Broke as St" Amid Explosive "It Ends With Us

Colleen Hoover’s return to social media is sparking chatter.

Following a resumption of her Instagram activity, amidst the continuing dispute between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, Colleen humorously mentioned a reduction in prices for her online merchandise.

My boss, Stephanie, had posted on her now-expired Instagram Story on March 19th that she was selling all my merchandise for just $10 per item. This is roughly five times less than what I paid for each item, meaning by the end of today, I’ll be left with virtually no money.

Indeed, the author’s website is hosting a “March Madness Sale” where her current merchandise related to novels such as Verity, It Ends With Us, and Ugly Love are all priced at $10.

Colleen added, “Well I can’t retire now, because now I’m going to be in the hole by 5 p.m.”

The witty remarks by the author of “Reminders of Him” – who now has three movie adaptations of her books underway following the 2024 release of the “It Ends With Us” film – were made about a month after she resumed activity on social media.

On January 22, the woman aged 45 chose to silently close down her account. Similarly, on her return on February 12, she subtly removed all posts related to Justin, Blake or the movie “It Ends With Us.

In contrast, similar to many other cast members, Colleen hasn’t said much as the court case between the movie’s leading actors becomes more complex and contentious.

Or:

Colleen, like most of the film’s cast, hasn’t spoken up in the growing legal dispute between the two main stars.

Both sentences convey the same meaning but offer slightly different wordings for variety and readability.

Regarding Brandon Sklenar, the actor who portrayed Atlas Corrigan in the movie, there has been some intrigue lately as he donned a similar pin at the Vanity Fair Oscars party that Justin wore to the premiere of ‘It Ends With Us’. Some spectators wonder if this gesture signifies Brandon’s endorsement of the film’s director.

Speculation the 34-year-old was quick to shut down.

In a March 9 interview with People, Brandon explained, “It was completely by chance.” He continued, “I woke up one morning, saw an article, and thought, ‘Wow.’ I had no idea about it beforehand. I just liked the color and wanted to wear a floral brooch. Incidentally, someone else had worn it before me.

Was there a specific motive behind you choosing that specific pin? “To be honest,” he replied, “I can’t say there was.

For a look back at the timeline of Justin and Blake’s legal battle, keep reading.

Four months following the cinema release of Colleen Hoover’s novel “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively lodged a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20, as reported by The New York Times.

In the complaint acquired by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, co-founder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. were named as defendants.

Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and Wayfarer associates “initiated a complex press and digital strategy” as retaliation for expressing concerns about supposed misconduct on set—with Lively stating that she, along with other cast and crew members, “encountered invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further stated that the alleged campaign against her resulted in significant harm to both her personal and professional life.

The charges listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligence; false light invasion of privacy and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The following day, The New York Times released an article detailing a suspected counterattack smear operation that Baldoni and his allies were said to have conducted against Lively. This was supported by her CRD complaint, which the publication referenced in its piece. Messages from Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) were among those cited in the complaint and featured in the article. Additionally, readers could access the court documents related to this case on the The New York Times‘ website.

Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose these underhanded retaliatory strategies aimed at damaging individuals who speak out against misconduct, and offer protection to others who might face similar targeting.

Following Lively’s accusations, Bryan Freedman—representing Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates—vehemently refuted the claims. He stated in a New York Times article that it was disgraceful for Lively and her team to make such severe and wholly untrue allegations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This, he claimed, was another desperate attempt to improve her tarnished reputation stemming from her own words and actions during the film’s promotional campaign; public interviews and media activities that could be observed in real-time and uncensored, allowing for public opinion to form freely on the internet. Freedman argued these claims were entirely false, excessively sensational, and deliberately salacious with the intention to harm Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios publicly and resurrect a narrative in the media.

Freedman also defended Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager, explaining that this was done prior to the movie’s marketing campaign. Later, he added that Wayfarer’s representatives didn’t take any proactive steps nor retaliated, but only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. Notably absent from the selectively presented correspondence, Freedman pointed out, was evidence of a lack of proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; just internal planning and private communication to strategize, which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After the article published by The New York Times on December 21, William Morris Endeavor (WME) ended their relationship with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, confirmed this to the outlet. However, it was not Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and also a client of WME, who was responsible for the separation between WME and Baldoni as later claimed by Baldoni in his lawsuit against The New York Times (more on that below). In response to these allegations, WME stated to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1 that “In Baldoni’s filing there is a claim that Reynolds pressured Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere. This is not true.” Furthermore, they added that “Baldoni’s former representative was not at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere nor was there any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client.

