1 00:00:15,020 --> 00:00:18,962 When I moved to Hoboken about a dozen years 2 00:00:18,974 --> 00:00:23,020 ago, it just struck me just how friendly and 3 00:00:24,780 --> 00:00:28,626 how small town it felt. So what you see behind 4 00:00:28,638 --> 00:00:32,580 me here is the actual location for Lily Bloom's 5 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:37,227 flower shop in the film It Ends With Us. 6 00:00:37,239 --> 00:00:41,640 A scout reached out to me and said that they were 7 00:00:41,641 --> 00:00:43,856 interested in seeing if it would work for 8 00:00:43,868 --> 00:00:46,260 an upcoming film. So I was going through the 9 00:00:46,261 --> 00:00:48,293 contract and I was showing it to my wife, 10 00:00:48,305 --> 00:00:51,160 and when she read the title It Ends With Us, she froze. 11 00:00:51,161 --> 00:00:56,940 She said that this was one of her favorite authors. In fact, she reached over, 12 00:00:56,941 --> 00:00:58,522 she grabbed one of her books, and she pulled 13 00:00:58,534 --> 00:01:00,041 it off the shelf. She's like, "This is it. 14 00:01:00,065 --> 00:01:03,280 " Blake, can you turn this way? Justin, right here? 15 00:01:04,340 --> 00:01:07,986 The movie came out in the summer of 2024. 16 00:01:07,998 --> 00:01:12,340 Social media noticed that Blake Lively and Justin 17 00:01:12,341 --> 00:01:18,500 Balzoni were not doing any press together. For a movie where they are the co-leads... 18 00:01:18,501 --> 00:01:20,845 It Ends With Us. It Ends With Us. 19 00:01:20,857 --> 00:01:24,940 It Ends With Us. It Ends With Us. It Ends With Us is about 20 00:01:24,941 --> 00:01:27,986 domestic violence, but the message of the film has 21 00:01:27,998 --> 00:01:31,240 been clouded because of the scandal around its stars. 22 00:01:31,241 --> 00:01:34,440 She claims that there was sexual harassment on set. 23 00:01:34,441 --> 00:01:41,160 Maybe this guy isn't the guy that you think he is. And then big jaw drop moment. 24 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:48,256 He claims civil extortion, defamation, and that all of this 25 00:01:48,268 --> 00:01:52,200 really is about her wanting to have control of the movie. 26 00:01:52,201 --> 00:01:56,640 Is Blake Lively a victim? That is the question. 27 00:01:56,641 --> 00:01:59,658 This is like the most high-school fight that people 28 00:01:59,670 --> 00:02:02,640 with millions of dollars can have with each other. 29 00:02:02,641 --> 00:02:08,039 The longer this goes on, the more reputational damage they will suffer. 30 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,640 All of this is still he said, she said. 31 00:02:11,641 --> 00:02:14,734 "This isn't just a fluffy celebrity feud. 32 00:02:14,746 --> 00:02:17,999 The actual story is, I think, a lot darker. 33 00:02:26,189 --> 00:02:31,720 " In August 2016, romance novel It Ends With Us hit the shelves. 34 00:02:37,050 --> 00:02:41,801 "It Ends With Us is about a character called Lily Bloom. 35 00:02:41,813 --> 00:02:45,000 While it has got the romance and love 36 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:49,104 aspect to it, it very intricately covers this 37 00:02:49,116 --> 00:02:53,160 subject of domestic abuse. But it wasn't until 38 00:02:53,260 --> 00:02:58,280 it arrived on BookTok, which is a subset of TikTok, that it really got picked up. 39 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:04,009 I am a Colleen Hoover huge fan. I've read all of her books. 40 00:03:04,021 --> 00:03:07,320 Every single one, probably once or twice. 41 00:03:07,321 --> 00:03:12,466 They're pretty easy, quick reads. It Ends With Us came out on BookTok. 42 00:03:12,478 --> 00:03:15,240 And it was a fast hit. It went viral. 43 00:03:16,690 --> 00:03:20,316 The author of It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover, has 44 00:03:20,328 --> 00:03:24,040 a large social media following. And not just large, 45 00:03:24,140 --> 00:03:25,640 but highly engaged. 46 00:03:25,641 --> 00:03:27,640 I've read eight Colleen Hoover books so far. 47 00:03:27,641 --> 00:03:30,200 I just need to tell you about this book that I read by Colleen Hoover. 48 00:03:30,201 --> 00:03:32,200 I finally got my hands on this book. 49 00:03:32,300 --> 00:03:34,146 On TikTok, certain books go viral. 50 00:03:34,158 --> 00:03:37,560 And Colleen Hoover's novels became incredibly popular on there. 51 00:03:37,561 --> 00:03:39,240 In particular, It Ends With Us. 52 00:03:39,340 --> 00:03:44,120 A woman got verbally and physically abused and made it out on the other end. 53 00:03:44,121 --> 00:03:48,120 The domestic violence aspect of it is something that really caught people's eyes, 54 00:03:48,121 --> 00:03:51,153 because it does it in a way that is complex and nuanced. 55 00:03:51,165 --> 00:03:52,920 So it covered the serious topic, 56 00:03:52,921 --> 00:03:56,120 while still doing it in a way that felt engaging and accessible. 57 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:05,480 The book caught the eye of film producers. The rights were bought by Wayfarer Studios, 58 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,520 which was owned by actor and director Justin Baldoni. 59 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:16,690 I knew of Justin Baldoni. He was this very sensitive man. 60 00:04:16,702 --> 00:04:19,880 And I don't say that as a pejorative. 61 00:04:19,980 --> 00:04:22,200 I think being a sensitive man is a great thing. 62 00:04:22,201 --> 00:04:26,182 He's kind of made a name for himself outside of acting. 63 00:04:26,194 --> 00:04:32,548 And it really positions his mission, being somebody who debunks toxic masculinity. 64 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,280 And he started a podcast, Man Enough Podcast. 65 00:04:36,281 --> 00:04:39,060 In 2019, when Justin acquired the rights from 66 00:04:39,072 --> 00:04:42,360 Colleen Hoover, it was really aligned with his brand. 67 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:53,400 January of 2023, news came out that Blake Lively is going to be starring in the big 68 00:04:53,450 --> 00:04:57,320 film adaptation of the successful novel It Ends With Us. 69 00:04:57,321 --> 00:05:03,240 Colleen Hoover enthusiastically announced the casting on social media. 70 00:05:03,370 --> 00:05:07,290 Hi, guys. Colleen Hoover here. We have a cast. 71 00:05:07,302 --> 00:05:11,320 Our Lily is going to be played by Blake Lively. 72 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:16,200 Blake Lively, y'all. It's just my dream Lily. 73 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,086 I think there was so much anticipation for this 74 00:05:20,098 --> 00:05:23,640 film because it had grown this really organic 75 00:05:23,641 --> 00:05:26,179 fan base from booktok. Casford Ends With Us 76 00:05:26,191 --> 00:05:28,920 has officially been announced and I am unwell. 