It Ends with Us Cast Drama Explained: What Is Going on with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?

It Ends With Us created buzz at the box office when it hit theaters in August 2024 — but fans were curious to know what was going on with the cast. 

During the film’s promotional tour, there were rumors of a rift between the major stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who play Lily Bloom and Ryle, respectively. Baldoni also served as the director for the project, while Lively was a producer. Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, secured the rights to the book in 2019 and Lively's casting in the film was announced in January 2023.

Notably, Baldoni was largely absent from grouped promotional appearances, including at the New York premiere, where he didn’t pose with his costars and didn't introduce the film ahead of the screening. Additionally, Lively, Brandon Sklenar and author Colleen Hoover don’t appear to follow Baldoni on social media. 

There were also reports of creative clashes behind the scenes, which allegedly led to two different cuts of the movie emerging, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Months later, their feud made headlines again when Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment in December 2024, also claiming that he had engaged in "social manipulation" to "destroy" her reputation.

Here’s everything to know about the cast drama, Lively's lawsuit and what everyone has said about working together on the film.

Why were there rumors of a rift between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni during the film's release?

Rumors of a rift between Lively and Baldoni first sparked as the cast embarked on the official press tour for the movie. Throughout the film’s promotion, Baldoni was mostly absent from group appearances, including Book Bonanza and a surprise screening in June with Lively, Sklenar, Hoover and Isabela Ferrer, the latter of whom plays young Lily. Around the same time, Baldoni revealed he was recovering after being hospitalized with an infection for a week.

Speculation grew as the film held its New York premiere on Aug. 6. While Lively appeared to pose alongside all of her main costars, including Sklenar and Jenny Slate, Baldoni walked the red carpet with his wife Emily and his family. He also didn’t introduce the film ahead of the screening with Lively and Hoover, despite being the director of the project. 

Additionally, fans noticed that none of the main cast members nor the author follow Baldoni on social media, while Lively follows Sklenar, Hoover and Slate. 

"All is not what it seems," a set source told PEOPLE about the rift. "There is much more to this story. The principal cast and [author] Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with him."

Amid the reported rifts, Baldoni hired crisis public relations manager Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group, a source familiar with the matter told PEOPLE.

What did the It Ends With Us cast said about working together? 

Throughout the film's press tour, Baldoni has spoken highly of his costars. Ahead of the release, he praised Sklenar’s performance in an Instagram Stories post and during a conversation with PEOPLE, he said he was “mesmerized” by Lively during filming. 

In addition to acting, he noted that Lively was “involved in every area of production” and was “a creative force” amid filming. “She's an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant,” he continued. “And I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don't believe I've seen in another film.”

In an interview with ELLE U.K., Baldoni called Lively a "powerhouse" to work with and also explained how "friction" on set can benefit the final product. “There are all these things that happen every day on set, there’s always friction that happens when you make a movie like this," he said. "Then at the end of the day, it’s that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art. Everything in life needs friction to grow."

During an interview for PEOPLE in 10, Sklenar opened up about working with Baldoni, noting he did a “great” job balancing his duties as a lead actor in the movie as well as director and producer. “The entire crew that he ensembled was so incredible,” he added. “Everybody in this film is just on the top of their game across the board. It was a really pleasant environment to work in.” 

However, eyebrows were raised when Slate, who plays Baldoni’s sister Allysa, was asked about working with him during the film’s premiere and seemingly side-stepped the question. “What an intense job to have to do so many things,” she told Deadline, adding in her career, she would rather have one job when she’s doing projects. 

What happened behind the scenes of It Ends With Us?

Ahead of the release, there were also various reports about creative clashes behind the scenes. While Baldoni served as the director and producer for the project, Lively, who was also a producer, praised her husband Ryan Reynolds for his creative contributions at the premiere, saying that he wrote the pivotal rooftop scene between Lily and Ryle. 

"The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it. Nobody knows that but you now," Lively told E! News on the red carpet. "We help each other," she added. "He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his. I mean, he's all over this film."

Speaking with PEOPLE, the film's screenwriter, Christy Hall, noted that the specific scene was "probably the trickiest one to tackle" because it is "perfect in the novel." She also said she wasn't aware Reynolds had contributed to the dialogue used in the final version of the sequence, but noticed a few new additions.

"There were a couple of little things that I thought had been improvised. Like when he says, 'Pretty please with a cherry on top,' and she talks about the maraschino cherries. When I saw a cut, I was like, 'Oh, that's cute. That must have been a cute improvised thing.' So if I'm being told that Ryan wrote that, then great, how wonderful," she said. 

"There were a few little flourishes that I did not write, but I assumed that they had been improvised on set,” she continued. “But, again, like I said, the moments that I felt like needed to be honored are there. So I recognize the scene and I'm proud of the scene. And if those flourishes came from Ryan, I think that's wonderful."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “there was a fracture among the filmmakers” during the post-production process as two “different cuts of the movie emerged.” A source noted to PEOPLE that it’s typical to have many cuts of the film during post-production, and everyone agreed on the final cut.

Why did Blake Lively sue Justin Baldoni

In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign that caused her to experience "grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety."

The suit, which PEOPLE obtained, mentioned a meeting that was held to address "the hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production" of It Ends With Us, which included a list of demands made of Baldoni going forward, including "no more showing nude videos or images of women ... to [Lively] and/or her employees," and "no more mention by [Baldoni] of him 'speaking to' [Lively's] dead father."

Lively also claimed that following the production of the movie, Baldoni attempted to "destroy" her reputation with a "social manipulation" campaign.

"I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted," Lively said in a statement to The New York Times.

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement to PEOPLE that her allegations against the actor are "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."

Freedman also accused Lively of "threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release."

What is the other controversy surrounding the It Ends With Us adaptation? 

The cast drama rumors aside, the movie has also faced backlash as some fans criticized the portrayal of intimate partner violence. In both the book and the film adaptation (warning: spoilers ahead), the story revolves around Lily Bloom as she embarks on a romance with Ryle. However, over time, he becomes emotionally, sexually and physically abusive towards Lily. Though they ultimately part ways in the end, she allows him to continue to co-parent their daughter.

This has been a point of contention for readers, as some question Lily's choice to keep Ryle around while others praise the realistic nature of the relationship. Hoover has candidly opened up about how watching her own parents' relationship influenced the story. 

“One of my earliest memories was him throwing a TV at her,” she told Today in 2023. “We grew up in an abusive household up to that point. There were no resources for women to leave situations like that,” she continued, adding her mother divorced her father when she was 2. “She was able to get out of that relationship. And then from then on, I just remember growing up with a mother who was so strong and independent.”

Hoover recalled that she "would ask her mother all the time about how she was able to leave her father and ended up writing a book inspired by her mother’s courage."