Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s War Over ‘It Ends With Us’: A Full Timeline

It Ends With Us hasn’t ended yet. The film was controversial from the start, with arguments over its source material’s depiction of domestic violence and whether or not star Blake Lively fit the lead role of Lily Bloom. Also, the costumes. And that was before it even came out.

Fans were quick to pick up on a rift between director and star Justin Baldoni and the rest of the cast. Then public opinion quickly turned against Lively as her tone-deaf marketing efforts fell flat (“Wear your florals!”), though they didn’t hamper the movie’s box-office success. At the same time, rumors spread that Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, had been too controlling over the film, with Lively reportedly commissioning her own edit of the final product. Meanwhile, Baldoni was being praised for centering domestic violence during his (noticeably solo) press ventures.

Four months after the film’s release, however, public sentiment took a drastic turn when Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, accusing the actor of launching a PR smear campaign to destroy her reputation.

Here’s everything that has gone down, starting with the latest: A trial date has been set for March 2026.

February 2, 2025: As promised, Baldoni’s team sets up a website.

In early February, Baldoni’s team launches a website, which currently features an amended version of his legal complaint as well as a “timeline of relevant events.”

Among the new information shared in these documents is a statement Lively and Reynolds allegedly drafted amid the backlash to the film’s press tour in August 2024. According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the couple wanted Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and producer Jamey Heath to release the statement taking “accountability for the negative press toward Lively and Reynolds.”

Baldoni’s lawyers claim their client refused to sign the statement even though Lively and Reynolds told WME that “the gloves will come off” if he declined.

“It Ends with Us was a troubled production which we take full accountability for. We are very sorry to everyone we caused upset to privately and publicly. Blake Lively, Colleen Hoover, the entire cast and crew led with professionalism every step of the way, any negativity aimed at them is ours to own,” the statement said, in part. “We mutually agreed that the cast would be promoting the film separately and understood why. We hold ourselves accountable, it’s not anyone’s job but ours and that’s part of being ‘man enough.’ We will practice what we preach. We are learning and growing from the experience and we thank everyone for their patience as we find a better way to proceed. We are very proud of the film and the welcome arms that it’s been received. Part of our work is to have uncomfortable conversations for public growth. The film is doing that on screen and we are doing that off screen.”