would be improvised
and done over and over again,
more than was typically
required on such a set.
These items seem to fit
under sexual harassment.
And when they go back to
recording, Blake Lively says,
"I don't want these
things to happen again."
Basically, "This was
making me uncomfortable."
[Natasha] It repeatedly
says the phrase, "No more."
"No more" doing
this kind of behavior.
There was actually a
signed agreement between
the parties not to
have it continued.
How could you not agree?
I mean, it's so obvious
that you cannot do that
in a workplace.
Something that was
upsetting to me is that this is
one of the few
very popular movies
that deals with
domestic violence.
What are you doing? Stop.
Stop. What are you doing?
-Sh, sh, sh.
-What are you doing? Stop -- stop.
[Natasha] It's the
core plot point.
To have these allegations
saying one of the major
creative forces behind
this was actually engaging in
misogynistic content
himself, it's pretty upsetting.
[Matthew] What made part of
these allegations so shocking was
that Justin Baldoni has a
podcast where he talks about
how men can be allies to women
and how men can be better in
their relationships to women.
If you know the film and you've
been following along and read
the book, how could he do this?
I mean, how could he do this?
Several of the key players
involved in the making of
"It Ends with Us,"
Colleen Hoover
to one of the lead actors
in it, Brandon Sklenar,
have all come out
publicly supporting
Blake Lively.
Brandon Sklenar shared
a post directing people
to read her complaint,
including a little heart emoji
and tagging Blake Lively.
I saw social media
sentiment shift more in favor
of Blake than it
had been, certainly.
You know, if you read the
complaint, I think she had
very valid reasons why
she wouldn't want to show up
to work in an
environment like that.
She's not doing
this because it's fun
or it's gonna get her anything.
She's doing this
probably because she has
daughters at home and
feels the need to stand up
for what she went through.
[Emily] Literally, a day after,
you see this complaint come out.
The New York Times
rolls out the big headline.
My initial response to the
explosive New York Times
article was shock.
[Matthew] This New York Times
article comes out that alleges this
whole campaign was orchestrated
against her by Justin and his
PR team to make her
seem like a bad person.
The New York Times reported
Blake Lively, in her complaint,
says that Justin Baldoni hired
not only his PR
person Jennifer Abel,
but a crisis management
person, Melissa Nathan,
to orchestrate a smear
campaign against her.
[Matthew] There
were comments saying,
"We're gonna bury Blake Lively."
[keyboard tapping]
[Natasha] The second part of
her suit alleges that at least part of
the negativity that we saw
that summer towards her
was orchestrated by people
working with Justin Baldoni
to be able to cover their
tracks should she come public
about experiencing
alleged sexual misconduct.
[Emily] If this happened,
really, they did a genius job
on the front end of building
up this database of unsavory
narrative towards Blake.
[Matthew] The PR dark
arts were getting exposed.
Something that's always
been behind the curtains,
something that you don't
really see, but you understand
is happening.
[Perez] Just the sheer volume of
allegations that she was making
against him, I thought,
"Wow, wow, I -- I feel
so bad for her."
You can be one of the
most wealthy and successful
people in your industry
and still face alleged
retaliation for speaking
up, for making allegations
of sexual misconduct, I
think it's extremely alarming.
[Emily] So, like, maybe she
can be a mean girl sometimes,
but when it comes to this film,
what is going on
with this Justin guy?
So, all of a sudden, she
had some public favor.
Everybody was sympathetic
towards Blake Lively,
and then things shifted.
That New York Times story was
so damning that it made it seem
like there was no
way that Justin Baldoni
could come back from this.
[Kjersti] Then, all of a
sudden, Justin Baldoni then files
a libel lawsuit against
The New York Times
for $250 million.
[Perez] The thing that really
shook me was his lawsuit included
texts and emails
between Justin Baldoni
and Melissa Nathan
to show they were not
planting stories in the media
about Blake Lively.
According to Baldoni,
the New York Times edited
conversations and
didn't give us full context,
and they didn't give
him and his lawyers
enough time to respond.
But it's not the
New York Times' job
to give all sides of the story.
You might not like that,
but that doesn't open
them up to liability.
Under US defamation law,
Justin Baldoni has the burden
to prove that the New York Times
lied or knowingly lied,
and that what they
were saying was false.
A quick defense is,
"Let's go after the journalist
or the outlet
that did me dirty."
That's a quick way to
get it out in the public.
[Natasha] I think if you choose
to go with Blake Lively's claims,
which I will say in general,
I think are credible, this is
a story of a man who
abused his power on set
and alleges that there
was a smear campaign
orchestrated by people
working with Justin Baldoni.
[Perez] I believe victims
should be believed.
However, is Blake
Lively a victim?
That is the question.
[Emily] And then, all of a sudden,
after suing the New York Times,
Justin countersues
Blake for $400 million.
I mean, this is a big
jaw-drop moment.
$250 million, $400 million,
these are shock numbers.
These are there
to gain attention.
He's saying that she made a
false sexual harassment claim.
Unlike any case
that I've handled
in my entire career,
it's the one case we're gonna
put every single text message,
every single document,
everything on a website.
Hundreds of pages
of legal allegations,
text messages, photos.
You have the timeline of events.
So much information.
Let me tell you,
the internet sleuths,
everybody was going after what
was in that 168-page document.
Justin Baldoni's legal team
have just launched a website.
Justin promised
us all the receipts,
and he came through.
He countered her,
point by point, saying,
"She claimed
this, but in reality,
here's what truly happened."
And one of the examples
he gives is that Blake Lively
herself invited
him into the trailer
while she was breastfeeding.
And then later on,
she uses that as a basis for
something he's done wrong.
Blake Lively alleges that a
senior member of the studio
showed her a nude video
of his wife giving birth.
They allege, rather, that,
"No, she asked
to see the footage."
Blake Lively is
accusing Justin Baldoni
of asking her
trainer for her weight.
So she said that
that was fat shaming.
He says he has a back problem,
and there was a scene where
he needed to lift her.
