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[Aaron] When I moved to Hoboken about a dozen years ago, it just
struck me just how friendly and how small town it felt.
So what you see behind me here is the actual location for
Lily Bloom's flower shop in the film "It Ends with Us."
A scout reached out to me and said that they were
interested in seeing if it would work for
an upcoming film.
So I was going through the contract, and I was showing
it to my wife, and when she read the title,
"It Ends with Us," she froze.
She actually picked up the book off the bookshelf.
More than three years on
a New York Times best-sellers list,
that's a long time.
[paparazzi] Can you turn this way?
[paparazzi #2] Justin, right here.
The movie came out in the summer of 2024.
Social media noticed that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
were not doing any press together
for a movie where they are the co-leads.
[woman 2] "It Ends with Us."
[voices overlapping] "It Ends with Us." "It Ends with Us."
"It Ends with Us" is about domestic violence,
but the message of the film has been clouded because
of the scandal around its stars.
She claims that there was sexual harassment on set.
Maybe this guy isn't the guy that you think he is.
And then a big jaw-drop moment.
[suspenseful music playing]
He claims civil extortion, defamation, and that all of
this really is about her wanting to have control
of the movie.
[ID] Is Blake Lively a victim?
That is the question.
This is, like, the most high-school fight that
people with millions of dollars can have with each other.
The longer this goes on,
the more reputational damage they will suffer.
[ID] This isn't just a fluffy celebrity feud.
The actual story is, I think, a lot darker and a lot more
complex than that.
I work on crisis communication plans, lifestyle PR,
and strategic public relations.
But also, I am a huge Colleen Hoover fan.
I've read all of her books.
Every single one, probably once or twice.
So, I'm familiar with the book and was really excited
for the movie.
[Sheinelle] It follows Lily Bloom, who moves to Boston to fulfill
her dream of opening a flower shop.
After a chance encounter with a neurosurgeon,
a relationship quickly heats up between the two of them.
[Matthew] On TikTok, certain books go viral, and Colleen Hoover's
novels, in particular, "It Ends with Us,"
became incredibly popular on there.
A woman got verbally and physically abused
and made it out on the other end.
The domestic violence aspect of it is something that really
caught people's because it covered the serious topic while
still doing it in a way that felt engaging and accessible.
And that really gave studio executives in Hollywood
a feeling that young people were interested in the novel,
and that if they optioned it, as Justin Baldoni did,
that it could turn into something that
people would show up at the theaters for.
[Tia] I'm an actress.
I worked with Justin Baldoni
on the set of "Jane the Virgin" many years ago.
["Jane the Virgin" narrator] This seems like a good time to catch up on
what Rafael has been up to.
I was actually playing one of his girlfriends.
["Jane the Virgin" narrator] He has, in fact, been having sex.
Lots and lots of sex, with a lot of different women.
He was very down-to-earth, very considerate.
He just wanted to make sure that everything in
our scene worked.
[keyboard tapping]
I started following him on social media and just kind of
kept up with everything else
that he was doing outside of acting.
[audience clapping]
[Emily] Justin has this platform.
He did a TED Talk about debunking toxic masculinity.
I don't just want to be a good man,
I want to be a good human.
And he started a podcast, "Man Enough."
What would the world look like if our boys
got to grow up and feel that men were safe spaces
and safe places?
In 2019, when Justin acquired the rights from Colleen Hoover,
it was really aligned with his brand.
[up-tempo violin music playing]
The "Ends with Us" story first hit my radar when Blake Lively
was cast -- I covered her casting news.
She's a household name.
I understand why you'd want to go for someone with a pretty
solid commercial track record.
The cast for "It Ends with Us" has officially
been announced, and I am unwell.
Lily Bloom is gonna be played by none other than
Blake Lively. What?
[man] Hey, Blake!
[Emily] This breakthrough role was
"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants."
Rule number 11 -- "In the event of an emergency, the pants will
automatically go to the sister in need."
And she got really famous with "Gossip Girl."
She's also known as being Taylor Swift's best friend,
and, yeah, of course she's married to Ryan Reynolds.
