Colleen Hoover Deactivates Instagram Amid Legal Drama Surrounding ‘It Ends with Us’ Stars

In light of the growing legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the actors in the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book ‘It Ends with Us’, she has stepped aside from social media. Hoover withdrew from the continuing issue, as evidenced by the fact that her Instagram account is currently offline, according to fans.
Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment against Baldoni during the film’s filming are at the heart of the legal dispute. The film, which was directed by Baldoni and based on Hoover’s 2016 best-selling book, debuted in August 2024 and portrayed Lily Bloom (Lively) and her violent relationship with Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
Months after the movie’s premiere, in December 2024, Lively submitted a sexual harassment complaint, alleging that Baldoni had engaged in wrongdoing during production. She claims that after the Hollywood strikes, she and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who was representing her, met with Baldoni and producers to establish safety measures before starting work again. Lively said that after reaching a deal with Baldoni’s production business, he later engaged crisis publicists to begin a campaign of smear attacks against her in retaliation.
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Following the complaint, Hoover expressed her support for Lively by posting an Instagram Story with a picture of the two of them at a screening and a compliment on Lively’s being “honest, kind, supportive, and patient.”
In response, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for libel and other charges pertaining to an article that described the purported smear campaign. Baldoni has rejected the accusations. The newspaper has defended its coverage. Lively’s legal team rejected the idea that this was just a creative dispute and stressed that her allegations of harassment and retribution were supported by facts. Baldoni’s lawyer quickly retaliated, saying they would make public proof of a history of intimidation and threats to seize control of the movie.
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When Baldoni sued Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for $400 million in defamation, the dispute grew more heated. As part of an intimidation campaign, he also demanded that Marvel Studios and Disney save all documents that mention him, including correspondence about Reynolds’ ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ persona, Nicepool.
Baldoni’s crew most recently shared a behind-the-scenes video of a playful conversation he had with Lively while filming, which they say refutes her claims. This was rejected as a “stunt” by Lively’s legal team, who said the video backed up the allegations she made in her lawsuit.
As the industry keenly monitors the legal procedures, both sides are vehemently defending their positions as they continue to grow.
–Farheen Ali