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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." "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.

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.