Following Lively’s CRD filing and the New York Times article, several notable figures expressed their support for Lively’s allegations against Baldoni. Among them was the author of “It Ends With Us,” Hoover, who posted a message on Instagram Stories on December 21, linking to the New York Times article.

Jenny Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character Ryle, also expressed her support for Lively. In a statement to Today on December 23, she said, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation.” She added, “Blake is a leader, loyal friend, and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her. What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening. I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared a screenshot of the complaint published to the New York Times’ website and linked out to the outlet, writing, “For the love of God read this.”

Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn also wrote that they “stand with her in solidarity.

Liz Plank recently shared her decision to step down from her co-host role on The Man Enough Podcast, which she shared with Baldoni and Heath. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for the trust and stories shared by listeners over the past four years, but did not disclose the reason behind her departure. However, it follows closely after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank emphasized her continued commitment to the values they had built together and expressed hope for a better future, promising more updates as she processes recent events. She also reiterated her support for those who speak out against injustice and hold accountable those standing in their way.

Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, and her agency, Jonesworks LLC, have filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan in New York on December 24th. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan secretly conspired for months to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business prospects. They allegedly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to execute a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars, using the ensuing crisis to create a rift between Jones and Baldoni, and to publicly blame Jones for the smear campaign when she had no involvement in it. Abel, who worked at Jonesworks until last summer according to her LinkedIn profile, is accused of falsely pointing fingers at Jones now that their misconduct is being exposed, and defaming and attacking her in the industry. The suit also alleges that Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer clients of Jonesworks, repudiated their contractual obligations with Jonesworks, refused to settle this dispute privately through arbitration, and have yet to comment on the matter when reached out by TopMob News.

According to a statement made by Lively’s lawyers to Variety on December 23, they acquired the text excerpts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena sent to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents both Nathan, Abel, and Baldoni as well as Wayfarer associates, told the outlet that none of his clients were served with a subpoena on this matter. He also stated his intention to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.

On December 31st, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract over an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she voiced concerns regarding misconduct on set.

The plaintiffs claim the report was false and based on Lively’s CRD complaint, denying the accusations and asserting that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. They argue that The New York Times primarily relied on Lively’s unverified narrative, disregarding evidence that contradicted her claims and exposing her true motives.

The plaintiffs also allege that it was Lively, not them, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign, which she has denied. In response, The New York Times stated they will “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” They asserted that their story was thoroughly and responsibly reported, based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails they accurately quoted in the article.

On the same day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, his company TAG, and Abel in New York. The court documents show that she’s accusing these defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting such actions, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligence regarding emotional distress, and invasion of privacy through false light.

The accusations in the lawsuit were initially outlined in the CRD complaint she filed earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit filed against them (which does not include Lively as a defendant), Baldoni and his associates have countered by filing a suit against The New York Times. Lively’s lawyers, commenting on this, stated to TopMob News that “the allegations in this lawsuit do not alter anything about the claims made in her CRD and federal complaints.”

They further added, “The premise that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a pretense for not filing a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, and that litigation was never her ultimate goal is false. As proven by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this framing of the Wayfarer lawsuit is incorrect.

In the legal action brought by Baldoni and his team against The New York Times, they have indicated that they are far from finished with their case. As stated in court documents, there are other parties implicated, and it is clear that this will not be the only lawsuit they file. During a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed that they indeed intend to take legal action against Lively as well.

The buzz surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended yet. For example, internet users have proposed that Reynolds mocked Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has not spoken out on these allegations; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman shared his thoughts.

“In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman said during an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, posted to YouTube on Jan 7. “You don’t joke about the situation. You treat it seriously. You file complaints and follow legal procedures. What you definitely don’t do is mock the person and turn it into a jest.

