The publicity for It Ends With Us has brought the drama of Don’t Worry Darling to life, with the lead pair – Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni – reportedly feuding. Amid heavy criticism for the novel-turned-movie, which was originally written by the ever-controversial author Colleen Hoover, the Booktalk sensation has dived under the radar to avoid having her mind shattered.
Sharp-eyed fans of the title were quick to notice Hoover making her TikTok account private. Though Hoover’s (who also serves as the film’s executive producer alongside Lively and Baldoni) Instagram is still public, netizens fell back on their most convincing theories yet again.
While some didn’t buy this “feud” that was “concocted to recreate the movie marketing for Don’t Worry Darling,” others chose to join either #TeamJustin or #TeamBlake.
“I didn’t really notice until it was pointed out to me that Justin was promoting the film, raising awareness of DV, and Blake made it more about fashion, promoting her hair care line and her gin brand. Now I get it. I don’t think it was intentional, but it doesn’t look good,” someone formerly known as X wrote on Twitter.”
Brief overview of the play It Ends With Us
Released just days ago, on August 9, the 2024 film’s premiere also made waves for a Barbenheimer-ish clash with Deadpool and Wolverine, followed by a box office war between husband-wife duo Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds over the weekend. Fans couldn’t ignore the fact that this in-production, light-hearted tug-of-war in theaters also somehow surrounded the Gossip Girl star’s conversations about the film.
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From Reynolds taking center stage at his wife’s recent event premiere to Blake talking about writing the “iconic rooftop scene” of It Ends With Us , mention of the central part of the film — domestic violence — somehow completely disappeared from the conversation. Many readers familiar with the original text published in 2016 have had to painfully acknowledge again that the film’s outer packaging is being marketed as a “romance” product, which aligns with the initial problematic romantic discussions about the book.
From the early chapters of the film’s press tour, Blake and Justin have been on separate routes, striking promotional deals. The film’s lead pair hasn’t even been photographed together. Their alleged feud certainly caused an uproar, with fans more focused on solving the mystery of what’s happening with the cast than thinking about the film itself.
On the film’s logistical map, Baldoni and Lively also play other roles in addition to their acting parts as Ryle and Lily Bloom, respectively. The former was attached to the project as director, while the latter was a producer. In addition, Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, also own the rights to Hoover’s book, which they acquired in 2019. Despite his key role in the making of the film, Baldoni has been largely missing from the project’s ensemble cast.
Reports also remind us that Lively and Hoover don’t follow him on social media. Though the actor/director has viewed his lead co-star as a “creative force” and praised her dedication as the film’s “brilliant” executive producer, a recent report paints a different picture of the man. Multiple sources told Page Six that Baldoni made Lively feel “uncomfortable.” One industry source even claimed that the director maintained an “extremely difficult” environment for the entire cast behind the scenes.
Aside from creative differences, or as The Hollywood Reporter put it, a “rift between the filmmakers” during the post-production process that led to “different cuts of the film” emerging, possibly due to Ryan Reynolds’ remote involvement, the film has also been the target of criticism for other reasons.
Controversies Involving Colleen Hoover
Hoover’s 2016 novel, which drives the film’s story, is based on her parents’ relationship. Long before the New York Times best-seller was adapted into the film it is today, it became the center of massive controversy for its portrayal of abuse by one’s partner. While many other consumers have also praised the written text for realistically redefining an abusive relationship, readers have particularly faulted the book for being passed off as a “romance” that “glorifies abuse,” adding to other accusations about her entire work.
Furthermore, the Booktalk darling’s controversies don’t just begin and end with the dark themes she describes in her books. They also relate to her son’s public coming out in 2022, when sexual assault allegations against him have surfaced.
In a post that was deleted in February 2022, a user harshly criticized Hoover for shutting them out when they questioned him about the allegations. @theonottlovebot contributed to a thread against the author, writing, “His son also sexually assaulted me and when I confronted him about it he blocked me.”
In a follow-up tweet he added, “Long story short, we were friends [Snapchat] And like every day we would text because we’re friends, right, and this was when I was 16 and he totally knew how old I was because I always talked about the fact that I was still in school.” At the time of the alleged harassment, one of Hoover’s three sons, Levi, was a 21-year-old adult.
The person concerned also shared screenshots as proof of sending messages to Hoover on Instagram regarding the situation. Once the posts went viral on the social media platform, some netizens even called for a boycott of the author’s books.
The final nail in the coffin: It Ends With Us author responds to allegations against her son
Subsequently, in November 2022, Hoover addressed these allegations against her son in a private Facebook group called “Colleen Hoover’s Cohorts”.
Hoover said, “The things that are being said about my son are not true. People are commenting that I blocked a girl because she told me my son sexually abused her when he was 16. That absolutely did not happen, and that is not what the person said initially.”
“My son and a girl were friends online for several months. They never met in person. He said something to her in a message that made her uncomfortable (he asked her to send a picture), so she messaged me about it. I didn’t read the message, but she thought I did, and it’s understandable that she was upset that I didn’t respond. Then she posted on Twitter that my son had asked her for a picture. As soon as I found out about this months ago, I reached out to her,” she added.
He added, “We discussed what happened, I apologized and thanked her for bringing it to my attention, and I offered to send her our home address and lawyer information if she needed it. I held my son responsible for sending her inappropriate messages. I spoke about it directly with her and with my son.”
Hoover also clarified, “I haven’t addressed this publicly because 1) I feel it’s not my job to talk about someone else’s experience and 2) anyone here that knows me has seen me raise these boys and hold them accountable. I’m sorry this happened. You guys know I’ve tried my best to raise my kids with dignity and show them respect.”