[Green Lantern] Evening, ma'am.
Blake and Ryan met on "Green Lantern" and hit it off.
Now they are the Hollywood power couple.
She has a persona in the public eye
of being fun and fashionable and trendy
and all of the things that I think most women
really aspire to be.
The fact that Justin Baldoni's name was mentioned
along with someone who is a big A-list celebrity,
also married to an A-lister.
It makes sense why this became such big headline news.
[Aaron] Hoboken being such a small town, word travels fast.
When the first day of shooting arrived,
people were lining the streets to catch a glimpse of, you know,
Hollywood in our small town.
The crew from L.A. put layers upon layers of
wallpaper to age this space,
and then they would redo the entire interior once again,
and this time transforming it into the flower shop.
[knocking]
OK, here we go.
[laughing]
-Wow. -[Allysa] Yeah.
This doesn't even look like the same shop.
At the conclusion, Justin invited me over.
He raised his hands up, and I raised mine to mirror him,
and it was just a very special moment to share.
[car horns honking]
The film premiered in New York City on August 6, 2024.
[paparazzi] Justin, right here! Justin, right here!
[crowd] Solo! Solo!
-[overlapping voices shouting] -[paparazzi] Justin, right here!
Things felt like they were off at the premiere.
Social media noticed that Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni were not doing any press together.
What is going on with
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Have you heard anything
about the rift happening behind the scenes?
For a movie where they are the co-leads,
that is highly unusual.
[Matthew] There seemed to be this sort of tension around it,
but nobody could quite put their finger on
what to make of it yet.
We do have "It Starts with Us,"
so I'm hoping to see you back in the double-duty role.
When Justin was asked about the sequel,
it was kind of surprising.
I think there are better people for that one.
I think Blake Lively's ready to direct, that's what I think.
He definitely alluded to him not taking on the role
of director, but maybe alluding to Blake should do it next time,
which was a little strange.
I mean, at that point, that's where the rumor mill starts.
[paparazzi] Ladies, together this way.
Ladies, together, this way over here.
I saw rumblings on social media hypothesizing that there had
been some kind of falling out on set, because people noticed
that essentially all of the cast had unfollowed
Justin Baldoni.
[indistinct chatter]
One headline said that Justin Baldoni was
banished to the basement.
He wasn't even allowed to be seen on the red carpet
with Blake and with the rest of his co-stars.
And he and his family actually had to watch it
in a separate location.
He said, "I wasn't allowed to be seen.
"She didn't want me anywhere near her or the rest of the cast.
"So they ushered me off the carpet and sent us down
to the basement."
There are countless feuds in Hollywood between actors,
between directors and stars.
It's very rare at a premiere for them not to, you know,
at least look like they're buddy-buddy.
"It Ends with Us" was a financially successful movie.
It made way more than it cost to film and market the movie,
and there was also a lot of hope that the very important
topic of domestic violence would be
resonating with the masses.
That was it.
The story began in the summer of 2024,
and it was nonstop after that.
During the entire promotion of this film, Blake Lively
hasn't been seen with Justin, the main actor and director.
But of course, fans are theorizing, as fans do.
[Emily] And boom, you have a feud.
There was serious beef between Baldoni and Lively.
The treating of this as just kind of a fluffy
celebrity feud --
the actual story is, I think, a lot darker and a lot more
complex than that.
I had been covering celebrities across three decades,
and I had not seen a story this big...
period.
[overlapping voices] Blake, right here. Blake, right here.
[Perez] At the time of the release of "It Ends with Us," Blake Lively
was getting a lot of negative feedback on social media.
Director, we didn't have one of those for this movie.
[Perez] It seemed like everything she was saying
was rubbing social media the wrong way.
Look at me in flowers, Lily Bloom.
It's neoprene.
There were so many strange memes right after and videos
about, like, kind of being difficult to work with.
[woman 2] Congrats on the premiere.
And congrats on being a fat bitch.
This, I think, really launched this "mean girl" energy.
People were making a big deal of her promoting
all of her businesses.
-I'll start here. -OK.