77 00:05:28,921 --> 00:05:32,280 Lily Bloom is going to be played by none other than Blake Lively. What? 78 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:41,720 Bringing Blake Lively aboard was a suggestion from the studio. And Justin saw 79 00:05:41,770 --> 00:05:46,120 the value in bringing on this actress with name recognition. 80 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:58,920 Blake Lively has a persona in the public eye of being fun and fashionable. 81 00:05:58,921 --> 00:06:06,600 Blake Lively kind of built this brand around her appearance and beauty and fashion. 82 00:06:07,550 --> 00:06:11,560 She was always on the red carpet showing off amazing dresses. 83 00:06:11,561 --> 00:06:16,120 She was more like kind of an it girl than a big actress. 84 00:06:16,121 --> 00:06:19,800 She's also known as being Taylor Swift's best friend. 85 00:06:19,801 --> 00:06:23,158 And yeah, of course, she's married to Ryan Reynolds. 86 00:06:23,170 --> 00:06:25,400 So everybody wants to be like her. 87 00:06:25,950 --> 00:06:32,920 Blake Lively was very much loved. She's in one of Hollywood's biggest power couples. 88 00:06:32,921 --> 00:06:36,268 So this casting, as well as the love for the book 89 00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:42,040 and for Colleen Hoover, it just made the absolute perfect combination. 90 00:06:45,470 --> 00:06:49,441 Contracts were signed, scripts written, and production 91 00:06:49,453 --> 00:06:52,920 began on the movie It Ends With Us in May 2023. 92 00:06:52,921 --> 00:06:59,640 Hoboken being such a small town, word travels fast. 93 00:07:01,475 --> 00:07:04,945 When the first day of shooting arrived, people 94 00:07:04,957 --> 00:07:08,440 were lining the streets to catch a glimpse of, 95 00:07:08,441 --> 00:07:11,725 you know, Hollywood in our small town. 96 00:07:11,737 --> 00:07:15,800 My first impressions of Justin were that he was 97 00:07:17,290 --> 00:07:20,890 utmost professional. At the conclusion of rap, 98 00:07:20,902 --> 00:07:24,200 Justin invited me over and he embraced me. 99 00:07:26,580 --> 00:07:30,496 He raised his hands up and I raised mine to mirror 100 00:07:30,508 --> 00:07:34,280 him and we celebrated the conclusion of filming. 101 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:38,120 It was just a very special moment to share. 102 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:48,360 It Ends With Us premieres in New York on the 6th of August, 2024. 103 00:07:48,361 --> 00:07:52,148 But on the red carpet, what should have been 104 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:59,320 a celebration of the cast and crew's success is overshadowed. Justin, right here. 105 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:07,800 Things felt like they were off at the premiere. 106 00:08:09,560 --> 00:08:13,240 Social media noticed that Blake Lively and 107 00:08:13,252 --> 00:08:17,560 Justin Baldoni were not doing any press together. 108 00:08:17,735 --> 00:08:21,240 What is going on with Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni? 109 00:08:21,365 --> 00:08:25,560 Have you heard anything about the rift happening behind the scenes? 110 00:08:25,561 --> 00:08:27,640 Clearly something is going on. 111 00:08:27,740 --> 00:08:33,320 For a movie where they are the co-leads, that is highly unusual. 112 00:08:33,321 --> 00:08:35,320 When you turn this way, Blake. 113 00:08:35,321 --> 00:08:39,068 People picked up that the cast wasn't following 114 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:42,840 Justin Baldoni on social media and they weren't 115 00:08:42,841 --> 00:08:47,800 taking pictures together. The public thought there was a problem on set. 116 00:08:47,801 --> 00:08:54,920 The internet loves drama and the internet went wild for this one. 117 00:08:55,094 --> 00:08:56,730 Justin Baldoni was sent to the basement. 118 00:08:56,742 --> 00:08:59,640 He said, "I wasn't allowed to be seen. She didn't want me anywhere near 119 00:08:59,641 --> 00:09:01,782 her or the rest of the cast, so they ushered me 120 00:09:01,794 --> 00:09:03,970 off the carpet and sent us down to the basement. 121 00:09:04,095 --> 00:09:09,880 " There are people in every corner of Twitter, TikTok, Instagram. 122 00:09:09,881 --> 00:09:14,680 They picked up on every single little thing before the media did. 123 00:09:14,681 --> 00:09:17,093 During the entire promotion of this film, Blake Lively 124 00:09:17,094 --> 00:09:19,800 hasn't been seen with Justin, the main actor and director. 125 00:09:19,801 --> 00:09:22,440 But of course fans are theorizing as fans do. 126 00:09:22,739 --> 00:09:26,520 And boom, you have a feud. There was serious beef between Baldoni and Lively. 127 00:09:26,521 --> 00:09:31,160 There are countless feuds in Hollywood between actors, between directors and stars. 128 00:09:31,609 --> 00:09:34,293 It's very rare at a premiere for them not to, 129 00:09:34,305 --> 00:09:37,240 you know, at least look like they're buddy-buddy. 130 00:09:37,739 --> 00:09:40,910 But the slick marketing and the critical acclaim 131 00:09:40,922 --> 00:09:43,640 makes "It Ends With Us" a box office hit. 132 00:09:43,641 --> 00:09:51,320 But the story of the rift between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni won't go away. 133 00:09:51,321 --> 00:09:56,360 Blake Lively was getting a lot of negative feedback on social media. 134 00:09:56,361 --> 00:09:58,440 Oh, look at me in flowers, Lily Blue. 135 00:09:58,441 --> 00:10:02,278 There were so many strange memes right after and videos 136 00:10:02,290 --> 00:10:05,720 about Blake kind of being difficult to work with. 137 00:10:05,721 --> 00:10:10,280 She was really flippant with her initial response. 138 00:10:10,281 --> 00:10:13,758 One of the things she said was bring your friends, 139 00:10:13,770 --> 00:10:17,400 wear your florals to a film about domestic violence. 140 00:10:17,401 --> 00:10:19,720 And "It Ends With Us" is in theaters now. 141 00:10:19,721 --> 00:10:23,480 So grab your friends, wear your florals and head out to see it. 142 00:10:23,481 --> 00:10:27,880 It kind of put a spotlight on her not taking it as seriously. 143 00:10:27,881 --> 00:10:31,480 And that's what really caused a lot of people to pile onto her. 144 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:36,200 Ooh, grab your close friends and wear your cotton dress. 145 00:10:36,201 --> 00:10:41,400 I want the movie theater to feel like one big dance party with your girls. 146 00:10:41,401 --> 00:10:45,320 I mean, what's a more fun song to dance to than My Tears Ricochet? 147 00:10:45,519 --> 00:10:48,043 I don't necessarily think anyone deserves the 148 00:10:48,055 --> 00:10:50,760 kind of hate that she's had to deal with though. 149 00:10:55,119 --> 00:11:00,920 But on the 20th of December, 2024, Blake Lively drops a bombshell legal complaint. 150 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:06,618 The real life Hollywood drama between Justin 151 00:11:06,630 --> 00:11:10,440 Baldoni and Blake Lively deepened today. 