Blake Lively's team was in panic over Justin Baldoni drama
What's the story
Amid the controversy surrounding Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's It Ends With Us, emails from Lively's team revealed a state of panic. TMZ reported that staff were concerned about backlash from various business partners over Lively's cocktail line, Betty Booze. One email stated that Kroger, an American retail company, was "expecting a...negative sales impact" due to Lively's interview about the movie and would be "closely monitoring sales on the brand."
Proactive measures
'Need to be proactive about this...'
The email further inquired about "internal efforts in place to flip the script or messaging we can share with these customers directly." It added that the company needed to be "proactive about this" and asked what Lively would do to "what (Lively) will be doing to course correct and make things right with her audience." Another email from cruise company Princess Cruises's VP of Food & Beverage mentioned that their legal ethics and compliance committee was "spooked" by Lively.
Partnership delay
Brightline wanted to pause partnership deal amid controversy
A separate email from Brightline's executive VP dated August 28, 2024, revealed that the company wanted to pause an anticipated partnership deal due to the controversy surrounding Lively. The message stated, "Transparently, they want to hold for a minute until some of the [Lively] chatter can be turned down."
Settlement reached
Lively, Baldoni settled long-standing legal feud
Lively and Baldoni finally settled their long-standing legal feud over It Ends With Us on Monday, just two weeks before the trial was set to begin. In a joint statement to Page Six, both sides said, "The end product - the movie It Ends With Us - is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life." They added that they "remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments."
Legal proceedings
Neither Lively nor Baldoni earned money from settlement
A source later told Page Six that the settlement was a "last-minute deal." The insider said, "The magistrate and the judge wanted to avoid this going to trial as it was going to be a long, drawn-out case, so they were encouraged to reach an agreement." Although the details of the settlement remain undisclosed, Page Six confirmed that neither Baldoni nor Lively earned any money from it.