It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover appears to have had a change of heart since publicly showing her support for Blake Lively amid her legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
The writer made a bold move last month when she deactivated her Instagram account as the lawsuit between Blake and Justin, her director and co-star in the film, escalated – but now she has done a 180.
Colleen quietly returned to Instagram on Wednesday but has deleted all traces of Blake and Justin from her profile, despite still following Blake.
She has even removed all references to the It Ends With Us promotional tour, which took place in summer 2024.
Colleen appeared to pick a side after news of Blake’s lawsuit against Justin came to light.
On December 20, Blake filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Justin of creating a hostile work environment through sexual harassment, among other things, and using “sinister retaliatory tactics” in an effort to smear her name.
© Getty ImagesOn New Year’s Eve, she filed a lawsuit against Justin in a New York federal court, mirroring her earlier claims. In addition to Justin, she is suing his production company Wayfarer Studios, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
Colleen took to her social media page with a statement of support and solidarity for the actress, praising the star for her kindness.
© Instagram“@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met,” she penned. “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Colleen then linked out to a New York Times article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which shares a paper trail of the alleged attempts by Justin’s team to malign Blake’s reputation after she claimed misconduct on the set of the movie.
© GC ImagesThe New York Times broke the news of the lawsuit on December 21, claiming Justin hired a crisis PR team to “bury” Blake and intentionally slander her credibility and reputation.
Days later, Justin filed a libel lawsuit against the publication’s coverage of Blake’s accusations, claiming it pushed an “unverified and self-serving narrative”
Blake vs Justin: feud timeline
© Getty Images2024
9th August – It Ends With Us is released
6th August – Justin walks the red carpet away from the rest of his costars during the movie premiere
13th August –Justin hires crisis PR Melissa Nathan who represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial
20th December – Blake files a huge lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of “unprofessional” behaviour on set
21st December – Justin is dropped by his talent agency
22nd December – The New York Times leaks private messages, attesting to a PR smear campaign against Blake
31st December – Justin files a lawsuit against The New York Times
31st December – Blake files a lawsuit against Justin
2025
16th January – Justin countersues Blake for $400 million
21st January – Justin’s team releases footage from the It Ends With Us set, contradicting Blake’s argument
27th January – A trial date is set for March 2026
27th January – Audio of Justin is leaked where he allegedly apologises to Blake during filming
1st February –Justin’s team launches a website with two legal documents about the dispute
5th February – Blake is sued by crisis PR firm for $7 million
He also filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, and their publicist, claiming defamation and extortion.
Justin has denied all allegations and his lawyer, Brian Freedman called them “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt”.
© Getty ImagesThe lawsuit is still ongoing and last week during a New York hearing, Blake and her legal team were denied an extension to file an amended complaint naming new parties.
© USWThe changes were supposed to be made by February 14, but on Monday, attorney Michael Gottlieb sent a three-page letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman asking for an extra two weeks to complete the changes.
Although not opposed by Justin’s legal team, that request was denied by Judge Liman, who offered Blake’s team just one extra day, with the amendments now expected to be filed on Monday, February 17.