And it's dry shampoo, but really, you know,
it smells amazing.
[Perez] While shying away from
the very important topic of domestic violence.
[reporter] What has been the best part in making this particular movie?
I've noticed so many beautiful crystals on teeth.
Is that a big fashion thing?
[TikToker] Using a movie about domestic violence to sell stuff?
It's not a good look.
She was full of giggles and laughter,
and, oh, wanted to promote her liquor brand.
Like nothing says domestic violence
like a bottle of tequila. What?
[Natasha] On social media especially,
there was criticism of the way that she would kind of be
perhaps a little bit lighthearted during
certain interviews.
There was an interview with a journalist that portrayed
Blake to be a mean girl.
She was quoted as saying it was the worst interview she's ever
given in her career.
[Kjersti] I'm an entertainment reporter.
I'm originally from Norway, but I've been living in the US
for 20 years.
I watched the movie, and it reminded me of that
interview I'd had with her.
First of all, congrats on your little bump.
At the time of her interview, Blake Lively had confirmed
her pregnancy, so it wasn't speculation.
It was just, "Congratulations."
Congrats on your little bump.
I still don't understand what
triggered Blake Lively.
That journalist was just trying to break the ice.
What about my bump?
Kjersti ends up saying it was the worst interview of all time.
There's footage and clips of this interview
that are so tense.
Did you guys love wearing those kind of clothes that you --
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-And, you know, working in digital -- -Everyone wants to talk about
the clothes, but I wonder if they would ask the men
about the clothes.
I would.
[Kjersti] I thought, OK, this is not going well.
And from there on,
they just basically ignored me.
I love Jesse's suits and hat.
-That's what I'm saying. His wardrobe was beautiful. -Oh, I know.
This Kjersti Flaa interview
had never been shared publicly before.
That's why it went super viral.
[gasps] Mic drop.
Mic drop -- does not even look at the interviewer.
It is so pointed.
It got a ton of attention, and it definitely did not help
Blake Lively.
On December 20th, Blake Lively files a complaint.
It broke headlines.
[reporter] Blake Lively shocking Hollywood
with a new explosive legal complaint...
about what she says was happening behind the scenes
of her film "It Ends with Us."
Actress Blake Lively accusing "It Ends with Us"
co-star and director Justin Baldoni
of sexual harassment.
According to Blake Lively, back in May of 2023,
things happened with Justin Baldoni that made
her feel uncomfortable, and she says that she reported it.
[Natasha] There was a meeting where they agreed upon a document of
protocol that should be enforced on set,
that Blake says is directly in reference to concerns that
she had raised.
It is very specific.
Blake Lively says she included items
that she and Wayfarer Studios and Justin Baldoni
all agreed in a production meeting.
They're really specific items that allude to verbal
or physical sexual conduct that occurred.
She says that Justin would repeatedly walk into
her trailer unannounced while she was by the breastfeeding,
pumping, or in a state of undress.
She alleged the intimate scenes would be improvised
and done over and over again,
more than was typically required on such a set.
These items seem to fit under sexual harassment.
And when they go back to recording, Blake Lively says,
"I don't want these things to happen again."
Basically, "This was making me uncomfortable."
[Natasha] It repeatedly says the phrase, "No more."
"No more" doing this kind of behavior.
There was actually a signed agreement between
the parties not to have it continued.
How could you not agree?
I mean, it's so obvious that you cannot do that
in a workplace.
Something that was upsetting to me is that this is
one of the few very popular movies
that deals with domestic violence.
What are you doing? Stop.
What are you doing?
-Sh, sh, sh. -What are you doing? Stop -- stop.
[Natasha] It's the core plot point.
To have these allegations saying one of the major
creative forces behind this was actually engaging in
misogynistic content himself, it's pretty upsetting.
[Matthew] What made part of these allegations so shocking was
that Justin Baldoni has a podcast where he talks about
how men can be allies to women and how men can be better in
their relationships to women.
If you know the film and you've been following along and read
the book, how could he do this? I mean, how could he do this?