In their statement to TopMob News on January 7th, Ms. Lively’s legal team explained that her lawsuit against the Southern District of New York involves severe allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation supported by solid evidence. This is not a mere dispute stemming from artistic disagreements or hearsay. Instead, as stated in her complaint, and what they will demonstrate during the court proceedings, Wayfarer and their associates are accused of conducting unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for standing up for herself and others on a film set. Since she filed the lawsuit, they have continued to attack her.

As they navigate through the legal process, they implore everyone to recall that sexual harassment and retaliation are unacceptable in any workplace or industry. A common strategy to divert attention from such misconduct allegations is to shift blame onto the victim by suggesting they provoked the behavior, brought it upon themselves, misunderstood the intentions, or even lied. Another tactic is to swap the roles of the offender and the victim.

Ms. Lively’s legal team emphasized that these tactics serve to normalize and trivialize allegations of grave misconduct. They also pointed out that media statements are not a defense against her claims, and they will present their case in court.

On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (Lively’s publicist), and her firm Vision PR in New York.

The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, accuses all defendants of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.

In the suit, the plaintiffs deny Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. They further accuse her of taking control of It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to harm the reputation of the plaintiffs in the media after she faced criticism for promoting the film. (Lively claimed in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan.)

In the lawsuit, plaintiffs claim that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to release a sensational news story which, while dramatic, was factually incorrect. The outlet maintains its report is accurate.

In response to TopMob’s inquiry, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was significantly deceived by her team or she intentionally and knowingly distorted the truth.

Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “an additional tactic in the script of an abuser,” explaining to TopMob News, “This is a recurring scenario: A woman presents clear proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to counterattack the accuser. This is often known as DARVO. It involves Denying the allegations, Attacking the accuser’s character, and Reversing the roles of Victim and Offender.

As a loyal supporter, I’d like to rephrase that statement in a way that reflects my perspective: I went on to accuse him of counterattacking after I made accusations towards him, stating that Baldoni is attempting to divert attention away from the fact that Lively took creative control and allegedly estranged the cast from Mr. Baldoni.

The speech went on to imply, “The proof will demonstrate that both the cast members and others encountered unpleasant encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, it will be shown that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise their segment of the film, which they subsequently distributed and achieved remarkable success.

Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.

In a nutshell, their defense against sexual harassment accusations: they claim she invited it, it’s her fault. They argue that this happened due to what she was wearing, according to her legal team. Essentially, while the victim is preoccupied with the abuse, the abuser is fixated on the victim herself. This tactic of blaming the woman is pathetic and won’t hold water. It doesn’t disprove the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fall apart.

In a recent statement, Baldoni’s attorney disclosed unseen footage from the making of “It Ends With Us“. According to the statement, the actor’s behavior depicted in this footage directly contradicts the portrayal of him by Ms. Lively.

In their statement, Baldoni’s legal team explained that the particular sequence aimed to depict the two characters developing feelings for each other and yearning to be near one another. It is evident that both performers were acting appropriately and professionally within the context of the scene, demonstrating respect towards each other throughout the process.

Nonetheless, Lively’s lawyers argue that the video directly supports the account given by Ms. Lively in her lawsuit, suggesting that every instance depicted in it was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior discussion or agreement.

The video depicts Ms. Lively moving back and repeatedly urging the characters to simply converse, as relayed to TopMob News in a statement. A sense of unease familiar to any woman who has experienced unwanted workplace advances can be seen in Ms. Lively’s actions.

In their ongoing case, the pair penned a missive to the presiding judge, asking for Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team, to be subjected to a restraining order on speech, as they wished to prevent any inappropriate behavior during the court proceedings.

As a die-hard fan, I stumbled upon a seven-minute voice note that Baldoni seemingly shared with Lively during the filming of “It Ends With Us.” In this recording, it seems like he hinted at the movie’s pivotal rooftop scene that Lively rewrote. According to the notes, these changes were discussed in a meeting also attended by Reynolds and our beloved friend Taylor Swift.

He shared with Lively that it’s not just their creativity that makes them great friends, but rather their collective brilliance when they’re all together is simply astonishing.

In the recording, Baldoni appeared to express an apology to the actress for not responding favorably to her script, stating, “I made a mistake. One important fact about me is that I will acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

Approximately a month following the submission of Lively’s legal complaint against Baldoni, a trial date was established on March 9, 2026.