152 00:11:10,539 --> 00:11:15,320 She's accused him of sexual harassment, allegations his lawyers strenuously deny. 153 00:11:15,321 --> 00:11:18,929 I think where this gets lost in the weeds is the 154 00:11:18,941 --> 00:11:23,240 treating of this as just kind of a fluffy celebrity feud. 155 00:11:23,241 --> 00:11:26,520 The actual story is, I think, a lot darker and a lot more complex than that. 156 00:11:32,619 --> 00:11:36,671 Lively releases an 80 page lawsuit filled with dozens 157 00:11:36,683 --> 00:11:40,440 of sexual harassment allegations against Baldoni. 158 00:11:40,441 --> 00:11:43,640 These are a few key allegations that she has levied at him. 159 00:11:43,641 --> 00:11:47,280 Throughout filming, Mr. Baldoni invaded Miss Lively's 160 00:11:47,292 --> 00:11:50,600 privacy by entering her makeup trailer uninvited 161 00:11:50,749 --> 00:11:54,840 while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding her infant child. 162 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:59,553 Mr. Baldoni also routinely degraded Miss Lively by finding 163 00:11:59,565 --> 00:12:03,080 back-channel ways of criticizing her body and weight. 164 00:12:03,081 --> 00:12:08,120 Mr. Baldoni engaged in other behaviors that were shocking and emotionally distressing. 165 00:12:08,121 --> 00:12:11,918 Mr. Baldoni ignored well-established industry protocols in 166 00:12:11,919 --> 00:12:15,480 filming intimate scenes and exploited the lack of controls on set. 167 00:12:15,481 --> 00:12:19,032 In a film like this, there are a lot of intimate scenes. 168 00:12:19,044 --> 00:12:21,800 There's kissing scenes, there's sex scenes, 169 00:12:21,801 --> 00:12:25,148 there's child birthing scenes. And Blake alleged that on 170 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:28,520 some of those scenes, there was no intimacy coordinator. 171 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:37,080 I'm Mia Schachter. I'm an intimacy coordinator for TV, film and theater. 172 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:45,400 The role of intimacy coordinator is still relatively new in TV and film. 173 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,629 And there are certain standards and protocols that 174 00:12:49,641 --> 00:12:53,720 we adhere to shooting simulated sex and nude scenes, 175 00:12:53,721 --> 00:12:56,699 doing our best to help the director achieve their 176 00:12:56,711 --> 00:12:59,640 vision while staying within the actor's comfort. 177 00:12:59,641 --> 00:13:04,062 We talk to the director about what it is that they want to see. 178 00:13:04,074 --> 00:13:06,920 We go through the script scene by scene, 179 00:13:07,560 --> 00:13:11,283 we're looking for any instances of simulated sex or nudity 180 00:13:11,295 --> 00:13:15,160 or anything in that realm, you know, all the way to kissing. 181 00:13:15,161 --> 00:13:18,383 Lively also takes issue with some of the 182 00:13:18,395 --> 00:13:22,261 conversations Baldoni would allegedly have with 183 00:13:22,311 --> 00:13:24,520 her and other members of the cast and career. 184 00:13:24,521 --> 00:13:27,863 Mr. Baldoni would often reference pornography to 185 00:13:27,875 --> 00:13:31,160 Miss Lively and on the first day of production, 186 00:13:31,161 --> 00:13:35,240 Mr. Baldoni described past sexual relationships to Miss Lively. 187 00:13:35,241 --> 00:13:38,964 Mr. Baldoni objectified Miss Lively and other women by 188 00:13:38,976 --> 00:13:42,920 commenting on or criticizing their bodies as sex objects. 189 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:49,766 One of the allegations Blake's made is that Justin 190 00:13:49,778 --> 00:13:54,040 Baldoni asked her if her and Ryan have climaxed together. 191 00:13:55,239 --> 00:13:58,697 Which even just saying for me feels, I'm going to say 192 00:13:58,709 --> 00:14:02,440 icky because I wouldn't even ask my closest friends that. 193 00:14:02,441 --> 00:14:05,785 Blake Lively alleges that Justin asked her if 194 00:14:05,797 --> 00:14:09,080 she and her husband orgasm at the same time. 195 00:14:11,279 --> 00:14:13,548 I'm thinking about like who in my life I would 196 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:16,040 feel that that was an appropriate question to get. 197 00:14:20,529 --> 00:14:23,992 Um, probably not at work. Probably only from someone who I've known 198 00:14:24,004 --> 00:14:27,480 for a long time and trust a lot. And I talk about sex for a living. 199 00:14:27,779 --> 00:14:31,119 A film set is not your typical workplace. It's long hours 200 00:14:31,131 --> 00:14:34,600 with people who you're probably meeting for the first time. 201 00:14:34,799 --> 00:14:37,478 There's a little bit of like summer camp energy. 202 00:14:37,490 --> 00:14:39,640 People get close really fast and bond. 203 00:14:41,059 --> 00:14:44,796 From reading their text messages, I do get the sense that at one point there 204 00:14:44,808 --> 00:14:48,360 was like genuine affection between them and what felt like a friendship. 205 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,395 And then there's these lines that we're not supposed to cross, but now 206 00:14:53,407 --> 00:14:57,320 you're working with your friends and it does get very, very blurry. 207 00:14:58,669 --> 00:15:02,039 Some people are saying that Blake should have complained about 208 00:15:02,051 --> 00:15:05,160 what she's alleging during filming, and actually she did. 209 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:12,716 Between May and September 2023, a writer's strike brought Hollywood 210 00:15:12,728 --> 00:15:16,440 to a standstill, including the filming of It Ends With Us. 211 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:25,839 There's this long pause in production during the writer's strike. And when they go back to 212 00:15:25,851 --> 00:15:29,960 start recording, before doing so, Blake Lively says, I don't want these things to happen again. 213 00:15:30,209 --> 00:15:35,560 She came back with a list of demands, we'll call them. 214 00:15:36,760 --> 00:15:40,987 No more discussions to Blake Lively about personal experiences 215 00:15:40,999 --> 00:15:44,760 with sex, including as it relates to spouses or others. 216 00:15:44,761 --> 00:15:48,600 No biting or sucking of lip without Blake Lively consent. 217 00:15:48,749 --> 00:15:54,840 There was actually a signed agreement between Wayfarer Studios and Blake Lively. 218 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,860 So many of these items seem like things you would never want to 219 00:16:00,872 --> 00:16:04,840 do to another employee, regardless of where your workplace is. 220 00:16:05,014 --> 00:16:08,403 You can see that based on also Sony's reaction. 221 00:16:08,415 --> 00:16:11,960 The Sony employee says, of course, agree to them. 222 00:16:14,040 --> 00:16:18,920 The detail and the scale of the allegations against Justin Baldoni shocked the world. 223 00:16:18,921 --> 00:16:23,110 His talent agency, WME, which also represents Lively 224 00:16:23,122 --> 00:16:26,920 and Reynolds, drops the actor from their books. 