[Dina] His argument isn't really
that those items didn't happen.
He just is saying that
there's a different perspective,
that they were really
more consensual.
Both sides absolutely
want to get their
perspective out.
[Perez] Amongst many
allegations that Blake Lively made,
she said that Justin Baldoni
did not stick to what they had
agreed upon when
filming intimate moments,
specifically in that
infamous dance sequence.
So what did Justin Baldoni do?
His lawyer released
10-plus minutes
of unedited footage
that let the public see
and decide for themselves
what they were looking at.
[crew] Ryan, go to the
bar. Ryan, go to the bar.
Justin Baldoni released
the footage to try
and make the case that
he did nothing wrong.
You know, for a lot of people
it did seemingly vindicate him.
One of the "slam dunks" that
Baldoni's team suggests is,
"Well, we had an
intimacy coordinator,
and you didn't want
to meet with her."
And text messages
show, at least,
that Blake did not meet
with the intimacy coordinator
before shooting started.
But in her original document,
she asks for an
intimacy coordinator
to be on set at all times
whenever she's
filming with Baldoni.
[Mia] I'm an intimacy coordinator
for TV, film, and theater.
The role of intimacy
coordinator, um, is still
relatively new in TV and film,
and there are certain standards
and protocols that we adhere
to shooting, uh, simulated sex
and nude scenes, doing our
best to help the director achieve
their vision while staying
within the actor's comfort.
In my experience,
when an actor says,
"I don't need to meet the intimacy
coordinator until we're shooting,"
it does typically indicate that
they trust their scene partner,
which is a beautiful thing.
And those texts made me think
that at one point, she did feel
a lot of trust with him.
Blake's team then
comes in and says,
"Oh no, this is exactly
what we're talking about.
She's uncomfortable."
[crew person] Ryan, go to
the bar. Ryan, go to the bar.
In the script for that
scene, the description is,
"They slow dance,
lost in their own world."
No mention of a kiss,
no mention of any kind of
sexual touch or intimate touch
beyond an embrace, maybe?
Blake Lively alleged
that he would do
unapproved movements
and -- and contact and kissing
and smelling her neck.
[Mia] Blake says that there wasn't
an intimacy coordinator present
for certain intimate scenes.
From what I've heard, it seems
like there were scenes that
did not have intimacy written,
but then intimacy was added.
That video of the slow dance
is a perfect example of that.
[Dina] The dance scene, both
sides think it's great for them.
So when this goes to trial,
that video will for sure be
shown in front of a jury,
and you'll hear two completely
different perspectives
on what that video is.
But Justin Baldoni said,
"Had Lively chosen to merely
"write out the self-inflicted
press catastrophe she faced in
"August of 2024, the
public would likely have
"moved on and never
known the truth about her.
"They would have never
known that she deliberately
"and systematically robbed
plaintiffs Justin Baldoni
and Wayfarer
Studios of their movie."
Justin Baldoni says in
his counterclaim that,
"Almost immediately,
Lively began inserting herself
"into the production process
in intrusive ways well beyond
the scope of her
contractual entitlement."
Basically, he's saying,
her saying that she needed
creative control over the
project and threatening to
walk out if she didn't
get that creative control
amounted to extortion.
There's this one now very, um,
viral video of her appearance
at a Forbes summit,
where she was talking
about demanding and wanting
and needing control of
every aspect of movie making.
[Blake] I wanted to be a part
of the storytelling, that I wanted
to be a part of the narrative,
whether that be in the writing,
in the costume design,
in creating the character.
I actually need to have
authorship in order to
feel fulfilled.
There is a core scene
in the movie, it's when
Ryle and Lily meet
for the first time.
I once read that
maraschino cherries
stay in your stomach
for like seven years.
[Natasha] It takes place on a
rooftop, it's a very pivotal scene,
and Blake has said
that Ryan Reynolds
wrote at least
some of this scene.
The iconic rooftop scene in
this movie, my husband actually
wrote it, nobody
knows that, but you now.
He's all over this film.
In Justin's lawsuit, he
alleges that there was
a meeting in Blake
Lively and Ryan Reynolds'
New York City penthouse,
where he felt pressured by both
Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift
to acquiesce to some of
the changes that Blake Lively
had wanted to
make to the script.
[Matthew] He felt that Blake
Lively and Ryan Reynolds were
coming in to try to create
their own version of the film.
-[paparazzi chatting]
-[camera shutters snapping]
[Kjersti] Most of us reacted
very strongly to the text message
that Blake had sent to
Justin Baldoni, explaining that
she's Khaleesi from
"Game of Thrones,"
and she has dragons.
It wasn't in the message
who her dragons were.
To me, it was like, obvious
that it was Ryan Reynolds
and Taylor Swift
she was referring to.
So, by saying that, it was like
a nicely put little
"threat," I would say.
I find it interesting that
Blake is both framed
as this incredibly powerful
person who, you know,
can use Taylor Swift and
everyone in her arsenal
to do whatever she wants,
but also she needs to rely on
manipulating sexual harassment
in order to get her way.
Hey, Blake, it is, uh,
two in the morning, um,
hopefully this does
not wake you up.
So Justin Baldoni releases this
voicemail that he leaves 2 a.m.
to Blake Lively, apologizing.
I'm really sorry, um, I
-- I for sure fell short.
It's, you know, he's showing
some level of understanding,
but it's also, you know,
he's admitting
some level of fault.
So it's kind of, you know,
one of those things that
you can spin it either way.
And damn right,
you got great friends.
We should all have friends
like that, aside from the fact that
they're two of the most
creative people on the planet.
What I mainly got from the
message was that he was
really desperately
trying to please Blake.
He was like, "Whatever
you say, I'll do."
I'm sorry. [laughing]
You probably have kids all over
you and a baby on your boob,
and you're listening to me
ramble at two in the morning.
It's 2 a.m. in the morning.
There were definitely
people who thought
it was a little creepy.
There's others who say,
"Hey, she texted
him right before.
This was a
justified voice call."