Several of the key players involved in the making of
"It Ends with Us," Colleen Hoover
to one of the lead actors in it, Brandon Sklenar,
have all come out publicly supporting
Blake Lively.
Brandon Sklenar shared a post directing people
to read her complaint, including a little heart emoji
and tagging Blake Lively.
I saw social media sentiment shift more in favor
of Blake than it had been, certainly.
You know, if you read the complaint, I think she had
very valid reasons why she wouldn't want to show up
to work in an environment like that.
She's not doing this because it's fun
or it's gonna get her anything.
She's doing this probably because she has
daughters at home and feels the need to stand up
for what she went through.
[Emily] Literally, a day after,
you see this complaint come out.
The New York Times rolls out the big headline.
My initial response to the explosive New York Times
article was shock.
[Matthew] This New York Times article comes out that alleges this
whole campaign was orchestrated against her by Justin and his
PR team to make her seem like a bad person.
The New York Times reported Blake Lively, in her complaint,
says that Justin Baldoni hired
not only his PR person Jennifer Abel,
but a crisis management person, Melissa Nathan,
to orchestrate a smear campaign against her.
[Matthew] There were comments saying,
"We're gonna bury Blake Lively."
[keyboard tapping]
[Natasha] The second part of her suit alleges that at least part of
the negativity that we saw that summer towards her
was orchestrated by people working with Justin Baldoni
to be able to cover their tracks should she come public
about experiencing alleged sexual misconduct.
[Emily] If this happened, really, they did a genius job
on the front end of building up this database of unsavory
narrative towards Blake.
[Matthew] The PR dark arts were getting exposed.
Something that's always been behind the curtains,
something that you don't really see, but you understand
is happening.
[Perez] Just the sheer volume of allegations that she was making
against him, I thought, "Wow, wow, I -- I feel
so bad for her."
You can be one of the most wealthy and successful
people in your industry and still face alleged
retaliation for speaking up, for making allegations
of sexual misconduct, I think it's extremely alarming.
[Emily] So, like, maybe she can be a mean girl sometimes,
but when it comes to this film,
what is going on with this Justin guy?
So, all of a sudden, she had some public favor.
Everybody was sympathetic towards Blake Lively,
and then things shifted.
That New York Times story was so damning that it made it seem
like there was no way that Justin Baldoni
could come back from this.
[Kjersti] Then, all of a sudden, Justin Baldoni then files
a libel lawsuit against The New York Times
for $250 million.
[Perez] The thing that really shook me was his lawsuit included
texts and emails
between Justin Baldoni and Melissa Nathan
to show they were not planting stories in the media
about Blake Lively.
According to Baldoni, the New York Times edited
conversations and didn't give us full context,
and they didn't give him and his lawyers
enough time to respond.
But it's not the New York Times' job
to give all sides of the story.
You might not like that,
but that doesn't open them up to liability.
Under US defamation law, Justin Baldoni has the burden
to prove that the New York Times
lied or knowingly lied,
and that what they were saying was false.
A quick defense is, "Let's go after the journalist
or the outlet that did me dirty."
That's a quick way to get it out in the public.
[Natasha] I think if you choose to go with Blake Lively's claims,
which I will say in general, I think are credible, this is
a story of a man who abused his power on set
and alleges that there was a smear campaign
orchestrated by people working with Justin Baldoni.
[Perez] I believe victims should be believed.
However, is Blake Lively a victim?
That is the question.
[Emily] And then, all of a sudden, after suing the New York Times,
Justin countersues Blake for $400 million.
I mean, this is a big jaw-drop moment.
$250 million, $400 million, these are shock numbers.
These are there to gain attention.
He's saying that she made a false sexual harassment claim.
Unlike any case that I've handled
in my entire career,
it's the one case we're gonna put every single text message,
every single document, everything on a website.
Hundreds of pages of legal allegations,
text messages, photos.
You have the timeline of events.
So much information.
Let me tell you, the internet sleuths,
everybody was going after what was in that 168-page document.
Justin Baldoni's legal team have just launched a website.
Justin promised us all the receipts,
and he came through.
He countered her, point by point, saying,
"She claimed this, but in reality,
here's what truly happened."