225 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:33,543 It did make some sense as to why we hadn't seen Justin 226 00:16:33,555 --> 00:16:37,320 and Blake together during the press tour at all. 227 00:16:37,321 --> 00:16:41,640 Because why would she be with someone who made her feel so uncomfortable? 228 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:48,128 Something that was upsetting to me is that this is one of the 229 00:16:48,140 --> 00:16:52,040 few very popular movies that deals with domestic violence. 230 00:17:01,469 --> 00:17:05,320 It's the core plot point. To have these allegations saying actually one of the major creative 231 00:17:05,332 --> 00:17:09,319 forces behind this was actually engaging in misogynistic content himself, it's pretty upsetting. 232 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:16,123 What made these allegations so shocking was that Justin Baldoni has a podcast where he talks 233 00:17:16,135 --> 00:17:20,200 about how men can be allies to women and how men can be better in their relationships to women. 234 00:17:29,080 --> 00:17:33,092 My reaction was, oh, what? Like, I thought this guy was for women. He's saying he's 235 00:17:33,104 --> 00:17:37,080 supportive of a really sensitive topic, in particular to women, domestic violence. 236 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:41,976 domestic violence. If you know the film and you've been following along 237 00:17:41,988 --> 00:17:45,960 and read the book. How could he do this? I mean, how could he do this? 238 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:55,883 Several of the key players involved in the making of It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover to one 239 00:17:55,895 --> 00:17:59,960 of the lead actors in it, Brandon Sklenor, have all come out publicly supporting Blake Lively. 240 00:18:02,939 --> 00:18:06,593 Brandon Sklenor shared a post directing people to read her 241 00:18:06,605 --> 00:18:10,840 complaint, including a little heart emoji and tagging Blake Lively. 242 00:18:10,989 --> 00:18:17,840 I saw social media sentiment shift more in flavor of Blake than it had been certainly. 243 00:18:17,841 --> 00:18:21,601 You know, if you read the complaint, I think she had very valid reasons 244 00:18:21,613 --> 00:18:25,280 why she wouldn't want to show up to work in an environment like that. 245 00:18:28,259 --> 00:18:32,344 She's not doing this because it's fun or it's going to get her anything. She's doing this probably 246 00:18:32,356 --> 00:18:36,160 because she has daughters at home and feels the need to stand up for what she went through. 247 00:18:36,161 --> 00:18:44,160 But sexual harassment isn't the only allegation made by Blake Lively. 248 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:54,028 Lively claims Baldoni waged an internet smear campaign against her. 249 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:58,040 An accusation echoed in an explosive article by The New York Times. 250 00:18:58,041 --> 00:19:04,040 Literally a day after The New York Times rolls out the big headline. 251 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:15,453 The New York Times article was a huge bombshell. 252 00:19:15,465 --> 00:19:18,920 It had so much detailed information. 253 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:24,144 And The New York Times is read by a lot of people and 254 00:19:24,156 --> 00:19:28,040 is so highly respected that people paid attention. 255 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:37,920 At the heart of the alleged smear campaign is PR specialist Melissa Nathan. 256 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,876 When the film was about to come out, Justin Baldoni hired a PR 257 00:19:44,888 --> 00:19:48,920 called Melissa Nathan, who is very well known within Hollywood. 258 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:54,815 She represented Johnny Depp during his defamation case with Amber Heard. 259 00:19:54,827 --> 00:19:58,800 Blake alleges that she was behind this huge smear campaign against her. 260 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:02,939 She includes in her complaint text exchange between Melissa 261 00:20:02,951 --> 00:20:06,680 Nathan and Justin Baldoni's PR person, Jennifer Abel. 262 00:20:06,681 --> 00:20:09,680 The texts include comments like this: 263 00:20:09,829 --> 00:20:13,680 "We can't write it down to him. We can't write 'We will destroy her.' 264 00:20:18,560 --> 00:20:22,500 He has to look at it as an information document for us to be armed with. That's all. 265 00:20:22,512 --> 00:20:26,560 Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands." 266 00:20:27,440 --> 00:20:31,282 The texts themselves were very damning because it did make it seem 267 00:20:31,294 --> 00:20:35,440 like they orchestrated this campaign to try and take Blake Lively down. 268 00:20:35,689 --> 00:20:39,440 It seems to imply retribution because of her sexual harassment claims. 269 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,349 He seemed to be worried that all of the sexual harassment claims that Blake 270 00:20:44,361 --> 00:20:48,440 Lively had made was going to come out and he felt the need to get ahead of it. 271 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:56,456 It's also alleged that Justin Baldoni's team used bots to artificially 272 00:20:56,468 --> 00:21:00,320 inflate and manipulate social media content against Blake Lively. 273 00:21:00,321 --> 00:21:06,320 My name is Christopher Guzzi. I'm the founder and CEO of Bots Sentinel. 274 00:21:06,321 --> 00:21:11,320 We're an analytics firm that focuses on missing disinformation online. 275 00:21:11,669 --> 00:21:14,954 We look for key things. The messaging that's being put out 276 00:21:14,966 --> 00:21:18,320 there, you know, these attacks, are they similar in nature? 277 00:21:18,321 --> 00:21:20,360 Are we seeing the repeat? 278 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:30,110 So, in this case, there was "cancel Blake Lively hashtag on X. 279 00:21:30,810 --> 00:21:34,046 " If you're my firm, you're looking at that hashtag and then 280 00:21:34,058 --> 00:21:37,000 looking at the accounts that are pushing that hashtag. 281 00:21:37,299 --> 00:21:42,200 Blake Lively and her team will more than likely have hired a firm to look into this. 282 00:21:42,449 --> 00:21:45,143 And I do believe they will find accounts 283 00:21:45,155 --> 00:21:48,200 that were created specifically to target her. 284 00:21:48,649 --> 00:21:50,864 Who's behind that is the question. 285 00:21:50,876 --> 00:21:54,240 I believe there's evidence that something did occur. 286 00:21:57,389 --> 00:22:01,302 It's pretty insane to see the PR string pulling getting exposed 287 00:22:01,314 --> 00:22:05,240 because that's something that's always been behind the curtain. 288 00:22:05,241 --> 00:22:09,240 Something that you don't really see but you understand is happening. 289 00:22:09,241 --> 00:22:14,280 The core of what Blake is alleging is that she experienced sexual harassment. 