But, as a lawyer, I think,
why release something that
does -- it is a little
questionable of whether or not
that's appropriate
in a workplace.
Baldoni is claiming that
Blake Lively threatening that if
she doesn't get the edit,
she's not going to maybe
appear at the premiere.
He was basically giving over
his creative
control of the film.
I believe that Sony,
the film's distributor
and major financer,
they were scared,
in my opinion, of Blake Lively.
[paparazzi chatting]
The bigger star tends
to get backed because
at the end of the day,
the studio wants this
to make a lot of money,
and the bigger star is gonna
draw a bigger audience.
If she took complete
editorial control of the film,
that's not a crime.
Who's to say that Baldoni's
version was inherently better?
I wonder why we're not framing
this as a woman potentially
experiencing misconduct
on set, as she's alleged,
taking part in a movie that
we know she cares about,
and then...
making editorial decisions
that are ultimately
for the best of it.
[Matthew] In the end, Blake
Lively kind of emerged victorious,
because what ended up getting
shown was the rooftop scene
that Ryan Reynolds wrote,
and a lot of, you know,
her cut we ended
up seeing in theaters.
[paparazzi yelling] Ryan!
As "It Ends with
Us" is coming out,
"Deadpool & Wolverine"
also comes out.
We see a lot of cross-promotion
and a lot of Blake and Ryan
in the news together.
Within "Deadpool & Wolverine,"
there's a character
called "Nicepool."
And where in God's name
is the intimacy coordinator?
Bryan Freedman,
Baldoni's lawyer,
issues a letter to Disney
saying that this character
is clearly making fun of Justin.
Who are you?
Oh, I'm Deadpool, but in here,
everybody calls me Nicepool.
Nicepool has a man
bun, like Justin Baldoni,
and he makes
references to Lady Deadpool,
who was voiced by Blake.
[Lady Deadpool] Oh,
we're just getting started.
He even talks about
Ladypool's body
after just giving birth.
Oh my goodness, wait
till you see Ladypool.
She is gorgeous.
She just had a baby too,
and... [blows air through lips]
-Can't even tell.
-I don't think you're supposed to say that.
That's OK.
-I identify as a feminist.
-Right.
Here I am, doing my
part, trying to be a feminist.
There's so many parallels to
what happened in the real world
on the set of "It Ends with Us."
As part of the lawyer's
assessment of this,
he points to the fact,
"Well, Lively clearly couldn't
"have undergone something as
serious as sexual harassment if
they're making
fun of it in a movie."
I don't think that's the case.
I think people cope with
many things with humor.
All of a sudden...
we're yo-yoed back to,
"Wow, maybe this is like
the most high-school fight that
"we're ever privy to that
people with millions of dollars
can do with each other."
Maybe they're both wrong.
A trial date has been set for
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
to battle it out in court.
We now have a date, but
it is not until March of 2026.
As of now, Blake Lively
has promised to bring forward
two more women
from "It Ends with Us"
who say that Justin
Baldoni mistreated her
and mistreated them on set.
And if that comes to fruition,
that would be a big deal
for the case.
[Dina] My professional opinion,
Blake Lively has a stronger
case because all of
Justin Baldoni's arguments
about fame and
control don't really refute
her claim of sexual harassment.
Those allegations,
the improvising of
the kissing, the showing,
describing his genitalia,
talking about pornography,
regardless of where
your workplace is, those seem
to be pretty strong basis for
a claim of sexual harassment.
[Perez] Even though it seems like
a lot of social media is supporting
Justin Baldoni, the
longer this goes on,
the more reputational
damage they will both suffer.
You've gotta consider
that Justin Baldoni
might be the problem.
[Matthew] The social media
algorithms portion of this is really
interesting, because you get
fed something very personal.
What she is accusing him of is
so harsh and so disrespectful.
If you are getting fed a lot
of things about Justin Baldoni
being a good guy, you're
gonna keep getting fed that.
The same goes for people
that are on Blake Lively's side.
Who wants to trust a man
who's made his entire brand
all about being a champion
for the voices of women?
[Matthew] These algorithms split
people apart, and you're never really
gonna get the other
side of the narrative.
At this point, it's
kind of like a mutually
assured destruction.
[audience clapping]
[SNL announcer] Ladies and
gentlemen, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Even at the "Saturday Night
Live" 50th anniversary special,
Ryan Reynolds made a
little passing remark to it,
a little joke about it.
[Tina] Ryan Reynolds,
how's it going?
Great -- why? What
have you heard?
[laughing]
[Matthew] People
immediately understood,
they're still in
the thick of this.
This is still something
that is going on.
From a PR standpoint,
both of them are gonna have
a hard time getting the
mud off of their reputation.
They're both going
to have to do some
work with great professionals,
hopefully, that are gonna
lead them down the path,
outside of the courtroom,
building back the
trust of their fans.
I believe for Blake, she
needs to be vulnerable.
She needs to have a moment
where she's a mom of four.
We want to be connected
to her and empathize.
Like, what woman hasn't been
uncomfortable in a workplace?
That's a common situation,
and we want to support her.
For Justin, you know,
he has this platform of
debunking toxic masculinity.
He needs to also, "Hey, tail
between my legs here, guys.
I -- I could have done better."
That's a relatable moment.
[Matthew] The irony of this
whole thing is that the movie that
the movie was such
a huge success.
And to have all this scandal
around it is kind of sad,
because it really was
a big win for Hollywood.
I mean, if you're Colleen
Hoover, you have to be
kind of fed up with it.
[Perez] Author Colleen
Hoover, who wrote the novel
"It Ends with Us," wiped all
of her photos with Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni,
but she still follows
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
and is not following
Justin Baldoni.
So, interpret that as you will.
[Aaron] The saddest thing about
this is the message of this movie
is taking second place
to this conversation about
what happened on set.
The biggest loss here is this
incredible film that so many
people were really excited
about and a topic that really
needs to be
addressed in Hollywood.
At this point, this is
basically like the unraveling
of a family feud.
In terms of winners and losers,
there really are no winners.
It's all losers.
