This It Ends With Us star has finally weighed in on the public backlash.

This article contains spoilers for It Ends With Us.

It Ends With Us has only just come out, but it's release has been overshadowed by an alleged feud between some of its leading stars.

The book-to-screen adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 best-selling novel follows a florist named Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) who finds herself in an abusive and controlling relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) just as her first love Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar) steps back into her life. 

The film has garnered favourable reviews (including this one from us) but word on the street (read: the internet) is that there's some sort of drama brewing between the cast and the movie's leading man and director Justin Baldoni, whose production company Wayfarer Studios first optioned Hoover's bestselling novel back in 2019. 

There's all sorts of speculation and blind items doing the rounds on TikTok and X, with the general vibe being that there were potentially creative differences between Lively, who starred and served as executive producer, and Baldoni, who starred and directed.

I think we've seen this film before. 

A director clashing with a movie's leading lady? Chaos then unfolding on the press tour? This is straight from the Don't Worry Darling handbook. 

how seated I am to hear there’s It Ends With Us cast drama pic.twitter.com/TbrNvlkrZT

— T (@teewatterss) August 7, 2024

Online commentators were quick to draw parallels between the new film and the Don't Worry Darling press tour saga, which was kick-started by rumours that director Olivia Wilde and actress Florence Pugh were not getting along. 

And now, Brandon Sklenar has been the first of all the stars to address the rumours head on.

"I wanted to take a minute and address all this stuff swirling online," he wrote. 

"Colleen [Hoover] and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance, and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point. What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It's been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online," he continued.

"Someone very close to me has been struggling with a relationship that has mirrored Lilly's closely. I feel a responsibility to bring this to life and help spread that message further. Prior to my involvement in this film, she had not heard of the book. It was only then that she read it. She credits Colleens book and subsequently this film with saving her life.

"Trust me when I tell you, there isn't a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma — Domestic abuse — Or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see. 

"This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their shit together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions."

Read his full statement below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brandon Sklenar (@brandonsklenar)

Before Brandon released his statement, the internet endured two weeks of non-stop updates to an alleged feud between Justin and the rest of the It Ends With Us cast. So, what exactly had been said that led to Brandon's post?

Justin Baldoni walked the red carpet with his wife, Emily Baldoni. Image: Getty. 

The Blake Lively Edit vs Justin Baldoni Edit.

Unnamed sources told The Hollywood Reporter there was a "fracture" in the relationship following post production, when Lively, who was a producer on the film, went around Baldoni and commissioned her own cut of the film from editor Shane Reid, who was the editor on her husband Ryan Reynolds' film Deadpool & Wolverine.

"It's unclear if any of this cut was ultimately used in the final project, which was credited to editors Oona Flaherty and Robb Sullivan," they reported.

Along with this, rumours have emerged that Lively occasionally took over directing on set. This has been confounded by clips shared online, plus snippets of Lively and Baldoni's interviews. 

In some behind the scenes clips filmed by passers by, people claimed that Lively appeared to be directing Baldoni.

@jillaferr Feel like Gossip Girl having the scoop on #itendswithus drama 😏 #justinbaldoni #blakelively ♬ It Ends With Us is in Theaters August 9 - It Ends With Us

And as for whether Baldoni has plans to direct a second Hoover movie to mirror how the novel It Ends With Us had a sequel It Starts With Us, Baldoni doesn't think he's the man for the job. 

"I think there are better people for that one," he told US Weekly. "I think Blake Lively is ready to direct. That’s what I think."

The It Ends With Us cast don't follow Justin Baldoni on Instagram.

Fans noticed that both Lively and Hoover, along with actors Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar, don’t appear to follow Baldoni on Instagram. A bit weird, right?

It could speak to some feud going down between these people, or it could be a PR move — one that we've fallen for, hook, line and sinker. Baldoni plays an abusive, manipulative and controlling character in the film, so it isn't outside the realm of possibility that the film's producers and stars unfollowed him as a symbolic act.

TikToker @stephaniemotto agrees with this speculation this is all potentially PR spin. 

@stephaniematto Justin Baldoni had some words for Blake Lively! #itendswithus #blakelively #justinbaldoni #celebritynews #drama #feud ♬ original sound - Stephaniematto

This wouldn't be the first time that Lively embraced Instagram as a vehicle for promoting a movie. Back in 2018, the actress deleted every single one of her posts and then unfollowed everyone — even her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

Instead, she started following 36 women named Emily Nelson, who happened to be her character’s name in A Simple Favor. From her fashion choices to her social media strategy, Blake Lively commits and she commits hard to her projects, so could this be another PR ploy? Maybe.

