If you were obsessed with Gossip Girl in the early 2000s, then there’s a chance you became a massive fan of Blake Lively who played the iconic role of Serena van der Woodsen. Then when Jane the Virgin hit in the 2010s, you jumped aboard the Justin Baldoni fanclub for his unforgettable performance as Rafael Solano.
Blake and Justin’s unfortunate reality is that they’ve been feuding with each other – big time. Ever since they agreed to star together in It Ends With Us, things have been completely chaotic between the actors.
Newly released footage of behind-the-scenes moments have the socials ablaze, and things aren’t looking good for Blake in the slightest.
Is it possible her husband – Ryan Reynolds – is to blame? Candace Owens seems to think so. Is it possible It Ends With Us will be remade with a fresh set of actors?
Here’s what you should know:
Blake Lively’s Jarring Accusations Against Justin Baldoni
According to The Independent, Justin‘s legal team released a seven-minute clip showcasing the moments he filmed a slow dancing scene with Blake for the movie. Blake previously described the vibe when filming that scene as being wildly inappropriate.
However, fans who’ve seen the footage don’t feel Blake described the situation accurately. Blake’s legal team argues that the footage corroborates Blake’s story more than anything else, while Justin’s legal team vehemently shoots that down.
One person took to Reddit to write, “This is interesting because she’s meant to be playing a character who’s falling madly in love, which is what they’re doing, so I’m confused. They’re both professional actors playing a love scene? Not taking any sides here, but I don’t see anything wrong with this.”
One of Blake’s biggest accusations against Justin is that he commented that he liked the way she smelled. According to her, Justin’s remark made her very uncomfortable. But in the clip he just released, he said they wondered if her body makeup had accidentally rubbed off on him, before mentioning that the fragrance of her spray tan smelled good.
At the end of the clip, Justin yelled “CUT,” and immediately snapped back to reality in a way that proved he was in character the entire time. As soon as he said the word “CUT,“ he was no longer portraying his lovey-dovey, on-screen character.
There are certainly some fans who are siding with Blake, though. Another Redditor wrote, “As a woman who has been in uncomfortable situations with creepy dudes, I felt her discomfort. She was trying to get him to stop kissing her without embarrassing or shaming him.”
Candace Owens Chimed in With More Alleged Details
Political commentator Candace Owens has now officially joined the chat with insider information regarding the Blake/Justin scandal. Candace took to her Instagram story to post, “Yesterday I received a tip from someone who allegedly worked on the set of It Ends With Us. Lately everyone is bashing Blake Lively. But apparently the true villain in the saga is… Ryan Reynolds.”
Ryan and Blake have been married since 2012. Candace went on to say that the insider claims Ryan strolled onto the movie set and started wreaking havoc because he was uncomfortable by some of Blake and Justin’s interactions.
In a separate YouTube video, Candace opined, “By the way, as an actor, you’re supposed to do this. You’re supposed to try and do a little bit of ad-libbing… And [Blake] turned that into sexual harassment.”
Candace is one individual who’s clearly taken Justin’s side in this scandal, but responses from the public are generally pretty divided. Some people wholeheartedly believe Blake, while others think she’s trying to sabotage Justin’s Hollywood career.
How Will This Scandal Impact the Movie’s Sequel?
Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends With Us, originally published in 2016. Then Hoover’s sequel, It Starts With Us published in 2022. So, does It Starts With Us have a fighting chance of coming to the silver screen? In the midst of all the drama between Blake and Justin, it doesn’t look promising.
As of 2024, no production companies have secured the rights to the movie sequel, and a concrete announcement regarding the sequel film adaptation has yet to be made. There’s a very real possibility that issues between Blake and Justin will totally derail the sequel.
Some fans are calling for a complete remake of It Ends With Us with an entirely new cast. If that were the case, the sequel certainly wouldn’t be an issue. Social media users have already discussed their dream cast lineup if they could cast it for themselves. As a reminder, Blake played protagonist Lily Bloom and Justin took on the role of Ryle Kincaid.
In one Reddit thread, fans are suggesting Emma Stone, Sadie Sink, Madeleine Petsch, Abbey Cowen, or Julianne Hough for Lily. They’ve also considered Tom Ellis, Dylan O’Brien, Theo James, Jacob Elordi, and Jensen Ackles for Ryle.
Might producers take these fan suggestions into account? For now, it doesn’t appear that the author of the OG novels is interested in being part of this conversation. Colleen Hoover fully deactivated her Instagram account amid this messy legal drama between Blake and Justin!
Initially, Hoover made it abundantly clear she was siding with Blake, but as more details surfaced, perhaps she might be questioning her original perspective. The deactivation of her Instagram page speaks volumes, as it’s where 2 million followers kept up with Colleen regarding her novels and all else Colleen Hoover.
One of the classiest things Blake and Justin could do at this point? Step down and officially allow other actors to remake It Ends With Us. If they did that, it would give viewers a chance to fully absorb the movie’s deeper message, rather than getting distracted by all this behind-the-scenes mayhem.
The film’s topic of domestic violence in the film is central and a deeply emotional part of the story. It Ends With Us gets inside an abusive relationship and explores the impact of IPV (Intimate Partner Violence) on the victim and those around them, shedding light on just how tough it is to break free from this destructive cycle.
Sadly, Blake and Justin’s drama has completely overshadowed the movie’s message. It’s not too late for these super stars to do the right thing.