[Dina] The bigger loser here
is victims of domestic violence.
This movie was about
domestic violence.
And nobody's talking
about domestic violence.
The other sad thing is
that there is an allegation of
sexual harassment on
a domestic violence set,
and the whole public
seems to have decided
whether or not that's true
long before the evidence has
even been introduced at trial.
about a dozen years ago, it just
struck me just how friendly
and how small town it felt.
So what you see behind me
here is the actual location for
Lily Bloom's flower shop
in the film "It Ends with Us."
A scout reached out to
me and said that they were
interested in seeing
if it would work for
an upcoming film.
So I was going through the
contract, and I was showing
it to my wife, and
when she read the title,
"It Ends with Us," she froze.
She actually picked up
the book off the bookshelf.
More than three years on
a New York Times
best-sellers list,
that's a long time.
[paparazzi] Can
you turn this way?
[paparazzi #2]
Justin, right here.
The movie came out
in the summer of 2024.
Social media noticed that
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
were not doing
any press together
for a movie where
they are the co-leads.
[woman 2] "It Ends with Us."
[voices overlapping] "It Ends
with Us." "It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us" is
about domestic violence,
but the message of the film
has been clouded because
of the scandal around its stars.
She claims that there was
sexual harassment on set.
Maybe this guy isn't the
guy that you think he is.
And then a big jaw-drop moment.
[suspenseful music playing]
He claims civil extortion,
defamation, and that all of
this really is about her
wanting to have control
of the movie.
[ID] Is Blake Lively a victim?
That is the question.
This is, like, the most
high-school fight that
people with millions of dollars
can have with each other.
The longer this goes on,
the more reputational
damage they will suffer.
[ID] This isn't just a
fluffy celebrity feud.
The actual story is, I think,
a lot darker and a lot more
complex than that.
I work on crisis communication
plans, lifestyle PR,
and strategic public relations.
But also, I am a huge
Colleen Hoover fan.
I've read all of her books.
Every single one,
probably once or twice.
So, I'm familiar with the
book and was really excited
for the movie.
[Sheinelle] It follows Lily Bloom,
who moves to Boston to fulfill
her dream of
opening a flower shop.
After a chance encounter
with a neurosurgeon,
a relationship quickly heats
up between the two of them.
[Matthew] On TikTok, certain
books go viral, and Colleen Hoover's
novels, in particular,
"It Ends with Us,"
became incredibly
popular on there.
A woman got verbally
and physically abused
and made it out
on the other end.
The domestic violence aspect
of it is something that really
caught people's because it
covered the serious topic while
still doing it in a way that
felt engaging and accessible.
And that really gave studio
executives in Hollywood
a feeling that young people
were interested in the novel,
and that if they optioned
it, as Justin Baldoni did,
that it could turn
into something that
people would show
up at the theaters for.
[Tia] I'm an actress.
I worked with Justin Baldoni
on the set of "Jane the
Virgin" many years ago.
["Jane the Virgin" narrator] This
seems like a good time to catch up on
what Rafael has been up to.
I was actually playing
one of his girlfriends.
["Jane the Virgin" narrator]
He has, in fact, been having sex.
Lots and lots of sex, with
a lot of different women.
He was very down-to-earth,
very considerate.
He just wanted to make
sure that everything in
our scene worked.
[keyboard tapping]
I started following him on
social media and just kind of
kept up with everything else
that he was doing
outside of acting.
[audience clapping]
[Emily] Justin
has this platform.
He did a TED Talk about
debunking toxic masculinity.
I don't just want
to be a good man,
I want to be a good human.
And he started a
podcast, "Man Enough."
What would the world
look like if our boys
got to grow up and feel
that men were safe spaces
and safe places?
In 2019, when Justin acquired
the rights from Colleen Hoover,
it was really aligned
with his brand.
[up-tempo violin music playing]
The "Ends with Us" story first
hit my radar when Blake Lively
was cast -- I covered
her casting news.
She's a household name.
I understand why you'd want
to go for someone with a pretty
solid commercial track record.
The cast for "It Ends
with Us" has officially
been announced, and I am unwell.
Lily Bloom is gonna be
played by none other than
Blake Lively. What?
[man] Hey, Blake!
[Emily] This
breakthrough role was
"Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants."
Rule number 11 -- "In the event
of an emergency, the pants will
automatically go to
the sister in need."
And she got really
famous with "Gossip Girl."
She's also known as being
Taylor Swift's best friend,
and, yeah, of course she's
married to Ryan Reynolds.
[Green Lantern] Evening, ma'am.
Blake and Ryan met on
"Green Lantern" and hit it off.
Now they are the
Hollywood power couple.
She has a persona
in the public eye
of being fun and
fashionable and trendy
and all of the things
that I think most women
really aspire to be.
The fact that Justin
Baldoni's name was mentioned
along with someone
who is a big A-list celebrity,
also married to an A-lister.
It makes sense why this
became such big headline news.
[Aaron] Hoboken being such
a small town, word travels fast.
When the first day
of shooting arrived,
people were lining the streets
to catch a glimpse of, you know,
Hollywood in our small town.
The crew from L.A.
put layers upon layers of
wallpaper to age this space,
and then they would redo
the entire interior once again,
and this time transforming
it into the flower shop.
[knocking]
OK, here we go.
[laughing]
-Wow.
-[Allysa] Yeah.
This doesn't even
look like the same shop.
At the conclusion,
Justin invited me over.
He raised his hands up, and
I raised mine to mirror him,
and it was just a very
special moment to share.
[car horns honking]
The film premiered in New
York City on August 6, 2024.
[paparazzi] Justin, right
here! Justin, right here!
[crowd] Solo! Solo!
-[overlapping voices shouting]
-[paparazzi] Justin, right here!
Things felt like they
were off at the premiere.
Social media noticed
that Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni were
not doing any press together.
What is going on with
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Have you heard anything
about the rift happening
behind the scenes?
For a movie where
they are the co-leads,
that is highly unusual.
