Colleen Hoover has made a triumphant return to the social media realm, having temporarily stepped away by deactivating her Instagram account on January 22nd. Concurrently with her reappearance, notable absences can be observed on her 'It Ends with Us' author profile—Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the stars of the book's cinematic adaptation, are no longer featured. Hoover's social media hiatus coincided with an ongoing legal tug-of-war between the 37-year-old Lively and 41-year-old Baldoni, from which she emerged on February 12th.
The movie, a harrowing narrative of an abusive partnership, stars Lively as Lily Bloom and Baldoni as her beau, Ryle Kincaid. Helmed by Baldoni and adapted from Hoover's 2016 bestseller, the film premiered in theaters in August 2024, captivating audiences.
Four months later, in December 2024, the afterglow of the film's release was marred by Lively filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of misconduct during production. Prior to the cameras rolling, amidst Hollywood's turbulent strikes, Lively, accompanied by her husband Ryan Reynolds as her agent, engaged in meetings with Baldoni and several producers. According to her lawsuit, once safeguards were put in place, Baldoni allegedly retaliated by orchestrating a malicious smear campaign through crisis publicists.
Hoover lent her support through an emotional Instagram story posted the day after Lively's complaint was filed. Alongside a snapshot of herself embracing Lively at a film screening, she penned, "@blakelively, from our very first encounter, you've embodied honesty, kindness, support, and patience. Thank you for being the genuine soul you are. Never compromise your authenticity. Never fade."
Baldoni has steadfastly denied Lively's allegations since the inception of the lawsuit. On December 31st, 2024, he filed a $250 million defamation suit against The New York Times, accusing the publication of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract over an article titled 'We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,' published on December 21st.
