And it ends with us, Romantic drama starring 2024 Blake Lively and justin baldoni, It may be one of the most controversial films in recent history. Based on Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, And it ends with us It was an immediate success at the box office, grossing $50 million in the United States and Canada in its opening weekend. finally, And it ends with us It will gross over $350 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $25 million.
But underneath its commercial success, there was a battle that quickly turned ugly. In December, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation, and within days she filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that she suffered emotional distress from the actor and director, who she says sought to smear her character via an online campaign allegedly coordinated by His propaganda. a team. Baldoni quickly responded with his own lawsuit, filing a lawsuit the New York times On charges of defamation, as well as Hayya and her husband, ryan reynolds, Which Baldoni accused of trying to “destroy” him.
As lawsuits continue, it can be difficult to keep track of who is suing whom and why. So, here’s a timeline of the significant legal allegations, lawsuits, and complaints filed amid the ongoing drama between Baldoni and Lively.
August 2024: Dramatic And it ends with us The press tour begins. Even before the film hit theaters on August 9, eagle-eyed fans noticed tension at the film’s premiere, as Lively wasn’t pictured with Baldoni. jenny slate, which appears in the film, He deftly but pointedly avoids answering the question about Baldoni on the red carpet, leading fans to speculate that there was a rift between the actors and their director. (Slat since She expressed her support for Lively.)
Around this time, social media accounts began criticizing Lively for her handling of the film’s sensitive subject matter. A The clip has been published On the official And it ends with us The TikTok account, which features Lively instructing fans to “grab your friends, wear your flowers, and head over to see her.” Provokes a violent reactionwhere some accused gossip girl Star downplays the heavier themes in the film. Meanwhile, Baldoni is spending most of his press tour focusing on the darker aspects of the film And ends with us, Which ultimately relates to domestic violence. “The book has helped thousands and thousands and thousands of women leave these relationships,” he added. He says On ABC News. “I know too many women who have been sexually assaulted or abused. That number is too high, and there’s a reason they care, and I just want them to know that I care, too.”
The backlash against Lively continues when a clip from a previous interview begins circulating online, seemingly out of the blue. On August 10, journalist Junket Kirsty does not Uploads to YouTube 2016 interview clip Where Lively appears to explode at Flaa after the journalist congratulated the pregnant Lively on her “little belly.”
“Congratulations for you Little bump!” Lively says to Flaa in the clip, even though Flaa wasn’t pregnant at the time. Flaa calls the video “the Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job.”
December 20, 2024: In a complaint filed in California civil court, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation, alleging that the director created a hostile environment on set, then hired a public relations firm to launch a smear campaign against the actor (the complaint preceded the same day). By filing a request with the California Department of Civil Rights). A New York Times Essay on complaint is published The next day, after he wrote megan twohey, mike mcintyre, and Julie Tate; It includes alleged text messages regarding Lively’s alleged removal, sent between members of Baldoni’s PR team, melissa nathan, and Jennifer Appel.
The complaint is 80 pages long He claims that after production is on And it ends with us The film was temporarily halted due to Hollywood strikes, and Lively’s lawyers sent a list of judgments to the film’s production company, Wayfarer Studios (which Baldoni co-founded), demanding an end to what was described in the complaint as a “hostile work environment.” “In the complaint, Lively alleges, among other things, that Baldoni would improvise kisses during filming, frequently referenced his past addiction to pornography and sexual encounters, and would enter her trailer while she was undressing and breastfeeding her infant.