Remember late last year when everyone seemed very irritated with actress Blake Lively, around the time of the release of her movie, It Ends With Us? Critics accused her of trivialising the movie’s themes of domestic violence with her comments and punting her brands and products, including, inappropriately, alcohol. An old interview surfaced showing her being rude to a journalist, and everyone suddenly remembered all the annoying things she’d done over her long career.

It turns out that seeming public swell of dissatisfaction may have been orchestrated by her director and co-star, Justin Baldoni, and his PR team, according to a sensational lawsuit filed by Lively late last year and an accompanying New York Times article – co-authored no less than the reporter behind the #MeToo exposé. 

The fall-out has been dramatic, to say the least. 

In December 2024, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment during the production of It Ends With Us. Lively’s claims include instances where Baldoni allegedly improvised unwanted kissing scenes and made inappropriate sexual comments, including coming into her trailer uninvited when she was unclothed, and contributing to a hostile work environment. She also accused Baldoni of orchestrating a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation after she raised concerns about his behaviour.

Baldoni has firmly denied these allegations, providing texts where he was invited into lively’s trailer while she was breastfeeding to run lines, among other statements. His attorney described Lively’s claims as “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.” In a counteraction, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the publication of libel and invasion of privacy for its coverage of the allegations.

There had been some muttering about the conflict between the stars after the film, with rumours Lively had tried to wrestle creative control (which Baldoni now says was the case). But nothing as explosive as what’s come to light. Lively’s lawsuit includes detailed subpoenaed texts sent between Baldoni’s team, with mind blowing amounts of detail that isn’t usual in these cases. This includes the PR professionals saying Baldoni wants to feel like Lively “can be buried” and gloating over negative coverage they appeared to have seeded into social media.

Lively seems to have come by the texts thanks to a fallout within an involved PR company (the owner has accused the employee responsible of going rogue and found the texts after taking back the employee’s company phone, leading some to believe it was released to Lively as a “friendly” subpoena.) 

As the legal proceedings continue, both Lively and Baldoni have maintained their respective positions. The takeaway for most people watching? It seems all too easy to destroy a woman’s reputation, with a public eager to take a successful woman down. This was something even the (female) PR professionals noted in their exchanges, seemingly surprised at their own success. “The majority of socials are so pro Justin and I don’t even agree with half of them lol,” one of them wrote. Baldon’s team haven’t denied the veracity of the texts, but said they were taken out of context. 

Lively is not the “perfect victim” either – she genuinely has been quite annoying through the years, including her (slavery) plantation-themed wedding to husband Ryan Reynolds (which they later apologised for). 

But both things can be true: she can be tone-deaf AND a victim in this instance, if the allegations are true. It’s a stark reminder that a woman doesn’t need to be perfect to deserve justice—and how easily public opinion can be manipulated to bury her under the weight of her own imperfections. In the end, the real story isn’t about being likeable; it’s about accountability.