And one of the examples he gives is that Blake Lively
herself invited him into the trailer
while she was breastfeeding.
And then later on,
she uses that as a basis for something he's done wrong.
Blake Lively alleges that a senior member of the studio
showed her a nude video of his wife giving birth.
They allege, rather, that,
"No, she asked to see the footage."
Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni
of asking her trainer for her weight.
So she said that that was fat shaming.
He says he has a back problem, and there was a scene where
he needed to lift her.
[Dina] His argument isn't really that those items didn't happen.
He just is saying that there's a different perspective,
that they were really more consensual.
Both sides absolutely
want to get their perspective out.
[Perez] Amongst many allegations that Blake Lively made,
she said that Justin Baldoni did not stick to what they had
agreed upon when filming intimate moments,
specifically in that infamous dance sequence.
So what did Justin Baldoni do?
His lawyer released
10-plus minutes of unedited footage
that let the public see and decide for themselves
what they were looking at.
[crew] Ryan, go to the bar. Ryan, go to the bar.
Justin Baldoni released the footage to try
and make the case that he did nothing wrong.
You know, for a lot of people it did seemingly vindicate him.
One of the "slam dunks" that Baldoni's team suggests is,
"Well, we had an intimacy coordinator,
and you didn't want to meet with her."
And text messages show, at least,
that Blake did not meet with the intimacy coordinator
before shooting started.
But in her original document,
she asks for an intimacy coordinator
to be on set at all times
whenever she's filming with Baldoni.
[Mia] I'm an intimacy coordinator for TV, film, and theater.
The role of intimacy coordinator, um, is still
relatively new in TV and film, and there are certain standards
and protocols that we adhere to shooting, uh, simulated sex
and nude scenes, doing our best to help the director achieve
their vision while staying within the actor's comfort.
In my experience, when an actor says,
"I don't need to meet the intimacy coordinator until we're shooting,"
it does typically indicate that they trust their scene partner,
which is a beautiful thing.
And those texts made me think that at one point, she did feel
a lot of trust with him.
Blake's team then comes in and says,
"Oh no, this is exactly what we're talking about.
She's uncomfortable."
[crew person] Ryan, go to the bar. Ryan, go to the bar.
In the script for that scene, the description is,
"They slow dance, lost in their own world."
No mention of a kiss, no mention of any kind of
sexual touch or intimate touch beyond an embrace, maybe?
Blake Lively alleged that he would do
unapproved movements and -- and contact and kissing
and smelling her neck.
[Mia] Blake says that there wasn't an intimacy coordinator present
for certain intimate scenes.
From what I've heard, it seems like there were scenes that
did not have intimacy written, but then intimacy was added.
That video of the slow dance is a perfect example of that.
[Dina] The dance scene, both sides think it's great for them.
So when this goes to trial, that video will for sure be
shown in front of a jury, and you'll hear two completely
different perspectives on what that video is.
But Justin Baldoni said, "Had Lively chosen to merely
"write out the self-inflicted press catastrophe she faced in
"August of 2024, the public would likely have
"moved on and never known the truth about her.
"They would have never known that she deliberately
"and systematically robbed plaintiffs Justin Baldoni
and Wayfarer Studios of their movie."
Justin Baldoni says in his counterclaim that,
"Almost immediately, Lively began inserting herself
"into the production process in intrusive ways well beyond
the scope of her contractual entitlement."
Basically, he's saying, her saying that she needed
creative control over the project and threatening to
walk out if she didn't get that creative control
amounted to extortion.
There's this one now very, um,
viral video of her appearance at a Forbes summit,
where she was talking about demanding and wanting
and needing control of every aspect of movie making.
[Blake] I wanted to be a part of the storytelling, that I wanted
to be a part of the narrative, whether that be in the writing,
in the costume design, in creating the character.
I actually need to have authorship in order to
feel fulfilled.
There is a core scene in the movie, it's when
Ryle and Lily meet for the first time.
I once read that
maraschino cherries stay in your stomach
for like seven years.