[Matthew] There seemed to
be this sort of tension around it,
but nobody could
quite put their finger on
what to make of it yet.
We do have "It Starts with Us,"
so I'm hoping to see you
back in the double-duty role.
When Justin was
asked about the sequel,
it was kind of surprising.
I think there are better
people for that one.
I think Blake Lively's ready
to direct, that's what I think.
He definitely alluded to
him not taking on the role
of director, but maybe alluding
to Blake should do it next time,
which was a little strange.
I mean, at that point, that's
where the rumor mill starts.
[paparazzi] Ladies,
together this way.
Ladies, together,
this way over here.
I saw rumblings on social media
hypothesizing that there had
been some kind of falling out
on set, because people noticed
that essentially all of
the cast had unfollowed
Justin Baldoni.
[indistinct chatter]
One headline said
that Justin Baldoni was
banished to the basement.
He wasn't even allowed
to be seen on the red carpet
with Blake and with
the rest of his co-stars.
And he and his family
actually had to watch it
in a separate location.
He said, "I wasn't
allowed to be seen.
"She didn't want me anywhere
near her or the rest of the cast.
"So they ushered me off
the carpet and sent us down
to the basement."
There are countless feuds
in Hollywood between actors,
between directors and stars.
It's very rare at a premiere
for them not to, you know,
at least look like
they're buddy-buddy.
"It Ends with Us" was a
financially successful movie.
It made way more than it cost
to film and market the movie,
and there was also a lot of
hope that the very important
topic of domestic
violence would be
resonating with the masses.
That was it.
The story began in
the summer of 2024,
and it was nonstop after that.
During the entire promotion
of this film, Blake Lively
hasn't been seen with Justin,
the main actor and director.
But of course, fans are
theorizing, as fans do.
[Emily] And boom,
you have a feud.
There was serious beef
between Baldoni and Lively.
The treating of this
as just kind of a fluffy
celebrity feud --
the actual story is, I think,
a lot darker and a lot more
complex than that.
I had been covering
celebrities across three decades,
and I had not seen
a story this big...
period.
[overlapping voices] Blake,
right here. Blake, right here.
[Perez] At the time of the release
of "It Ends with Us," Blake Lively
was getting a lot of negative
feedback on social media.
Director, we didn't have
one of those for this movie.
[Perez] It seemed like
everything she was saying
was rubbing social
media the wrong way.
Look at me in
flowers, Lily Bloom.
It's neoprene.
There were so many strange
memes right after and videos
about, like, kind of
being difficult to work with.
[woman 2] Congrats
on the premiere.
And congrats on
being a fat bitch.
This, I think, really launched
this "mean girl" energy.
People were making a
big deal of her promoting
all of her businesses.
-I'll start here.
-OK.
And it's dry shampoo,
but really, you know,
it smells amazing.
[Perez] While shying away from
the very important topic
of domestic violence.
[reporter] What has been the best
part in making this particular movie?
I've noticed so many
beautiful crystals on teeth.
Is that a big fashion thing?
[TikToker] Using a movie about
domestic violence to sell stuff?
It's not a good look.
She was full of
giggles and laughter,
and, oh, wanted to
promote her liquor brand.
Like nothing says
domestic violence
like a bottle of tequila. What?
[Natasha] On social
media especially,
there was criticism of the
way that she would kind of be
perhaps a little bit
lighthearted during
certain interviews.
There was an interview
with a journalist that portrayed
Blake to be a mean girl.
She was quoted as saying it
was the worst interview she's ever
given in her career.
[Kjersti] I'm an
entertainment reporter.
I'm originally from Norway,
but I've been living in the US
for 20 years.
I watched the movie,
and it reminded me of that
interview I'd had with her.
First of all, congrats
on your little bump.
At the time of her interview,
Blake Lively had confirmed
her pregnancy, so
it wasn't speculation.
It was just, "Congratulations."
Congrats on your little bump.
I still don't understand what
triggered Blake Lively.
That journalist was just
trying to break the ice.
What about my bump?
Kjersti ends up saying it was
the worst interview of all time.
There's footage and
clips of this interview
that are so tense.
Did you guys love wearing
those kind of clothes that you --
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
-And, you know, working in digital
-- -Everyone wants to talk about
the clothes, but I wonder
if they would ask the men
about the clothes.
I would.
[Kjersti] I thought, OK,
this is not going well.
And from there on,
they just basically ignored me.
I love Jesse's suits and hat.
-That's what I'm saying. His wardrobe was beautiful.
-Oh, I know.
This Kjersti Flaa interview
had never been
shared publicly before.
That's why it went super viral.
[gasps] Mic drop.
Mic drop -- does not even
look at the interviewer.
It is so pointed.
It got a ton of attention,
and it definitely did not help
Blake Lively.
On December 20th, Blake
Lively files a complaint.
It broke headlines.
[reporter] Blake Lively
shocking Hollywood
with a new explosive
legal complaint...
about what she says was
happening behind the scenes
of her film "It Ends with Us."
Actress Blake Lively
accusing "It Ends with Us"
co-star and director
Justin Baldoni
of sexual harassment.
According to Blake
Lively, back in May of 2023,
things happened with
Justin Baldoni that made
her feel uncomfortable, and
she says that she reported it.
[Natasha] There was a meeting
where they agreed upon a document of
protocol that should
be enforced on set,
that Blake says is directly
in reference to concerns that
she had raised.
It is very specific.
Blake Lively says
she included items
that she and Wayfarer
Studios and Justin Baldoni
all agreed in a
production meeting.
They're really specific
items that allude to verbal
or physical sexual
conduct that occurred.
She says that Justin
would repeatedly walk into
her trailer unannounced while
she was by the breastfeeding,
pumping, or in a
state of undress.
She alleged the intimate
scenes would be improvised
and done over and over again,
more than was typically
required on such a set.
These items seem to fit
under sexual harassment.
And when they go back to
recording, Blake Lively says,
"I don't want these
things to happen again."
Basically, "This was
making me uncomfortable."
[Natasha] It repeatedly
says the phrase, "No more."