I, an ardent admirer, have learned through TopMob News’ exclusive findings that Baldoni’s legal team has expanded the counterclaim filed against Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane in the U.S. District Court on January 16. This amendment now includes The New York Times as well.

In the revised paperwork, Baldoni alleges that Lively and her associates conspired for several months, spreading misinformation to The New York Times.

In a distinct case, different from the $250 million lawsuit filed against The New York Times, it was asserted that the paper selectively chose certain communications, removed crucial context, and intentionally edited them to deceive.

Baldoni established a site detailing his lawsuit against Lively, which includes the initial amended complaint filed on January 31 by his legal team and a “chronology of significant events.” The chronology report reportedly contained screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni that were claimed to be authentic.

The website was unveiled a month following when Freedman announced that they would be publishing every text message exchanged between the two parties.

Baldoni’s lawyer stated during an interview with NBC News on January 2nd that they desire transparency, and that means making the truth available. They also want the relevant documents to be accessible so that everyone can form their own opinions using tangible evidence.

In the revised lawsuit, Lively’s legal team asserted that two additional female crew members from the production of “It End” had disclosed feelings of discomfort due to Baldoni’s on-set conduct.

TopMob News obtained a complaint stating that Ms. Lively wasn’t the only one expressing concerns about Mr. Baldoni. The incidents involving Ms. Lively and other individuals, which began in May 2023, were recorded at the time they happened. Crucially, contrary to the story the Defendants have concocted, Mr. Baldoni admitted to these complaints in writing. He was aware that women apart from Ms. Lively also felt uneasy and had voiced their concerns about his conduct.

In the revised lawsuit, the two potential witnesses mentioned by Lively were not explicitly named because of the potentially harmful environment filled with threats, harassment, and intimidation instigated by the defendants’ reprisal efforts.

In an interview with TopMob, Freedman asserted that the accusation was riddled with “thin, unverified accounts” and suggested that those anonymous individuals who backed the claim are now unwilling to step forward or publicly validate it.

Following accusations by Baldoni that I spread “harmful tales” painting him as a “sexual offender,” and allegedly masterminding a “defamatory campaign” coordinated by Lively, I chose to seek dismissal from the ongoing lawsuit.

According to documents obtained by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer claimed that there was no ground for the allegations leveled against their client, and instead, she had been unwarrantedly involved in the lawsuit as a means of creating confusion to divert attention from Lively’s accusations.

Nick Shapiro, previously Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, has been recruited by Lively to offer guidance on the legal communication strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. This information was shared by a team member from Willkie Farr & Gallagher with Variety on February 28th.

Shapiro, previously employed by the CIA from 2013 to 2015 during the Obama administration, moved on to become Visa’s vice president for global security and communications, followed by Airbnb’s global leader in crisis management. After spending three years at the rental company, he established his own consulting firm, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.

TopMob News has reportedly acquired documents showing that The New York Times, currently involved in a $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni, has filed a motion to be released from a separate $400 million lawsuit that also includes Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane. In simpler terms, The New York Times wants out of the bigger lawsuit it’s not directly part of, which also involves Baldoni, Lively, and Sloane.

In the court filing, the newspaper maintained that Baldoni’s team was spinning a biased story that has attracted much attention, but it stressed that The Times should not be involved in this legal disagreement.

After The New York Times moved to have their case dismissed, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman agreed and put a pause on the newspaper’s discovery process, as reported by TopMob News based on the obtained court documents.

The judge’s decision to temporarily stop the exchange of information or documents between parties, as per the filing made by the newspaper on February 28th, has been approved.

In the document dated March 4, Liman indicated that the New York Times provides “solid evidence” and “a convincing argument” suggesting that their motion to dismiss is probable to be granted based on its merits.

As a devoted supporter, I can share that the judge made a point to express his conviction that my team won’t face an “unjust disadvantage” during the court’s consideration of the upcoming motion, simply because a stay is enforced.

We’re pleased with today’s court decision, as it acknowledges the significant First Amendment issues involved. The judge has now prevented Mr. Baldoni from overwhelming The Times with discovery requests in a case that lacked merit.

2025-03-20 18:48

Broke as St” Amid Explosive “It Ends With Us

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