Blake Lively has become the most recent celebrity to have her downfall on the internet - and it seems as though it's only getting worse for her by the hour.
Over the past few days, there has been a major shift in the public perception of Lively - who was once one of the most-loved celebrities - and it's all thanks to the PR junket for her latest movie, It Ends With Us.
Ever since the flick hit the big screen, there have been many rumors about some sort of falling out she had with her director and co-star Justin Baldoni swirling around.
Let's get into the tea.
For those of you who might not know, Lively is the star of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, It Ends With Us.
Watch the trailer for the movie below:The story follows Lily (played by Lively), a woman who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. She meets a neurosurgeon (played by Baldoni) who sparks a connection but their relationship takes a turn as Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents' relationship.
The movie deals with sensitive themes such as childhood trauma, domestic violence, and heartbreak, but fans were left confused after seeing Lively's seemingly light-hearted tone while discussing the movie.
One video that has gone viral on TikTok shows a clip of the Gossip Girl alum promoting the movie saying: "It Ends With Us is out now so grab your friends, wear your florals and head out to see it."
Influencer Sibongile Mafu used the vibe of the comment to highlight how tone-deaf it was with movies such as 12 Years A Slave and Titanic.
Have a look at the video below:This contrast in tone is further highlighted by Baldoni's approach, as he has used his solo press tour to be an advocate for domestic abuse survivors as well as Hoover, for raising awareness about the topic through her work.
Social media users on X were not impressed to say the least.
"Whatever is going on with the It Ends With Us drama, it is extremely weird for Blake Lively to turn the promotional tour of a domestic violence drama into a platform for her to strengthen her fashion plate status & her and Ryan Reynolds' power couple clout," one user wrote.
Another added: "So I’ve been looking into the it ends with us drama and I’m seeing that Justin Baldoni is the only one using press to discuss the topic of the movie which is domestic violence and Miss Serena Vanderwoodsen [Lively's gossip girl character] is using it to promote her hair line and Deadpool x Wolverine..."
A third also commented: "blake lively forgetting her character is a victim of domestic abuse and instead trying to give the entire press run a silly goofy barbie moment while justin baldoni is using his press time to talk about the importance of stopping the cycle of abuse is why I’m always on his side."
Yikes.
But beyond the press issues, there seems to have been behind-the-scenes "friction" between the two main stars of the movie.
In an interview Baldoni did with Elle, he didn’t dance around the topic and admitted that “navigating personalities” and “friction” were the hardest part of making the film.
“It’s very challenging to act and direct, and especially with a project like this… there was a lot of pressure playing such a complex role like Ryle and, of course, as a filmmaker, you’re always navigating personalities,” he explained.
“There’s always friction that happens when you make a movie like this. Then at the end of the day, it’s that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art," he added.
Elsewhere, he told the outlet that making the movie was “hard” but “worth it”, noting he “grew so much both as a filmmaker, an actor, and as a person."
Despite the alleged tension between the two, he spoke highly of the actress.
“It’s like the difference between driving a Toyota Camry and a Ferrari,” he said, referring to Lively as a “powerhouse."
“You’re acting with somebody who’s a Ferrari of an actor. You move a little bit and then they respond, and it really was incredible just in terms of helping me craft the performance. She touched so many aspects of this production and everything she touched she made better. She’s so responsive and she’s so reactive,” he explained.
On the other hand, Lively seemingly avoided questions about Baldoni throughout the entire PR junket.
Double yikes.
The final piece of this messy puzzle is the fact that there was some accusations of fat-shaming thrown about while on set.
According to TMZ, Baldoni has a “history of back problems” and before filming a scene which involved him having to lift Lively, “he went to his on-set trainer and asked how much she weighed and how could he train to protect his back from injury."
The outlet added that the comment “really bothered Blake,” who felt the actor/director had “fat-shamed her", especially after she had just given birth to her fourth child with her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Not only that, sources close to her alleged that she had problems with the fact that Baldoni was "kissing her" for "too long" in some of the scenes.
Triple yikes.
Regardless of the off-screen drama, let's not forget the importance of the messaging behind It Ends With Us.
According to Shelter House, there are 16,800 homicides and $2.2 million worth of (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually and those are just the ones that get reported.
If you or anybody you know is experiencing domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), text “STRENGTH” to 88788, or message online at https://www.thehotline.org/.
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