[Natasha] It takes place on a rooftop, it's a very pivotal scene,
and Blake has said that Ryan Reynolds
wrote at least some of this scene.
The iconic rooftop scene in this movie, my husband actually
wrote it, nobody knows that, but you now.
He's all over this film.
In Justin's lawsuit, he alleges that there was
a meeting in Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds'
New York City penthouse,
where he felt pressured by both Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift
to acquiesce to some of the changes that Blake Lively
had wanted to make to the script.
[Matthew] He felt that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were
coming in to try to create their own version of the film.
-[paparazzi chatting] -[camera shutters snapping]
[Kjersti] Most of us reacted very strongly to the text message
that Blake had sent to Justin Baldoni, explaining that
she's Khaleesi from "Game of Thrones,"
and she has dragons.
It wasn't in the message who her dragons were.
To me, it was like, obvious that it was Ryan Reynolds
and Taylor Swift she was referring to.
So, by saying that, it was like
a nicely put little "threat," I would say.
I find it interesting that Blake is both framed
as this incredibly powerful person who, you know,
can use Taylor Swift and everyone in her arsenal
to do whatever she wants, but also she needs to rely on
manipulating sexual harassment in order to get her way.
Hey, Blake, it is, uh,
two in the morning, um,
hopefully this does not wake you up.
So Justin Baldoni releases this voicemail that he leaves 2 a.m.
to Blake Lively, apologizing.
I'm really sorry, um, I -- I for sure fell short.
It's, you know, he's showing some level of understanding,
but it's also, you know,
he's admitting some level of fault.
So it's kind of, you know, one of those things that
you can spin it either way.
And damn right, you got great friends.
We should all have friends like that, aside from the fact that
they're two of the most creative people on the planet.
What I mainly got from the message was that he was
really desperately trying to please Blake.
He was like, "Whatever you say, I'll do."
I'm sorry. [laughing]
You probably have kids all over you and a baby on your boob,
and you're listening to me ramble at two in the morning.
It's 2 a.m. in the morning.
There were definitely people who thought
it was a little creepy.
There's others who say,
"Hey, she texted him right before.
This was a justified voice call."
But, as a lawyer, I think, why release something that
does -- it is a little questionable of whether or not
that's appropriate in a workplace.
Baldoni is claiming that Blake Lively threatening that if
she doesn't get the edit, she's not going to maybe
appear at the premiere.
He was basically giving over
his creative control of the film.
I believe that Sony, the film's distributor
and major financer, they were scared,
in my opinion, of Blake Lively.
[paparazzi chatting]
The bigger star tends to get backed because
at the end of the day,
the studio wants this to make a lot of money,
and the bigger star is gonna draw a bigger audience.
If she took complete editorial control of the film,
that's not a crime.
Who's to say that Baldoni's version was inherently better?
I wonder why we're not framing this as a woman potentially
experiencing misconduct on set, as she's alleged,
taking part in a movie that we know she cares about,
and then...
making editorial decisions
that are ultimately for the best of it.
[Matthew] In the end, Blake Lively kind of emerged victorious,
because what ended up getting shown was the rooftop scene
that Ryan Reynolds wrote, and a lot of, you know,
her cut we ended up seeing in theaters.
[paparazzi yelling] Ryan!
As "It Ends with Us" is coming out,
"Deadpool & Wolverine" also comes out.
We see a lot of cross-promotion and a lot of Blake and Ryan
in the news together.
Within "Deadpool & Wolverine,"
there's a character called "Nicepool."
And where in God's name is the intimacy coordinator?
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer,
issues a letter to Disney saying that this character
is clearly making fun of Justin.
Who are you?
Oh, I'm Deadpool, but in here, everybody calls me Nicepool.
Nicepool has a man bun, like Justin Baldoni,
and he makes
references to Lady Deadpool, who was voiced by Blake.
[Lady Deadpool] Oh, we're just getting started.
He even talks about Ladypool's body
after just giving birth.
Oh my goodness, wait till you see Ladypool.
She is gorgeous.
She just had a baby too, and... [blows air through lips]
-Can't even tell. -I don't think you're supposed to say that.
That's OK.
