Colleen Hoover and Justin Baldoni: What Really Happened Behind the Scenes

It was supposed to be a victory lap. When the film adaptation of It Ends With Us hit theaters in late 2024, the numbers were staggering. It made over $340 million globally. But while audiences were sobbing over Lily Bloom’s journey on screen, a much uglier drama was simmering in the wings. For a while, the internet was obsessed with the cold war between Colleen Hoover and Justin Baldoni. It wasn't just typical Hollywood ego clashing. This was a complete breakdown of a creative partnership that, quite frankly, has left the future of the franchise in a legal and emotional wreckage.

Honestly, if you look at the early days, everything seemed fine. Hoover, the queen of BookTok, and Baldoni, the Jane the Virgin star who also directed the film, appeared to be on the same page. Then the press tour happened. Or rather, the press tour where they were never in the same room.

The Cold War at the Premiere

You've probably seen the TikToks. The New York City premiere was the first major red flag for fans. Justin Baldoni, the director and lead actor, was off doing solo interviews. Meanwhile, Blake Lively and Colleen Hoover were joined at the hip, posing for photos with the rest of the cast like Brandon Sklenar and Jenny Slate. They didn't even watch the movie in the same theater.

That’s weird.

Actually, it’s beyond weird for a director to be iced out of his own premiere. It didn't take long for the "unfollow" sleuths to notice that Hoover, Lively, and the rest of the main cast didn't follow Baldoni on Instagram. He followed them, though. It was a one-sided digital ghosting that signaled a massive rift. Rumors started flying about "creative differences," but by 2025, those rumors turned into actual lawsuits.

What Actually Went Wrong on Set?

The conflict between Colleen Hoover and Justin Baldoni basically boils down to a fight for the "soul" of the story. Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, held the rights. He wanted a certain vision. But Blake Lively, who wasn't just the star but also a producer, had her own ideas.

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According to reports and subsequent legal filings that surfaced throughout 2025, the set was a pressure cooker. There were two distinct "camps." On one side, you had Baldoni. On the other, you had the "power trio" of Lively, Hoover, and even Ryan Reynolds, who reportedly stepped in to write dialogue for the famous rooftop scene without Baldoni’s knowledge.

The Allegations that Changed Everything

Things got dark. By December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni. The accusations were serious:

• Sexual Harassment: Lively alleged that Baldoni made inappropriate comments and created a hostile work environment.
• The Smear Campaign: She claimed Baldoni’s PR team orchestrated a narrative to make her look like a "diva" to distract from his behavior.
• Postpartum Comments: Reports surfaced that Baldoni allegedly made Lively uncomfortable about her body after she had recently given birth.

Baldoni didn't just sit back. He fired back with a massive countersuit, though a judge eventually tossed some of his claims in mid-2025. He maintained that the friction was actually about Lively and Reynolds trying to "hijack" the film and sideline him as a director.

Colleen Hoover’s Impossible Choice

Where did this leave the author? For a long time, Colleen Hoover stayed quiet. She was caught in the middle of a PR nightmare. In leaked texts that came to light during discovery for the 2026 trial, Hoover reportedly told Baldoni she felt "forced to choose" between him and Lively.

She eventually chose Lively.

In November 2025, Hoover finally broke her silence in an interview with Elle. She didn't hold back. She called the whole legal battle a "circus." She even admitted that she’s now "embarrassed" to say she wrote the book because the drama has completely overshadowed the message about domestic violence.

"I feel awful because I almost feel like [my mother] has gone through more with the aftermath of this film, more pain than she went through with my dad, just seeing the ugliness of it," Hoover said.

That's a heavy statement. The book was inspired by her mother's real-life survival. To have it become a tabloid fixture for on-set feuding clearly gutted her.

The 2026 Legal Reality

As of right now, we are looking at a trial set for May 2026. The case of Lively v. Wayfarer Studios is one of the most anticipated celebrity trials in years. It’s not just about money; it’s about reputations.

Baldoni has been largely blacklisted by certain circles in Hollywood, losing his agency and several projects. Meanwhile, Hoover has tried to move on. Her new book, Woman Down, features an author dealing with a "viral backlash over her latest film adaptation."

Coincidence? Fans don't think so. Even though Hoover added a note begging people not to draw parallels, the first few chapters are a thinly veiled venting session about the It Ends With Us fallout. She writes about the pain of being scrutinized and the "immature" behavior of peers.

What This Means for "It Starts With Us"

Everyone wants to know: will there be a sequel?

The short answer is: don't hold your breath.

While Baldoni’s company holds the options for It Starts With Us, the relationship between the key players is beyond repair. You can't make a movie about healing and growth when the lead actress and the director are suing each other for hundreds of millions of dollars. Hoover has essentially distanced herself from the film version of her world entirely.

Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators

If you've been following this saga, there are a few things to take away from how this played out:

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1. Creative Control Matters: Always look at who has final cut. The fact that two different edits of the movie existed (Lively's and Baldoni's) was the smoking gun for the chaos.
2. The Digital Footprint: In modern Hollywood, an Instagram "unfollow" is rarely a glitch. It's usually the first sign of a legal storm.
3. Separate Art from Artist: Many fans are struggling to enjoy the book now. It’s okay to acknowledge that a project can be both a commercial success and a personal disaster for those who made it.

The drama between Colleen Hoover and Justin Baldoni is a cautionary tale of what happens when a passion project turns into a power struggle. It’s a mess. But for now, the only place this story is going is a courtroom in New York.