Ever since its release, It Ends With Us has been synonymous with controversy and drama. Starting with Blake Lively's behavior towards journalists, things got even more dramatic when lawsuits started flying between her and director/actor Justin Baldoni. Countless headlines have followed, and a podcaster spoke about why he thinks the public is so fascinated by what's going on.
Lively's lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios began a long legal battle, with Baldoni countersuing and naming both Lively and Ryan Reynolds in his following defamation suit. Podcaster Zack Peter spoke to Fox News about the public's fascination with the ongoing situation, saying:
I think the Blake and Baldoni story has so many elements to it that, I mean, one, I feel like culturally we love a takedown story, right?
His argument is that the public seems to love seeing takedowns, especially when it concerns A-list celebrities. Lively and Reynolds seem to have it all in terms of money and power, and the podcaster believes there's a morbid curiosity about whether or not they might lose status in relation to the ongoing legalities. The fact both her and Justin Baldoni's lawyers have been fighting so hard has made for even more viral statements and legal maneuvers that have been public facing rather than resolved behind closed doors.
Baldoni has been accused of a smear campaign, but Baldoni's legal team has also called out Blake Lively's team for alleged shady maneuvers behind the scenes. In the same interview, Peter said the juxtaposition of the a-lister with the little-known director marking a difference in fame is another reason why folks are invested in their feud.
And so I think we kind of are in this David and Goliath story and the public is rooting for Justin Baldoni because they see that he is the David against this big machine that used to have control, right?
Lively has made sexual harassment allegations against Baldoni, but once details dropped on both sides, large corners of the internet seem to be on his side. The podcaster mused on why this might be, sharing the "behind the curtain" content has been appealing to outsiders looking in.
I think there's the takedown element. We want to see Hollywood fall. We want to see these powerful elite celebrities kind of be humbled and know that their tricks don't work anymore. And then I think we're also just tired of the media manipulation, right? Like Hollywood PR tactics and mainstream media, I feel like those two things people have finally started to see behind the curtain.
Still both Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have dealt with backlash as a result of this ongoing situation. They got negative attention when Lively and Reynolds attended SNL 50, and they've since stopped doing public appearances together. Only time will tell how the legal situation shakes out, and their careers are negatively affected by the lawsuits.
We'll just have to wait and see if Lively or Baldoni end up actually facing off in court. What is clear is that we probably shouldn't expect a sequel to It Ends With Us anytime soon.
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Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor
Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.
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