In a shocking new lawsuit, actor and director Justin Baldoni has accused his co-star Blake Lively 

and her husband Ryan Reynolds of orchestrating an elaborate scheme to undermine him during the premiere of their film *It Ends With Us* in August 2024. 

According to Baldoni’s lawsuit, the couple allegedly tried to hijack the film’s promotion and humiliated him by relegating him and his family to a basement at the event.

The lawsuit, which was filed in New York, claims that, on the night of the premiere, 

security escorted Baldoni’s group to what he describes as a “makeshift holding area” in the basement of the venue. 

Baldoni and his family were forced to wait in an area surrounded by popcorn buckets, soda bottles, and fold-out chairs. 

Photographs included in the lawsuit show Baldoni in a pink suit, posing with friends and family in what he describes as an ironic setting—being isolated in a basement on what was supposed to be one of the most important nights of his career.

The lawsuit reveals that the trouble began days before the premiere when Lively allegedly “demanded” Baldoni not attend. She reportedly threatened that if he showed up, she and most of the cast would boycott the event. Despite this, Baldoni and the studio refused to give in to Lively’s demands. In the days leading up to the premiere, Baldoni was uncertain whether he would be allowed to attend at all, but after negotiations through the production company, he and his team were granted permission to attend—albeit under what he describes as “demeaning and humiliating conditions.”

According to Baldoni’s legal filing, he and his group were forced to arrive at a separate time from the rest of the cast, had to view the film in a different theater, and were instructed to leave the red carpet immediately once Lively arrived. They were also excluded from the official celebrity after-party, despite the event being funded by the film’s production companies.

One of the most striking accusations in the lawsuit involves Lively allegedly instructing Baldoni to “get a nose job,” a comment that he describes as both personal and unprofessional. This added to his feeling of being mistreated by Lively, with the actor also claiming that he was denied any meaningful involvement in the film’s promotional campaign, which seemed instead to focus heavily on Lively’s personal brands.

The suit also details the strange and awkward nature of the evening, where Baldoni and his family were quickly ushered out of the building after the screening to prevent any interaction with Lively or her guests. The group later held their own after-party, which was reportedly a “dry” event to align with the movie’s serious subject matter surrounding domestic violence.

The controversy between Baldoni, Lively, and Reynolds goes deeper, as the actor’s suit claims that Lively tried to force him to issue a public apology for the backlash she received during the film’s promotion. The public criticism stemmed from Lively’s tone-deaf behavior, including her failure to take the movie’s heavy themes seriously and even promoting her own booze brand during the film’s press tours.

Baldoni further alleges that Lively worked with her publicist and the *New York Times* to spread false claims about him, including accusations of sexual harassment. Baldoni has since filed a separate defamation suit against the *New York Times*, claiming the article about him was part of a larger smear campaign orchestrated by Lively.

Despite all the drama behind the scenes, *It Ends With Us* went on to be a major box office success, grossing more than $350 million against a production budget of just $25 million. However, the film’s promotional campaign became tainted by the very public feud between its lead actors. Social media backlash against Lively, particularly her failure to acknowledge the movie’s important themes, contributed to the ongoing controversy surrounding the project.

As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the legal battles and public image issues will affect Lively’s career and the future of *It Ends With Us*. For Baldoni, the lawsuit represents a bold move to reclaim his professional dignity and address the personal and professional toll that this ongoing conflict has taken on him. The drama surrounding the premiere is far from over, and it will likely remain a talking point for the public and media for some time.

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