"No more" doing
this kind of behavior.
There was actually a
signed agreement between
the parties not to
have it continued.
How could you not agree?
I mean, it's so obvious
that you cannot do that
in a workplace.
Something that was
upsetting to me is that this is
one of the few
very popular movies
that deals with
domestic violence.
What are you doing? Stop.
Stop. What are you doing?
-Sh, sh, sh.
-What are you doing? Stop -- stop.
[Natasha] It's the
core plot point.
To have these allegations
saying one of the major
creative forces behind
this was actually engaging in
misogynistic content
himself, it's pretty upsetting.
[Matthew] What made part of
these allegations so shocking was
that Justin Baldoni has a
podcast where he talks about
how men can be allies to women
and how men can be better in
their relationships to women.
If you know the film and you've
been following along and read
the book, how could he do this?
I mean, how could he do this?
Several of the key players
involved in the making of
"It Ends with Us,"
Colleen Hoover
to one of the lead actors
in it, Brandon Sklenar,
have all come out
publicly supporting
Blake Lively.
Brandon Sklenar shared
a post directing people
to read her complaint,
including a little heart emoji
and tagging Blake Lively.
I saw social media
sentiment shift more in favor
of Blake than it
had been, certainly.
You know, if you read the
complaint, I think she had
very valid reasons why
she wouldn't want to show up
to work in an
environment like that.
She's not doing
this because it's fun
or it's gonna get her anything.
She's doing this
probably because she has
daughters at home and
feels the need to stand up
for what she went through.
[Emily] Literally, a day after,
you see this complaint come out.
The New York Times
rolls out the big headline.
My initial response to the
explosive New York Times
article was shock.
[Matthew] This New York Times
article comes out that alleges this
whole campaign was orchestrated
against her by Justin and his
PR team to make her
seem like a bad person.
The New York Times reported
Blake Lively, in her complaint,
says that Justin Baldoni hired
not only his PR
person Jennifer Abel,
but a crisis management
person, Melissa Nathan,
to orchestrate a smear
campaign against her.
[Matthew] There
were comments saying,
"We're gonna bury Blake Lively."
[keyboard tapping]
[Natasha] The second part of
her suit alleges that at least part of
the negativity that we saw
that summer towards her
was orchestrated by people
working with Justin Baldoni
to be able to cover their
tracks should she come public
about experiencing
alleged sexual misconduct.
[Emily] If this happened,
really, they did a genius job
on the front end of building
up this database of unsavory
narrative towards Blake.
[Matthew] The PR dark
arts were getting exposed.
Something that's always
been behind the curtains,
something that you don't
really see, but you understand
is happening.
[Perez] Just the sheer volume of
allegations that she was making
against him, I thought,
"Wow, wow, I -- I feel
so bad for her."
You can be one of the
most wealthy and successful
people in your industry
and still face alleged
retaliation for speaking
up, for making allegations
of sexual misconduct, I
think it's extremely alarming.
[Emily] So, like, maybe she
can be a mean girl sometimes,
but when it comes to this film,
what is going on
with this Justin guy?
So, all of a sudden, she
had some public favor.
Everybody was sympathetic
towards Blake Lively,
and then things shifted.
That New York Times story was
so damning that it made it seem
like there was no
way that Justin Baldoni
could come back from this.
[Kjersti] Then, all of a
sudden, Justin Baldoni then files
a libel lawsuit against
The New York Times
for $250 million.
[Perez] The thing that really
shook me was his lawsuit included
texts and emails
between Justin Baldoni
and Melissa Nathan
to show they were not
planting stories in the media
about Blake Lively.
According to Baldoni,
the New York Times edited
conversations and
didn't give us full context,
and they didn't give
him and his lawyers
enough time to respond.
But it's not the
New York Times' job
to give all sides of the story.
You might not like that,
but that doesn't open
them up to liability.
Under US defamation law,
Justin Baldoni has the burden
to prove that the New York Times
lied or knowingly lied,
and that what they
were saying was false.
A quick defense is,
"Let's go after the journalist
or the outlet
that did me dirty."
That's a quick way to
get it out in the public.
[Natasha] I think if you choose
to go with Blake Lively's claims,
which I will say in general,
I think are credible, this is
a story of a man who
abused his power on set
and alleges that there
was a smear campaign
orchestrated by people
working with Justin Baldoni.
[Perez] I believe victims
should be believed.
However, is Blake
Lively a victim?
That is the question.
[Emily] And then, all of a sudden,
after suing the New York Times,
Justin countersues
Blake for $400 million.
I mean, this is a big
jaw-drop moment.
$250 million, $400 million,
these are shock numbers.
These are there
to gain attention.
He's saying that she made a
false sexual harassment claim.
Unlike any case
that I've handled
in my entire career,
it's the one case we're gonna
put every single text message,
every single document,
everything on a website.
Hundreds of pages
of legal allegations,
text messages, photos.
You have the timeline of events.
So much information.
Let me tell you,
the internet sleuths,
everybody was going after what
was in that 168-page document.
Justin Baldoni's legal team
have just launched a website.
Justin promised
us all the receipts,
and he came through.
He countered her,
point by point, saying,
"She claimed
this, but in reality,
here's what truly happened."
And one of the examples
he gives is that Blake Lively
herself invited
him into the trailer
while she was breastfeeding.
And then later on,
she uses that as a basis for
something he's done wrong.
Blake Lively alleges that a
senior member of the studio
showed her a nude video
of his wife giving birth.
They allege, rather, that,
"No, she asked
to see the footage."
Blake Lively is
accusing Justin Baldoni
of asking her
trainer for her weight.
So she said that
that was fat shaming.
He says he has a back problem,
and there was a scene where
he needed to lift her.
[Dina] His argument isn't really
that those items didn't happen.
He just is saying that
there's a different perspective,
that they were really
more consensual.
Both sides absolutely
want to get their
perspective out.
[Perez] Amongst many
allegations that Blake Lively made,
she said that Justin Baldoni
did not stick to what they had
agreed upon when
filming intimate moments,
specifically in that
infamous dance sequence.