290 00:22:14,929 --> 00:22:18,280 She reported sexual harassment and then was retaliated against. 291 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:31,137 That you can be one of the most wealthy and successful people in your industry and still 292 00:22:31,149 --> 00:22:35,080 face alleged retaliation for speaking up and making allegations of sexual misconduct. 293 00:22:36,129 --> 00:22:39,120 I think is extremely alarming. 294 00:22:41,120 --> 00:22:45,268 If she is claiming all of these things and so much of it happened 295 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:49,120 on the film set, I thought, wow, wow, I feel so bad for her. 296 00:22:53,120 --> 00:22:56,154 But the accusations of sexual harassment and orchestrating 297 00:22:56,166 --> 00:22:59,160 a smear campaign are vehemently denied by Justin Baldoni. 298 00:22:59,161 --> 00:23:01,200 He instructs his own lawyers. 299 00:23:01,201 --> 00:23:03,200 He didn't take it lying down. 300 00:23:03,201 --> 00:23:07,200 He then sued the New York Times for defamation. 301 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:17,240 He came out so strongly against the New York Times. 302 00:23:21,240 --> 00:23:25,228 Not only did he trust you them for $250 million, which is this like ridiculously high fee, 303 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:29,240 but even suing a paper for defamation is extremely difficult when you are a public figure. 304 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:37,037 Under U.S. defamation law, Justin Baldoni has the 305 00:23:37,049 --> 00:23:41,280 burden to prove that the New York Times knowingly lied. 306 00:23:41,379 --> 00:23:43,280 You have to prove malice. 307 00:23:43,579 --> 00:23:45,280 I don't think he actually thinks he's going to win. 308 00:23:45,281 --> 00:23:48,280 Really, it was more of a PR strategy. 309 00:23:48,281 --> 00:23:54,320 All of a sudden you see Justin is going after the New York Times. 310 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:02,155 I believe that was probably advised because building up his own 311 00:24:02,167 --> 00:24:06,320 text receipts, his own behind-the-scenes footage, his own narrative. 312 00:24:06,321 --> 00:24:08,320 That takes time to dig up. 313 00:24:08,321 --> 00:24:16,320 A quick defense is let's go after the journalist or the outlet that did me dirty. 314 00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:24,418 That's a quick way to get it out in the public and from there you start to build public 315 00:24:24,430 --> 00:24:28,360 interest in why is he doing that instead of what the article is actually portraying. 316 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:37,271 According to Baldoni, the New York Times edited conversations and didn't give 317 00:24:37,283 --> 00:24:41,360 us full context and they didn't give him and his lawyers enough time to respond. 318 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:50,330 In his lawsuit, they included texts and emails between Justin Baldoni 319 00:24:50,342 --> 00:24:54,400 and Melissa Nathan to show they were not planting stories in the media. 320 00:24:55,400 --> 00:25:03,400 But it's not the New York Times job to give all sides of the story. 321 00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:07,482 You might not like that certain news outlets give only liberal perspectives 322 00:25:07,494 --> 00:25:11,440 or conservative perspectives, but that doesn't open them up to liability. 323 00:25:12,539 --> 00:25:16,419 The New York Times has accused Baldoni of trying to drag the paper 324 00:25:16,431 --> 00:25:20,440 into its feud of Lively and has asked the court to dismiss the case. 325 00:25:24,829 --> 00:25:28,471 "I believe victims should be believed. However, is Blake Lively a victim? 326 00:25:28,483 --> 00:25:32,422 That is the question. Many believe she's not the victim. She's the perpetrator. 327 00:25:40,462 --> 00:25:44,183 " Two weeks after Baldoni sues the New York Times for 328 00:25:44,195 --> 00:25:48,520 defamation, he launches a suit against Blake Lively herself. 329 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:56,560 On January 16th, Justin countersues Blake for $400 million. 330 00:25:56,561 --> 00:26:00,560 I mean, this is a big jaw-drop moment. 331 00:26:00,561 --> 00:26:03,419 The numbers that Justin Baldoni is suing the New 332 00:26:03,431 --> 00:26:06,600 York Times, $250 million, Blake Lively, $400 million. 333 00:26:06,601 --> 00:26:11,600 These are shock numbers. These are there to gain attention. 334 00:26:11,601 --> 00:26:15,600 Even if he were to win in court, he's not going to win anything near that. 335 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,628 Justin Baldoni hired lawyer Brian Friedman, who is very well-known 336 00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:27,640 within Hollywood as kind of being the attack dog for the underdog. 337 00:26:27,739 --> 00:26:32,640 This guy is ferocious. He has spoken to the media non-stop. 338 00:26:35,789 --> 00:26:39,813 Brian Friedman launches a website filled with 168 pages 339 00:26:39,825 --> 00:26:43,640 of what he says is evidence of what really happened. 340 00:26:44,679 --> 00:26:48,412 Hundreds of pages of legal allegations, text 341 00:26:48,424 --> 00:26:52,680 messages, photos. You have the timeline of events. 342 00:26:52,681 --> 00:26:55,680 So much information has been put out into the public. 343 00:26:55,929 --> 00:26:58,372 Justin Baldoni is suing her for defamation. 344 00:26:58,384 --> 00:27:01,680 He's saying that she made a false sexual harassment claim. 345 00:27:01,681 --> 00:27:05,748 He countered her point by point, saying she claimed 346 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:09,680 this, but in reality, here's what truly happened. 347 00:27:09,904 --> 00:27:13,033 A lot of the concrete moments within the sexual 348 00:27:13,045 --> 00:27:16,720 misconduct allegations are actually fairly uncontested. 349 00:27:16,721 --> 00:27:18,720 What's contested is the context surrounding them. 350 00:27:18,721 --> 00:27:22,708 One of the examples he gives is that Blake Lively herself 351 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,720 invited him into the trailer while she was breastfeeding. 352 00:27:26,721 --> 00:27:30,266 Lively herself invited Baldoni into her trailer 353 00:27:30,278 --> 00:27:33,760 to work on lines while she pumped breast milk. 354 00:27:33,761 --> 00:27:38,760 Lively regularly breastfed in front of Baldoni while they had meetings. 355 00:27:38,761 --> 00:27:42,330 He also says neither the alleged sexual harassment nor the 356 00:27:42,342 --> 00:27:45,800 accompanying smear campaign against Lively ever existed. 357 00:27:45,874 --> 00:27:52,800 Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of asking her trainer for her weight. 