Colleen Hoover takes drastic step amid Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively saga as It Ends with Us author breaks social media cover
Best-selling author Colleen Hoover has returned to Instagram after a three-week absence, and taken the drastic step to remove all photos featuring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni from her profile.
The writer of It Ends with Us had deactivated her account on January 22 amid an escalating legal battle between the stars of the film adaptation.
Her return to the social media platform on February 12 marks her first online presence since stepping back from Instagram during the ongoing dispute between Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 41.
Lively starred as Lily Bloom alongside Baldoni, who played Ryle Kincaid, in the film chronicling an abusive relationship. The movie, directed by Baldoni, was released in August 2024.
Four months after the film’s premiere, on December 20, 2024, Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, alleging misconduct during production.
The complaint detailed a meeting between Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni and producers to establish protections following Hollywood strikes.
Lively alleged that after Baldoni’s production company agreed to these protections, he hired crisis publicists to launch a retaliatory smear campaign against her.
In the immediate aftermath of Lively’s complaint, Hoover had publicly shown support for the actress through an Instagram Story.
“@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” Hoover wrote alongside a photo of herself and Lively hugging at a film screening. “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Baldoni has consistently denied Lively’s allegations since the initial complaint was filed.
On December 31, 2024, Baldoni filed a £250 million lawsuit against The New York Times over an article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
Lively’s legal team told PEOPLE on January 6 that her claims were “backed by concrete facts.”
The dispute intensified when Baldoni launched a £400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds and their publicist on January 16, claiming defamation and extortion.
On February 1, Baldoni’s lawyer launched a website containing what was claimed to be evidence supporting his client’s accusations against Lively.
In a pre-trial conference on February 3, the judge warned both parties to refrain from litigating the case in the public forum.
Judge Lewis J. Liman has set the trial date for March 9, 2026.
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The legal proceedings will mark nearly two years since the film’s original theatrical release, during which time both stars have maintained their opposing positions in the dispute.