So what did Justin Baldoni do?
His lawyer released
10-plus minutes
of unedited footage
that let the public see
and decide for themselves
what they were looking at.
[crew] Ryan, go to the
bar. Ryan, go to the bar.
Justin Baldoni released
the footage to try
and make the case that
he did nothing wrong.
You know, for a lot of people
it did seemingly vindicate him.
One of the "slam dunks" that
Baldoni's team suggests is,
"Well, we had an
intimacy coordinator,
and you didn't want
to meet with her."
And text messages
show, at least,
that Blake did not meet
with the intimacy coordinator
before shooting started.
But in her original document,
she asks for an
intimacy coordinator
to be on set at all times
whenever she's
filming with Baldoni.
[Mia] I'm an intimacy coordinator
for TV, film, and theater.
The role of intimacy
coordinator, um, is still
relatively new in TV and film,
and there are certain standards
and protocols that we adhere
to shooting, uh, simulated sex
and nude scenes, doing our
best to help the director achieve
their vision while staying
within the actor's comfort.
In my experience,
when an actor says,
"I don't need to meet the intimacy
coordinator until we're shooting,"
it does typically indicate that
they trust their scene partner,
which is a beautiful thing.
And those texts made me think
that at one point, she did feel
a lot of trust with him.
Blake's team then
comes in and says,
"Oh no, this is exactly
what we're talking about.
She's uncomfortable."
[crew person] Ryan, go to
the bar. Ryan, go to the bar.
In the script for that
scene, the description is,
"They slow dance,
lost in their own world."
No mention of a kiss,
no mention of any kind of
sexual touch or intimate touch
beyond an embrace, maybe?
Blake Lively alleged
that he would do
unapproved movements
and -- and contact and kissing
and smelling her neck.
[Mia] Blake says that there wasn't
an intimacy coordinator present
for certain intimate scenes.
From what I've heard, it seems
like there were scenes that
did not have intimacy written,
but then intimacy was added.
That video of the slow dance
is a perfect example of that.
[Dina] The dance scene, both
sides think it's great for them.
So when this goes to trial,
that video will for sure be
shown in front of a jury,
and you'll hear two completely
different perspectives
on what that video is.
But Justin Baldoni said,
"Had Lively chosen to merely
"write out the self-inflicted
press catastrophe she faced in
"August of 2024, the
public would likely have
"moved on and never
known the truth about her.
"They would have never
known that she deliberately
"and systematically robbed
plaintiffs Justin Baldoni
and Wayfarer
Studios of their movie."
Justin Baldoni says in
his counterclaim that,
"Almost immediately,
Lively began inserting herself
"into the production process
in intrusive ways well beyond
the scope of her
contractual entitlement."
Basically, he's saying,
her saying that she needed
creative control over the
project and threatening to
walk out if she didn't
get that creative control
amounted to extortion.
There's this one now very, um,
viral video of her appearance
at a Forbes summit,
where she was talking
about demanding and wanting
and needing control of
every aspect of movie making.
[Blake] I wanted to be a part
of the storytelling, that I wanted
to be a part of the narrative,
whether that be in the writing,
in the costume design,
in creating the character.
I actually need to have
authorship in order to
feel fulfilled.
There is a core scene
in the movie, it's when
Ryle and Lily meet
for the first time.
I once read that
maraschino cherries
stay in your stomach
for like seven years.
[Natasha] It takes place on a
rooftop, it's a very pivotal scene,
and Blake has said
that Ryan Reynolds
wrote at least
some of this scene.
The iconic rooftop scene in
this movie, my husband actually
wrote it, nobody
knows that, but you now.
He's all over this film.
In Justin's lawsuit, he
alleges that there was
a meeting in Blake
Lively and Ryan Reynolds'
New York City penthouse,
where he felt pressured by both
Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift
to acquiesce to some of
the changes that Blake Lively
had wanted to
make to the script.
[Matthew] He felt that Blake
Lively and Ryan Reynolds were
coming in to try to create
their own version of the film.
-[paparazzi chatting]
-[camera shutters snapping]
[Kjersti] Most of us reacted
very strongly to the text message
that Blake had sent to
Justin Baldoni, explaining that
she's Khaleesi from
"Game of Thrones,"
and she has dragons.
It wasn't in the message
who her dragons were.
To me, it was like, obvious
that it was Ryan Reynolds
and Taylor Swift
she was referring to.
So, by saying that, it was like
a nicely put little
"threat," I would say.
I find it interesting that
Blake is both framed
as this incredibly powerful
person who, you know,
can use Taylor Swift and
everyone in her arsenal
to do whatever she wants,
but also she needs to rely on
manipulating sexual harassment
in order to get her way.
Hey, Blake, it is, uh,
two in the morning, um,
hopefully this does
not wake you up.
So Justin Baldoni releases this
voicemail that he leaves 2 a.m.
to Blake Lively, apologizing.
I'm really sorry, um, I
-- I for sure fell short.
It's, you know, he's showing
some level of understanding,
but it's also, you know,
he's admitting
some level of fault.
So it's kind of, you know,
one of those things that
you can spin it either way.
And damn right,
you got great friends.
We should all have friends
like that, aside from the fact that
they're two of the most
creative people on the planet.
What I mainly got from the
message was that he was
really desperately
trying to please Blake.
He was like, "Whatever
you say, I'll do."
I'm sorry. [laughing]
You probably have kids all over
you and a baby on your boob,
and you're listening to me
ramble at two in the morning.
It's 2 a.m. in the morning.
There were definitely
people who thought
it was a little creepy.
There's others who say,
"Hey, she texted
him right before.
This was a
justified voice call."
But, as a lawyer, I think,
why release something that
does -- it is a little
questionable of whether or not
that's appropriate
in a workplace.
Baldoni is claiming that
Blake Lively threatening that if
she doesn't get the edit,
she's not going to maybe
appear at the premiere.
He was basically giving over
his creative
control of the film.
