This summer, the first of what’s slated to be romance author Colleen Hoover’s several upcoming movie adaptions, “It End With Us,” was marred by controversy. Blake Lively, who played the film’s protagonist, Lily Bloom, was lambasted for the way she handled herself on the red carpet, on social media and in news interviews.
The consensus, especially online, was that Lively neglected to treat the film’s focus, domestic violence, with the gravity it deserved. She was also taken to task for the way she peddled her hair care and alcohol businesses in conjunction with promoting the movie. When Lively and Justin Baldoni, who directed, produced and also starred in the film, attended very few press events together, speculation swirled that the two where creatively and personally at odds. Lively’s reputation was slammed, seemingly irreparably. Baldoni’s star, on the other hand, rose.
In the 80-page document, which includes screenshots of text messages and emails, Lively alleges that Baldoni and his team orchestrated a smear campaign to destroy her reputation.
Earlier this month, Lively filed a legal complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni, his film studio, Wayfarer Studios, Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel and others. In the 80-page document, which includes screenshots of text messages and emails, Lively alleges that Baldoni and his team orchestrated a smear campaign to destroy her reputation. The legal complaint also details numerous alleged instances of sexual harassment that occurred while filming “It Ends With Us.”
An attorney representing Baldoni denied the allegations, calling them “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious.”
There’s much to be said about the lack of protections for women, regardless of stature and resources, in a society that spends so much time disparaging and mistreating them. But more than anything else, this new chapter in the “It Ends With Us” controversy forces us to confront the uneasy relationship between reality and what we consume via pop culture and social media.
Lively’s complaint adds alarming and painful context to what was widely speculated about this summer, including by me. Lively alleges in her complaint that Baldoni both sexualized and criticized her appearance. She alleges that at one point Baldoni pressured her to remove her coat in front of members of the crew and background actors to reveal a low-cut dress she was wearing to easily breastfeed her infant daughter. (It’s worth saying anyone is entitled to wear a low-cut dress without providing a reason.) She also alleges that Baldoni contacted Lively’s fitness trainer, without her consent or awareness, and implied he wanted her to lose weight in just two weeks.
The complaint’s allegations feel especially jarring because Baldoni has positioned himself as a feminist ally throughout his career. His 2017 TED Talk, book and podcast, all titled “Man Enough,” explore problematic notions of traditional masculinity and how they “show up in relationships, body image, privilege, fatherhood, sex, success, mental health and so much more.” Earlier this month, Baldoni was honored by Vital Voices, a nonprofit organization that works to support women in leadership, for his perceived solidarity. His award was rescinded after Lively’s legal complaint, but his Instagram post celebrating the recognition is still up. In it, Baldoni writes, “Looking at the landscape of our world, it’s hard to accept an award when it’s so evident that there is still so much more work to do.”








