The controversy surrounding the new Don’t Worry Darling promo, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s supposed animosity, Colleen Hoover’s scandals, and more, blows out of proportion.
The trailers for It Ends With Us have completely developed a drama reminiscent of Don’t Worry Darling, complete with a supposed quarrel between the lead actors, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. The ever-controversial author Colleen Hoover’s novel-turned-movie has received a lot of negative attention, but the BookTok phenomenon has reportedly slipped beneath the radar to keep her sanity intact.
The title’s astute followers soon noticed that Hoover had made her TikTok account private. Even though Hoover’s (who co-stars with Lively and Baldoni as an executive producer on the film) Instagram is still accessible to the public, internet users once more resorted to their most widely accepted ideas.
Some joined #TeamJustin or #TeamBlake, but others didn’t buy into the “feud” that was ostensibly “orchestrated to recreate Don’t Worry Darling’s movie marketing.”
“Until it was brought up, I didn’t really realize that Blake had turned it more into a fashion statement by advertising her gin and hair care products, while Justin had been pushing the movie and spreading awareness of DV. Now now I see it. It doesn’t seem nice, but I don’t think it was intended,” a user commented on X, the previous Twitter.”
‘It Ends With Us’ author Colleen Hoover has made her TikTok account private following backlash over how she and Blake Lively have handled the movie and its rollout. pic.twitter.com/kAIFNol5xy
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 9, 2024
A brief overview of the It Ends With Us drama
Released only a few days prior, on August 9, the 2024 film debut also caused a stir as it sparked a Barbenheimer-esque confrontation between Deadpool and Wolverine, leading to weekend box office battles between Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s wives. The Gossip Girl star’s conversation about the movie was accompanied by a lighthearted tug-of-war that was brewing, and fans couldn’t help but notice this.
From Reynolds taking center stage at the premiere of his wife’s current project to Blake gushing about his penning the “iconic rooftop scene” of It Ends With Us, the topic of domestic violence—the movie’s main theme—was somehow entirely avoided. Many readers who had read the 2016 original text had to uncomfortably accept that the film was purportedly being promoted as a “romance” product on its outside, which was consistent with the problematically romanticized debates that surrounded the book at first.
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds’ attendance at Lively’s film debut was enthusiastically endorsed by a fan on another episode of X, calling them her “support system.”
“Well, it seems like there should be less discussion about Ryan “taking over” Blake’s premiere and more about why a married woman who had multiple successful films without her spouse attending the promotional events now wants him there even though he needs to promote his own work concurrently,” a platform user commented.
Hm, I think there might need to be less talk on Ryan “taking over” Blake’s premiere and a little more on why a grown woman who had several successful films without her spouse attending promo suddenly wants him there despite him needing to promote his own work at the same time. https://t.co/1szpMwkjuD
— Lily Meade (@LilyMeade) August 10, 2024
Blake and Justin have kept their half of the promotional agreement by traveling separate routes from the first few stops of the movie’s press tour. The key actors in the film haven’t even been pictured together. Buzzing mayhem ensued from their alleged disagreement, with viewers more interested in unraveling the mystery behind the cast’s situation than in the film’s ongoing issues.
Baldoni and Lively have responsibilities on the film’s logistical map in addition to their respective acting roles as Ryle and Lily Bloom. While the latter was a producer, the former was involved in the production as the director. In addition, Hoover’s book rights were obtained by Baldoni and his production firm, Wayfarer Studios, in 2019. In spite of his consequential role in making the film, Baldoni has been significantly missing from the project’s grouped appearances.