On that same movie, there were plenty of rumours spinning that Lively was in a feud with her co-star, Anna Kendrick, which turned out to be overblown considering both women signed on for a sequel.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have not done press together for It Ends With Us.

Then there's the matter of most of the film's stars not being seen with Baldoni on the press tour. 

For instance, at the New York premiere, the rest of the cast were photographed together while Baldoni posed separately on the carpet with his wife, Emily Baldoni.

Lively even posed with her husband's Deadpool & Wolverine co-star, Hugh Jackman, but did not pose together with Baldoni.

Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds pose on the red carpet together. Image: Getty. 

It's not uncommon for a director to walk the red carpet separate from the other film's stars, but there has been a noticeable divide between most of the cast and Baldoni throughout the press interviews. 

That being said, there is the matter of the optics not looking great if Baldoni was seen smiling alongside Lively. Reminder: he plays her domestic abuser in the film so it is not that surprising that he might want to distance himself from the cast on the press tour.

But some fans are claiming there's a difference between how Lively and Baldoni have been handling interview questions.

Some have criticised Lively for not speaking up enough about the film's depiction of domestic violence. 

@genevieve.tankosich Deep diving all the IT ENDS WITH US drama #itensswithus #itendswithusmovie #itendswithusdrama #blakelively #justinbaldoni #ryanreynolds #justinbaldoniblakelively #blakelivelyryanreynolds #celebritygossip #celebritynews #popculture #popculturenews #celebgossip ♬ original sound - GENEVIEVE

However, it should be noted that there are several interview bites online (if you look for them) when the actress does discuss domestic violence in interviews. 

@deadline #BlakeLively on the message she hopes survivors of domestic abuse and generational trauma take away from watching #ItEndsWithUs ♬ original sound - Deadline

Jenny Slate's viral interview.

A clip of the film's star Jenny Slate has gone viral, with the caption claiming she "completely ignored" a question about Baldoni. 

The interviewer asked the comedian what it was like working with Baldoni as not just her scene partner, but as the director. 

Slate replied "I mean, what an intense job! To have to do so many things, I found myself being like 'wow, I only want to have one job.'"

Sure, it was an offbeat response, but Slate's reply wasn't quite as dismissive as the caption described it. 

Others on TikTok have claimed that Lively dodged a question about Baldoni as well. 

@amworldwide What is going on with this cast? #blakelively #justinbaldoni #ryanreynolds #itendswithus #colleenhoover #drama #foryoupage #fy #viral ♬ original sound - GadgetandGizmos

Ryan Reynolds, Justin Baldoni and It Ends With Us.

Then there's the rumour that, as the director, Baldoni wasn't happy with how much Lively's husband Reynolds was involved in the film.

Lively recently revealed that Reynolds re-wrote a key scene.

"The iconic rooftop scene, my husband actually wrote it," Lively told E! News. "He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his." 

On TikTok, some commentators have said the tide might be turning against Reynolds and Lively as a former Hollywood power couple.

@imdbrigette Replying to @Amaurys #greenscreen #blakelively #justinbaldoni #ryanreynolds #itendswithus #deadpool #deadpoolwolverine #lillybloom #rylekincaid #atlascorrigan ♬ Lofi nostalgic old music box(833007) - NARU

Adding to the speculation, Reynolds interviewed Lively's other costar on the press trail, Brandon Sklenar who played Atlas, but did not interview Baldoni. Some thought this was another sign that there was tension between the couple and the director. 

But again, it would come across as rather tone-deaf for Reynolds to do a light-hearted, comedic interview with the actor who plays his wife's character's abuser in the movie. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds)

What has Justin Baldoni said about It Ends With Us and Blake Lively?

As mentioned, Baldoni has nothing but praise for Lively on the press tour. 

Baldoni told People that she excelled at being "involved in every area of production", referring to her as "a creative force, she's an executive producer on the film, and she is so brilliant."

He continued, "I believe that her performance is going to help so many women feel seen and showcase this unique experience in a way that I don't believe I've seen in another film," he said.

"The first time I had ever heard Blake play Lily, there was a moment where I completely forgot what we were doing… I was so just mesmerised by what she was doing and who Lily was going to be, that I had to snap out of it." 

Positive sentiments aside, he did hint at some tension, as he noted that once Lively was chosen as the perfect Lily, "the movie was going to work. And I just had to get out of the way enough to make sure that it did." 

Feature image: Getty. 

This article was originally published on August 9, 2024 and has since been updated with new information.

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