-I identify as a feminist. -Right.
Here I am, doing my part, trying to be a feminist.
There's so many parallels to what happened in the real world
on the set of "It Ends with Us."
As part of the lawyer's assessment of this,
he points to the fact, "Well, Lively clearly couldn't
"have undergone something as serious as sexual harassment if
they're making fun of it in a movie."
I don't think that's the case.
I think people cope with many things with humor.
All of a sudden...
we're yo-yoed back to,
"Wow, maybe this is like the most high-school fight that
"we're ever privy to that people with millions of dollars
can do with each other."
Maybe they're both wrong.
A trial date has been set for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
to battle it out in court.
We now have a date, but it is not until March of 2026.
As of now, Blake Lively has promised to bring forward
two more women from "It Ends with Us"
who say that Justin Baldoni mistreated her
and mistreated them on set.
And if that comes to fruition, that would be a big deal
for the case.
[Dina] My professional opinion, Blake Lively has a stronger
case because all of Justin Baldoni's arguments
about fame and control don't really refute
her claim of sexual harassment.
Those allegations, the improvising of
the kissing, the showing, describing his genitalia,
talking about pornography, regardless of where
your workplace is, those seem to be pretty strong basis for
a claim of sexual harassment.
[Perez] Even though it seems like a lot of social media is supporting
Justin Baldoni, the longer this goes on,
the more reputational damage they will both suffer.
You've gotta consider that Justin Baldoni
might be the problem.
[Matthew] The social media algorithms portion of this is really
interesting, because you get fed something very personal.
What she is accusing him of is so harsh and so disrespectful.
If you are getting fed a lot of things about Justin Baldoni
being a good guy, you're gonna keep getting fed that.
The same goes for people that are on Blake Lively's side.
Who wants to trust a man who's made his entire brand
all about being a champion for the voices of women?
[Matthew] These algorithms split people apart, and you're never really
gonna get the other side of the narrative.
At this point, it's kind of like a mutually
assured destruction.
[audience clapping]
[SNL announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.
Even at the "Saturday Night Live" 50th anniversary special,
Ryan Reynolds made a little passing remark to it,
a little joke about it.
[Tina] Ryan Reynolds, how's it going?
Great -- why? What have you heard?
[laughing]
[Matthew] People immediately understood,
they're still in the thick of this.
This is still something that is going on.
From a PR standpoint, both of them are gonna have
a hard time getting the mud off of their reputation.
They're both going to have to do some
work with great professionals, hopefully, that are gonna
lead them down the path, outside of the courtroom,
building back the trust of their fans.
I believe for Blake, she needs to be vulnerable.
She needs to have a moment where she's a mom of four.
We want to be connected to her and empathize.
Like, what woman hasn't been uncomfortable in a workplace?
That's a common situation, and we want to support her.
For Justin, you know, he has this platform of
debunking toxic masculinity.
He needs to also, "Hey, tail between my legs here, guys.
I -- I could have done better."
That's a relatable moment.
[Matthew] The irony of this whole thing is that the movie that
the movie was such a huge success.
And to have all this scandal around it is kind of sad,
because it really was a big win for Hollywood.
I mean, if you're Colleen Hoover, you have to be
kind of fed up with it.
[Perez] Author Colleen Hoover, who wrote the novel
"It Ends with Us," wiped all of her photos with Blake Lively
and Justin Baldoni, but she still follows
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
and is not following Justin Baldoni.
So, interpret that as you will.
[Aaron] The saddest thing about this is the message of this movie
is taking second place to this conversation about
what happened on set.
The biggest loss here is this incredible film that so many
people were really excited about and a topic that really
needs to be addressed in Hollywood.
At this point, this is basically like the unraveling
of a family feud.
In terms of winners and losers, there really are no winners.
It's all losers.
[Dina] The bigger loser here is victims of domestic violence.
This movie was about domestic violence.
And nobody's talking about domestic violence.
The other sad thing is that there is an allegation of
sexual harassment on a domestic violence set,
and the whole public seems to have decided
whether or not that's true
long before the evidence has even been introduced at trial.