Disappointed in the cast/Hoover for romanticizing a movie meant to highlight abuse. Only Justin discusses it honestly. Others seem to shift credit to Blake/Ryan, undermining Justin’s efforts. Still think Hoover’s writing is trash, movie’s better…🤷♀️ #ItEndsWithUs https://t.co/taT5xyqWdz
— Shahy (@L8NytThoughts93) August 9, 2024
Furthermore, reports have emphasized that Lively and Hoover do not follow him on social media. As the film’s “brilliant” executive producer, the actor/director has publicly praised his starring co-star as a “creative force” and acknowledged her all-out commitment, but a more recent story presents an entirely different picture of the guy. Page Six was informed by many sources that Lively felt “uncomfortable” with Baldoni. An industry insider even went so far as to say that the director kept the whole ensemble in a “incredibly difficult” environment behind the scenes.
The film has artistic disagreements or, as The Hollywood Reporter describes it, “a fracture among the filmmakers” that surfaced during post-production, with “different cuts of the movie” rising to the top, ostensibly because of Ryan Reynolds’ remote involvement also been a target of criticism for other reasons.
Controversies surrounding Colleen Hoover
The 2016 book by Hoover, which informs the plot of the film, is centered on her parent’s bond. The New York Times best-seller was the subject of intense criticism for its depiction of partner abuse even before it was made into the movie that it is today. Although the written material has been complimented by a number of other customers for authentically reconstructing an abusive relationship, readers have taken particular issue with the book being labeled as “romance,” which supports claims that the author’s whole body of work “glorifies” violence.
Aint seen off-screen drama this good since the Wilde/Styles/Pine times 😄 #ItEndsWithUs https://t.co/HHkDq7dOxZ pic.twitter.com/usNrBlNVVZ
— Olwethu-Thando Klaas (@Lady_Crunk) August 10, 2024
Furthermore, the controversy surrounding the purported BookTok favorite doesn’t just stem from the gloomy issues she writes about. They also have something to do with her son’s public appearance in 2022 following accusations of sexual harassment.
A user harshly criticized Hoover in a since-deleted February 2022 X post for excluding them when they questioned her about the aforementioned claims. “When I spoke up to her about her son’s sexual harassment of me, she blocked me,” @theonottlovebot said to a thread criticizing the author.
“Long story short, we were friends on [Snapchat] and s——t and like every day we would message because we’re friends right and like this was when I was 16 and he was fully aware of how old I was because I always talked about the fact I was still in school,” the user elaborated in a follow-up tweet. Levi, the third of Hoover’s sons, was an adult of 21 years old at the time of the alleged harassment.
The individual in question further uploaded screenshots as proof that they had messaged Hoover on Instagram over the circumstance. After the posts gained widespread attention on social media, some online users even demanded that the author’s books be boycotted.
‘It Ends With Us’ author Colleen Hoover has made her TikTok account private following backlash over how she and Blake Lively have handled the movie and its rollout. pic.twitter.com/kAIFNol5xy
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) August 9, 2024
Final nail in the coffin: It Ends With Us author addresses allegations against her son
Afterwards, Hoover responded to these accusations made against her son in November 2022 in a secret Facebook group known as “Colleen Hoover’s CoHorts.”
“Some remarks made about my son are untrue. Commenters are saying that I banned a girl because she told me my son had raped her when she was sixteen. This most definitely did not occur, and this was not even the person’s original statement, according to Hoover.
For several months, my son had an internet friendship with a female. They were never face to face. She messaged me about what he said in a message that made her feel uncomfortable (he wanted her to give him a picture). She was understandably furious that I didn’t react to her even though I didn’t read this communication. She later tweeted that my kid had requested her for a picture. I contacted her as soon as I learned about this some months ago,” she said.
She went on, “We talked about what had transpired, and I offered to provide her our home address and our lawyer’s information if she wanted it. I also apologized and thanked her for bringing this to my notice. I had my kid answer for the indecent message he sent her. I spoke with her and my kid about it openly.
Hoover further, saying, “I didn’t address it publicly because, 1) I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to discuss other people’s experiences, and 2) everyone who knows me here has watched me raise these guys and hold them accountable. I regret this incident. You all know that I’ve done my utmost to teach and model respect for my kids.