358 00:27:53,639 --> 00:27:57,255 So she said that that was fat shaming. He said it's because he has 359 00:27:57,267 --> 00:28:00,840 a back problem and there was a scene where he needed to lift her. 360 00:28:01,840 --> 00:28:05,862 The allegation that Justin Baldoni had asked Blake whether 361 00:28:05,874 --> 00:28:09,840 her and Ryan climaxed together, this is what Justin said. 362 00:28:09,989 --> 00:28:13,964 Lively references in her complaint instances that were shockingly 363 00:28:13,976 --> 00:28:17,840 mischaracterized and in no way inappropriate or unprofessional. 364 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,936 All of this is he said, she said. Justin Baldoni, you know, 365 00:28:21,948 --> 00:28:25,880 his argument isn't really that those items didn't happen. 366 00:28:25,881 --> 00:28:29,880 He just is saying that there's a different perspective. 367 00:28:29,881 --> 00:28:32,810 Did they actually create a hostile work environment 368 00:28:32,822 --> 00:28:35,880 or was it all consensual? That's really the question. 369 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:45,813 One of the slam dunks the Baldoni's team suggests is, well, we 370 00:28:45,825 --> 00:28:49,920 had an intimacy coordinator and you didn't want to meet with her. 371 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:54,798 Justin says, contrary to Lively's knowingly false claims, it was Lively 372 00:28:54,810 --> 00:28:58,920 who refused to meet with the intimacy coordinator to plan out their scenes. 373 00:28:59,169 --> 00:29:02,622 I don't think that's necessarily that uncommon to be like, 374 00:29:02,634 --> 00:29:05,920 well, I'll just wait until, you know, the shoot starts. 375 00:29:05,921 --> 00:29:08,816 I haven't seen the assertion that she never met with 376 00:29:08,828 --> 00:29:11,960 the intimacy coordinator, which would be very different. 377 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:19,760 In my experience, when an actor says, I don't need to meet the intimacy 378 00:29:19,772 --> 00:29:23,960 coordinator until we're shooting, as much as it, you know, hinders my process, 379 00:29:23,961 --> 00:29:28,000 it does typically indicate that they trust their scene partner. 380 00:29:28,001 --> 00:29:34,000 And those texts made me think that at one point she did feel a lot of trust with him. 381 00:29:38,299 --> 00:29:41,938 Among the many allegations made by Blake Lively is that 382 00:29:41,950 --> 00:29:46,000 Justin Baldoni improvised sexual contact without her consent. 383 00:29:46,001 --> 00:29:50,040 The key example given by Lively is a slow motion dancing scene. 384 00:29:52,939 --> 00:29:56,705 Blake Lively alleged that he would do unapproved movements 385 00:29:56,717 --> 00:30:00,040 and, and contact and kissing and smelling her neck. 386 00:30:00,041 --> 00:30:02,040 This is what Justin said. 387 00:30:02,041 --> 00:30:05,918 Any suggestion that this scene was filmed in any manner other than pure 388 00:30:05,930 --> 00:30:10,040 professionalism by Baldoni is unequivocally countered with actual evidence. 389 00:30:10,339 --> 00:30:17,040 Her allegation of sexual harassment is a documented unknowingly fabricated lie. 390 00:30:17,041 --> 00:30:19,040 So what did Justin Baldoni do? 391 00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:24,936 His lawyer released 10 plus minutes of unedited footage that let 392 00:30:24,948 --> 00:30:29,040 the public see and decide for themselves what they were looking at. 393 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,934 Justin Baldoni released the footage to try 394 00:30:43,946 --> 00:30:48,040 and make the case that he did nothing wrong. 395 00:30:55,139 --> 00:31:03,040 that, in fact, her claims about his impromptu kissing was inaccurate and dishonest. 396 00:31:03,389 --> 00:31:06,040 For a lot of people it did seemingly vindicate him. 397 00:31:09,339 --> 00:31:13,105 Blake's team then comes in and says, "Oh no, this is 398 00:31:13,117 --> 00:31:17,040 exactly what we're talking about. She's uncomfortable. 399 00:31:17,289 --> 00:31:21,975 Her body language is alluding to the fact that she's not really into this scene. 400 00:31:33,975 --> 00:31:38,254 " His team seemed to be accusing Blake of trying to direct 401 00:31:38,266 --> 00:31:42,040 that scene and like undermine his creative vision. 402 00:31:42,189 --> 00:31:44,040 I don't see that. 403 00:31:50,489 --> 00:31:54,194 I see an actress trying not to kiss her co-worker and instead of 404 00:31:54,206 --> 00:31:58,040 saying, "I don't want to do that," she's making other suggestions. 405 00:31:58,041 --> 00:32:02,040 We'll just do like a-our lips are right next to each other. 406 00:32:02,041 --> 00:32:03,041 Yeah, gotcha. 407 00:32:03,189 --> 00:32:06,040 But I think I should start talking. 408 00:32:06,041 --> 00:32:07,040 Okay. 409 00:32:07,041 --> 00:32:08,040 Do you know what I mean? 410 00:32:08,041 --> 00:32:09,041 Yeah. 411 00:32:13,040 --> 00:32:17,003 Which is actually pretty considerate because I think it could be humiliating for 412 00:32:17,015 --> 00:32:20,989 everyone there to see Blake Lively tell Justin Baldoni, "Stop trying to kiss me. 413 00:32:20,990 --> 00:32:24,040 " Social media is divided on whose side the video helps. 414 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:29,154 Justin Baldoni was clearly in character and Blake 415 00:32:29,166 --> 00:32:33,040 Lively maybe did not understand method acting. 416 00:32:33,041 --> 00:32:37,040 It doesn't seem super inappropriate to me. 417 00:32:37,041 --> 00:32:40,040 To me that looks like a woman who is extremely uncomfortable. 418 00:32:40,041 --> 00:32:44,040 There are very obvious cues that she was uncomfortable. 419 00:32:44,041 --> 00:32:45,040 All right, cut. 420 00:32:45,041 --> 00:32:46,040 I think we got plenty. 421 00:32:46,041 --> 00:32:47,040 Yes. 422 00:32:47,041 --> 00:32:50,040 Both sides think it's great for them. 423 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:56,130 So when this goes to trial, that video will for sure be shown in front of a jury 424 00:32:56,142 --> 00:33:00,040 and you'll hear two completely different perspectives on what that video is. 425 00:33:03,040 --> 00:33:07,753 But Justin Baldoni doesn't just refute Blake Lively's claims. 426 00:33:07,765 --> 00:33:11,040 He accuses Lively of taking over his film. 427 00:33:11,041 --> 00:33:15,159 Justin Baldoni says in his counterclaim that almost immediately 428 00:33:15,171 --> 00:33:19,040 Lively began inserting herself into the production process. 429 00:33:22,040 --> 00:33:26,051 Basically he's saying, her saying that she needed creative control over the project and 430 00:33:26,063 --> 00:33:30,040 threatening to walk out if she didn't get that creative control amounted to extortion. 431 00:33:31,289 --> 00:33:34,788 The key example provided by Baldoni's legal team is a 432 00:33:34,800 --> 00:33:39,040 controversial rewrite of one of the film's most pivotal moments. 433 00:33:42,389 --> 00:33:46,066 There is a core scene in the movie. It's when Ryle and 434 00:33:46,078 --> 00:33:50,040 Lily meet for the first time. It takes place on a rooftop. 