Hollywood’s Bitter Bloom: The Baldoni-Lively Feud Unravels

What began as a quiet complaint has exploded into a storm of accusations—harassment, blackmail, and betrayal. Now, one leaked deposition could either expose the lies or shatter what’s left of their careers. Is this the moment the truth finally breaks Hollywood’s perfect façade—or just another act in its never-ending drama?

The saga traces back to the set of *It Ends With Us*, the 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel about domestic abuse. Blake Lively, the film’s luminous star playing the resilient Lily Bloom, and Justin Baldoni, who directed and starred as the charming yet controlling Ryle Kincaid, were poised to be the project’s golden duo. Baldoni, known for his advocacy in men’s emotional vulnerability through his podcast *Man Enough*, had championed the film as a beacon for survivors. Lively, fresh off rom-com triumphs, brought her signature poise and entrepreneurial flair. But beneath the promotional glamour, tensions simmered like a storm cloud over a summer wedding.

It started subtly in late 2024. During press tours, Lively’s interviews veered into lighter fare—her haircare line, Blake Brown—drawing criticism for overshadowing the film’s heavy themes. Whispers emerged of on-set friction: Lively allegedly pushed for creative control, demanding script changes and reshoots, while Baldoni resisted, citing his vision. By December, the cracks widened. Lively filed a California Civil Rights Department (CRD) complaint, accusing Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios team of sexual harassment. She detailed inappropriate comments about her sex life, unconsented physical contact during intimate scenes, and a hostile environment where her boundaries were dismissed as “hysteria.”

Baldoni vehemently denied the claims, calling them a “fabricated narrative” to seize directorial reins. The New York Times ignited the powder keg on December 20, 2024, with Megan Twohey’s exposé, “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.” It alleged Baldoni orchestrated a retaliatory “information war” against Lively after her complaints—hiring a crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel to plant negative stories, brief tabloids on her “difficult” behavior, and even explore digging into her personal life. Text messages revealed chilling plans: operatives joking about “burying” Lively, coordinating with blogger Perez Hilton to amplify rumors of her diva antics. Lively’s team decried it as “textbook retaliation,” violating federal and state laws against workplace harassment.

Baldoni fired back on New Year’s Eve, suing the Times for $250 million in defamation, libel, and breach of contract. He claimed the article relied on “stolen” texts and anonymous sources, portraying him as a misogynist hypocrite despite his feminist credentials. That same day, Lively escalated, filing a federal lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and associates like Heath and Sarowitz, seeking damages for emotional distress and punitive measures. She amended it in February 2025, adding claims of hypocrisy: Baldoni’s public persona as a “male ally” masked alleged misogyny.

The counteroffensive was swift and staggering. In January 2025, Baldoni and his allies slapped Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane with a $400 million lawsuit for extortion, defamation, and privacy invasion. They accused Lively of covertly suing in September 2024 to access private texts, then weaponizing them to “extort” control over the film. Reynolds, Deadpool’s wisecracking star, was dragged in for allegedly fueling the media blitz. Subpoenas flew: Lively targeted Hilton and phone carriers like AT&T; Baldoni’s side pursued Swift’s circle after a botched deposition attempt at Travis Kelce’s home.

Gag orders were requested and denied, websites like Baldoni’s “The Lawsuit Info” timeline clashed with anonymous pro-Lively sites. Allies defected: Baldoni’s ex-publicist Stephanie Jones rebutted his “specious allegations” in April, insisting she complied with subpoenas, not leaked maliciously. His former agent, Neil Greenberg, unleashed the latest bombshell in a September 2025 deposition, unsealed last week. Greenberg described Lively’s mounting demands as “extortion,” painting her as a bully pressuring Baldoni to relinquish directing duties or face career sabotage. “It felt like a shakedown,” he testified, under penalty of perjury. Lively’s lawyers dismissed it as a “recycled distraction,” arguing it dodges her core harassment claims. Makeup artist Vivian Baker and agent Warren Zavala’s depositions partially backed her, noting discomfort during early filming but none later—yet post-production woes persisted.

By June 2025, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s suits against Lively and the Times as meritless, shielding her statements under anti-SLAPP laws protecting public-interest speech. It was a “total vindication,” her team crowed. But the fallout deepened. In September, a judge rejected Baldoni’s last-minute bid to depose Taylor Swift, ending hopes of pulling the pop star into the fray over her alleged chats with Lively about set conditions. Insurance woes mounted as Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios sued major carriers for denying coverage on harassment claims predating their policies.

October brought fresh salvos. On September 30, the Times countersued Baldoni and Wayfarer in New York Supreme Court for over $150,000 in legal fees, arguing his dismissed $250 million action lacked “substantial basis in fact and law.” The paper’s filing lambasted the suit as a baseless attack on journalism, seeking punitive damages to deter future SLAPP tactics. Baldoni’s lead attorney, Bryan Freedman, faced his own reckoning: On October 8, a former client sued him in California for malpractice, alleging he “traded up” from a “seriously ill” case to Baldoni’s flashier one, breaching privacy and ethics.

Crossovers emerged too. A September filing linked Baldoni’s PR crisis team to a similar smear campaign against Rebel Wilson in her *The Deb* feud, with the same operatives accused of orchestrating anonymous sites trashing reputations. Lively’s deposition began July 31, kicking off discovery, with trial set for March 9, 2026. As texts and timelines spill, the leaked Greenberg deposition—painting Lively as the aggressor—threatens to flip the script, potentially vindicating Baldoni or fueling more countersuits.

This isn’t just tabloid fodder; it’s a reckoning for Hollywood’s power dynamics. Lively’s camp frames it as survivor justice against a manipulative machine. Baldoni’s insists it’s a witch hunt by A-listers weaponizing #MeToo. With millions at stake and reputations in tatters, the truth may emerge not in court, but in the court of public opinion—where Swifties rally for Lively and #ManEnough fans defend Baldoni. As one insider quipped, “In Tinseltown, the real drama never ends with ‘cut.'” Whether this deposition cracks the façade or recasts the villains, one thing’s clear: *It Ends With Us* has no fade to black.