I believe that Sony,
the film's distributor
and major financer,
they were scared,
in my opinion, of Blake Lively.
[paparazzi chatting]
The bigger star tends
to get backed because
at the end of the day,
the studio wants this
to make a lot of money,
and the bigger star is gonna
draw a bigger audience.
If she took complete
editorial control of the film,
that's not a crime.
Who's to say that Baldoni's
version was inherently better?
I wonder why we're not framing
this as a woman potentially
experiencing misconduct
on set, as she's alleged,
taking part in a movie that
we know she cares about,
and then...
making editorial decisions
that are ultimately
for the best of it.
[Matthew] In the end, Blake
Lively kind of emerged victorious,
because what ended up getting
shown was the rooftop scene
that Ryan Reynolds wrote,
and a lot of, you know,
her cut we ended
up seeing in theaters.
[paparazzi yelling] Ryan!
As "It Ends with
Us" is coming out,
"Deadpool & Wolverine"
also comes out.
We see a lot of cross-promotion
and a lot of Blake and Ryan
in the news together.
Within "Deadpool & Wolverine,"
there's a character
called "Nicepool."
And where in God's name
is the intimacy coordinator?
Bryan Freedman,
Baldoni's lawyer,
issues a letter to Disney
saying that this character
is clearly making fun of Justin.
Who are you?
Oh, I'm Deadpool, but in here,
everybody calls me Nicepool.
Nicepool has a man
bun, like Justin Baldoni,
and he makes
references to Lady Deadpool,
who was voiced by Blake.
[Lady Deadpool] Oh,
we're just getting started.
He even talks about
Ladypool's body
after just giving birth.
Oh my goodness, wait
till you see Ladypool.
She is gorgeous.
She just had a baby too,
and... [blows air through lips]
-Can't even tell.
-I don't think you're supposed to say that.
That's OK.
-I identify as a feminist.
-Right.
Here I am, doing my
part, trying to be a feminist.
There's so many parallels to
what happened in the real world
on the set of "It Ends with Us."
As part of the lawyer's
assessment of this,
he points to the fact,
"Well, Lively clearly couldn't
"have undergone something as
serious as sexual harassment if
they're making
fun of it in a movie."
I don't think that's the case.
I think people cope with
many things with humor.
All of a sudden...
we're yo-yoed back to,
"Wow, maybe this is like
the most high-school fight that
"we're ever privy to that
people with millions of dollars
can do with each other."
Maybe they're both wrong.
A trial date has been set for
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
to battle it out in court.
We now have a date, but
it is not until March of 2026.
As of now, Blake Lively
has promised to bring forward
two more women
from "It Ends with Us"
who say that Justin
Baldoni mistreated her
and mistreated them on set.
And if that comes to fruition,
that would be a big deal
for the case.
[Dina] My professional opinion,
Blake Lively has a stronger
case because all of
Justin Baldoni's arguments
about fame and
control don't really refute
her claim of sexual harassment.
Those allegations,
the improvising of
the kissing, the showing,
describing his genitalia,
talking about pornography,
regardless of where
your workplace is, those seem
to be pretty strong basis for
a claim of sexual harassment.
[Perez] Even though it seems like
a lot of social media is supporting
Justin Baldoni, the
longer this goes on,
the more reputational
damage they will both suffer.
You've gotta consider
that Justin Baldoni
might be the problem.
[Matthew] The social media
algorithms portion of this is really
interesting, because you get
fed something very personal.
What she is accusing him of is
so harsh and so disrespectful.
If you are getting fed a lot
of things about Justin Baldoni
being a good guy, you're
gonna keep getting fed that.
The same goes for people
that are on Blake Lively's side.
Who wants to trust a man
who's made his entire brand
all about being a champion
for the voices of women?
[Matthew] These algorithms split
people apart, and you're never really
gonna get the other
side of the narrative.
At this point, it's
kind of like a mutually
assured destruction.
[audience clapping]
[SNL announcer] Ladies and
gentlemen, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Even at the "Saturday Night
Live" 50th anniversary special,
Ryan Reynolds made a
little passing remark to it,
a little joke about it.
[Tina] Ryan Reynolds,
how's it going?
Great -- why? What
have you heard?
[laughing]
[Matthew] People
immediately understood,
they're still in
the thick of this.
This is still something
that is going on.
From a PR standpoint,
both of them are gonna have
a hard time getting the
mud off of their reputation.
They're both going
to have to do some
work with great professionals,
hopefully, that are gonna
lead them down the path,
outside of the courtroom,
building back the
trust of their fans.
I believe for Blake, she
needs to be vulnerable.
She needs to have a moment
where she's a mom of four.
We want to be connected
to her and empathize.
Like, what woman hasn't been
uncomfortable in a workplace?
That's a common situation,
and we want to support her.
For Justin, you know,
he has this platform of
debunking toxic masculinity.
He needs to also, "Hey, tail
between my legs here, guys.
I -- I could have done better."
That's a relatable moment.
[Matthew] The irony of this
whole thing is that the movie that
the movie was such
a huge success.
And to have all this scandal
around it is kind of sad,
because it really was
a big win for Hollywood.
I mean, if you're Colleen
Hoover, you have to be
kind of fed up with it.
[Perez] Author Colleen
Hoover, who wrote the novel
"It Ends with Us," wiped all
of her photos with Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni,
but she still follows
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
and is not following
Justin Baldoni.
So, interpret that as you will.
[Aaron] The saddest thing about
this is the message of this movie
is taking second place
to this conversation about
what happened on set.
The biggest loss here is this
incredible film that so many
people were really excited
about and a topic that really
needs to be
addressed in Hollywood.
At this point, this is
basically like the unraveling
of a family feud.
In terms of winners and losers,
there really are no winners.
It's all losers.
[Dina] The bigger loser here
is victims of domestic violence.
This movie was about
domestic violence.
And nobody's talking
about domestic violence.
The other sad thing is
that there is an allegation of
sexual harassment on
a domestic violence set,
and the whole public
seems to have decided
whether or not that's true
long before the evidence has
even been introduced at trial.