435 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:54,916 For sure because my dad died on Monday. So yeah, that's actually why I 436 00:33:54,928 --> 00:33:59,040 came up here to have a good cry and hopefully meet a wealthy neurosurgeon. 437 00:33:59,714 --> 00:34:04,040 Sorry. 438 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,229 Blake Lively in an interview on the red carpet gave it up as an exclusive 439 00:34:09,241 --> 00:34:13,040 to this reporter that Ryan Reynolds had written the rooftop scene. 440 00:34:15,040 --> 00:34:19,218 There was an alleged meeting between Justin and Blake's 441 00:34:19,230 --> 00:34:23,040 side to discuss this rewrite of the rooftop scene. 442 00:34:23,140 --> 00:34:27,040 But it wasn't just Blake and Justin who were there. 443 00:34:28,340 --> 00:34:35,040 She had Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift, her best friend and her husband. 444 00:34:38,040 --> 00:34:42,302 Justin has alleged that he was essentially strong-armed into accepting 445 00:34:42,314 --> 00:34:46,040 the script changes by Ryan Reynolds, by Taylor Swift as well. 446 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:54,028 Baldoni has included a series of text messages from Lively. 447 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,040 His legal team claims they are evidence of a veiled threat. 448 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:07,052 Most of us reacted very strongly to the text message that Blake had sent to Justin 449 00:35:07,064 --> 00:35:11,040 Baldoni, explaining that she's Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and she has dragons. 450 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:16,969 It wasn't in the message who her dragons were, but everyone kind of 451 00:35:16,981 --> 00:35:21,040 knew that it was Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift she was referring to. 452 00:35:21,690 --> 00:35:27,040 So by saying that, it was like a nicely put little threat, I would say. 453 00:35:27,041 --> 00:35:34,040 Justin Baldoni eventually accepted Lively and Reynolds' changes to the script. 454 00:35:34,041 --> 00:35:37,204 Baldoni sent Lively a voice note to apologize 455 00:35:37,216 --> 00:35:40,040 for his initial reaction to the meeting. 456 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:47,040 Hey Blake, it is 2:00 in the morning. Hopefully this does not wake you up. 457 00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:53,088 So Justin Baldoni releases this voicemail that he leaves 2:00 AM to 458 00:35:53,100 --> 00:35:57,040 Blake Lively, apologizing for evidently this earlier interaction. 459 00:35:59,390 --> 00:36:07,040 And I'm really sorry. I for sure fell short. And I'm really sorry. 460 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,040 I f***ed up. That is a fail on my part. 461 00:36:11,041 --> 00:36:13,305 He's apologetic. He's trying to, you know, express sympathy. 462 00:36:13,317 --> 00:36:15,040 You know, he's admitting some level of fault. 463 00:36:15,041 --> 00:36:17,976 We should all have friends like that, aside from the fact 464 00:36:17,988 --> 00:36:21,040 that they're two of the most creative people on the planet. 465 00:36:21,041 --> 00:36:24,528 The three of you guys together, it's unbelievable. 466 00:36:24,540 --> 00:36:28,040 Talk about energy, just to force all three of you. 467 00:36:29,115 --> 00:36:33,144 Baldoni releases the clip as part of his defense to 468 00:36:33,156 --> 00:36:37,040 show he was willing to address Lively's concerns. 469 00:36:37,041 --> 00:36:40,040 For some, he's vindicated. 470 00:36:41,040 --> 00:36:47,040 He is so concerned for her well-being. He is so apologetic. 471 00:36:47,041 --> 00:36:50,040 For others, it's backfired. 472 00:36:50,041 --> 00:36:53,040 You were Ryan and you were listening to that. You would also be like... 473 00:36:53,041 --> 00:36:56,040 Get away from my woman. 474 00:36:56,041 --> 00:37:00,028 I don't know. Getting a voice note like that, and 475 00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:04,040 it's not even just the content of the voice note. 476 00:37:04,041 --> 00:37:10,040 It's the way he's talking. It's quite like low and raspy. 477 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:14,040 I hope you're feeling better, and give Ryan my love. 478 00:37:14,041 --> 00:37:17,040 Thank you for sending me that. 479 00:37:17,041 --> 00:37:18,916 It means the world to me that you trust me 480 00:37:18,928 --> 00:37:21,040 with your feelings and your thoughts like that. 481 00:37:21,041 --> 00:37:24,040 And I can't wait to spend more time with you. 482 00:37:24,041 --> 00:37:26,770 It's 2:00 a.m. in the morning. There are definitely 483 00:37:26,782 --> 00:37:29,040 people who thought it was a little creepy. 484 00:37:29,041 --> 00:37:33,464 There's others who say, "Hey, she texted him right before. 485 00:37:33,476 --> 00:37:35,921 This was a justified voice call. 486 00:37:36,921 --> 00:37:40,632 " As a lawyer, I think, why release something that does? It is a little 487 00:37:40,644 --> 00:37:44,040 questionable of whether or not that's appropriate in a workplace. 488 00:37:44,041 --> 00:37:48,108 I think what I mainly got from the message was that 489 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:52,040 he was really desperately trying to please Blake. 490 00:37:52,041 --> 00:37:55,599 I think he was afraid of her at that point because 491 00:37:55,611 --> 00:37:59,040 she had already threatened him with her dragons. 492 00:37:59,041 --> 00:38:02,093 It's interesting because his lawsuit was really 493 00:38:02,105 --> 00:38:05,040 all about how there was this power imbalance. 494 00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:09,409 He had to agree to everything she said. But that was also 495 00:38:09,421 --> 00:38:13,040 why he wanted her in this movie because she brought her fame. 496 00:38:13,041 --> 00:38:17,040 She brought her star power. She brought her husband, Ryan Reynolds. 497 00:38:17,041 --> 00:38:21,040 They were going to walk on the red carpet. Justin Baldoni knew all this. 498 00:38:21,041 --> 00:38:24,410 But what Baldoni perhaps did not anticipate 499 00:38:24,422 --> 00:38:28,040 was Lively's involvement in editing the movie. 500 00:38:34,090 --> 00:38:38,120 She had her own cut of the film made. And she got her friend 501 00:38:38,132 --> 00:38:42,040 Taylor Swift to let them use one of her songs in the film. 502 00:38:43,540 --> 00:38:46,807 Baldoni is claiming that Blake Lively was threatening to 503 00:38:46,819 --> 00:38:50,040 derail the production, was threatening to walk off set. 504 00:38:56,290 --> 00:39:00,345 According to the email communications that I saw, she was refusing to approve this. 505 00:39:00,357 --> 00:39:04,040 She was delaying that. She was being highly unprofessional, many would say. 506 00:39:05,740 --> 00:39:07,803 Apparently, it was the Blake Lively cut of 507 00:39:07,815 --> 00:39:10,040 the film that we ended up seeing in theaters. 508 00:39:12,390 --> 00:39:15,998 I believe that Sony, the film's distributor and major 509 00:39:16,010 --> 00:39:20,040 financer, they were scared, in my opinion, of Blake Lively. 510 00:39:23,190 --> 00:39:27,103 The bigger star tends to get backed because at the end of the day, the studio wants 511 00:39:27,115 --> 00:39:31,040 this to make a lot of money and the bigger star is going to draw a bigger audience. 512 00:39:31,041 --> 00:39:36,040 She took complete editorial control of the film. That's not a crime. 513 00:39:36,090 --> 00:39:39,040 Who's to say that Baldoni's version was inherently better? 514 00:39:39,041 --> 00:39:44,040 Blake Lively's complaint is all about that she was sexually harassed. 515 00:39:47,040 --> 00:39:51,028 And a lot of the conversation that you see out there is really more about 516 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:55,040 how she wanted too much control over the set, which is separate, legally. 517 00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:09,288 I find it interesting that Blake is both framed as this incredibly powerful person who, you know, can use Taylor Swift and everyone 518 00:40:09,300 --> 00:40:14,360 in her arsenal to do whatever she wants, but also she needs to rely on manipulating sexual harassment in order to get her way. 519 00:40:14,740 --> 00:40:17,040 It's interesting that those two things exist. 520 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:24,201 In February 2025, a New York federal judge rules 521 00:40:24,213 --> 00:40:28,040 that Lively versus Baldoni will go to court. 522 00:40:28,041 --> 00:40:31,040 Social media goes wild. 523 00:40:31,140 --> 00:40:33,493 A trial date has been set for Blake Lively 524 00:40:33,505 --> 00:40:36,040 and Justin Baldoni to battle it out in court. 525 00:40:36,290 --> 00:40:40,040 We now have a date, but it is not until March of 2026. 526 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:42,579 I've seen people saying, "Oh, I can't believe 527 00:40:42,591 --> 00:40:43,996 the trial's not until 2026. I can't wait. 528 00:40:43,997 --> 00:40:47,040 " In there is the assumption that this is all entertainment. 529 00:40:47,041 --> 00:40:49,040 March of 2026. 530 00:40:49,041 --> 00:40:51,040 Really? 531 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:53,040 2026? 532 00:40:53,190 --> 00:40:57,040 I want that judge dismissed and waterboarded immediately. 533 00:40:57,041 --> 00:41:03,040 There are just hundreds of pages of legal documents here that have been filed. 534 00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:09,028 The amount of texts and photos and information out 535 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:13,040 there is almost unprecedented for a civil lawsuit. 536 00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:23,367 Blake Lively has promised to bring forward two more women from "It Ends With Us" who say that Justin Baldoni 537 00:41:23,379 --> 00:41:27,840 mistreated her and mistreated them on set and if that comes to fruition, that would be a big deal for the case. 538 00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:33,056 I think it's important to realize that all of the stuff we're seeing so 539 00:41:33,068 --> 00:41:37,040 far, none of this is actually evidence that's been presented in court. 540 00:41:39,040 --> 00:41:43,153 I think in any of these cases, there's always a case of he said, she said, because 541 00:41:43,165 --> 00:41:47,040 we're not on the inside. We're just looking at what they're presenting to us. 542 00:41:53,040 --> 00:41:57,209 In my professional opinion, Blake Lively has a stronger case because all of Justin Baldoni's 543 00:41:57,221 --> 00:42:01,040 arguments about fame and control don't really refute her claim of sexual harassment. 544 00:42:05,040 --> 00:42:08,941 Those allegations, the improvising of the kissing, talking about pornography, regardless of 545 00:42:08,953 --> 00:42:13,040 where your workplace is, those seem to be pretty strong basis for a claim of sexual harassment. 546 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:22,040 The pair seem intransigent, set to take this all the way to trial. 547 00:42:26,040 --> 00:42:30,130 This will be a jury trial, which means that it's dependent on how 12 jurors view 548 00:42:30,142 --> 00:42:34,040 this case, even though technically they're not supposed to influence a jury. 549 00:42:35,040 --> 00:42:39,028 Both sides absolutely want to get their perspective out, 550 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:43,040 not only for their case at hand, but for public opinion. 551 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:51,028 From a PR standpoint, both of them are going to have 552 00:42:51,040 --> 00:42:55,040 a hard time getting the mud off of their reputation. 553 00:42:55,041 --> 00:42:59,040 They're both going to have to do some work. 554 00:43:00,790 --> 00:43:04,040 I believe for Blake, she needs to be vulnerable. 555 00:43:04,041 --> 00:43:08,040 She needs to have a moment where she's a mom of four. 556 00:43:08,041 --> 00:43:11,909 We want to be connected to her and empathize like 557 00:43:11,921 --> 00:43:16,040 what woman hasn't been uncomfortable in a workplace. 558 00:43:16,041 --> 00:43:19,040 That's a common situation and we want to support her. 559 00:43:19,041 --> 00:43:25,040 For Justin, you know, he has this platform of debunking toxic masculinity. 560 00:43:25,041 --> 00:43:29,040 He needs to also, hey, tail between my legs here, guys. 561 00:43:29,041 --> 00:43:32,040 I could have done better. 562 00:43:32,041 --> 00:43:33,081 That's a relatable moment. 563 00:43:40,165 --> 00:43:44,275 The saddest thing about this is the message of this movie is taking 564 00:43:44,287 --> 00:43:48,040 second place to this conversation about what happened on set. 565 00:43:49,140 --> 00:43:53,183 The biggest loss here is this incredible film that so many people were really 566 00:43:53,195 --> 00:43:57,040 excited about and a topic that really needs to be addressed in Hollywood. 567 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:02,040 At this point, this is basically like the unraveling of a family feud. 568 00:44:02,740 --> 00:44:05,091 In terms of winners and losers, there really are no winners. 569 00:44:05,115 --> 00:44:06,115 It's all losers. 570 00:44:06,490 --> 00:44:10,040 The bigger loser here is victims of domestic violence. 571 00:44:10,041 --> 00:44:14,040 This movie was about domestic violence and nobody's talking about domestic violence. 572 00:44:14,041 --> 00:44:17,089 The other sad thing is that there is an allegation 573 00:44:17,101 --> 00:44:20,040 of sexual harassment on a domestic violence set. 574 00:44:21,040 --> 00:44:24,555 And the whole public seems to have decided whether or not that's 575 00:44:24,567 --> 00:44:28,040 true long before the evidence has even been introduced a trial. 576 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:52,040 That's true. 577 00:44:52,041 --> 00:44:53,040 That's true. 578 00:44:53,041 --> 00:44:54,041 That's true.