Blake Lively‘s plummeting reputation has taken on a new dire direction — and as it seems, not even those closest to her can defend the actress to the fullest. Of course, this all began a couple of weeks ago, once her new passion project It Ends With Us was about to hit the screens.
There’s nothing like a contentious promotional period to determine whether a film will make it or break it in Hollywood—and, in this case, it actually became a box-office hit. But let’s rewind a bit for some context.
In case you didn’t know, the film was directed by Justin Baldoni, who handpicked Lively to play Lily Bloom in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us. In hindsight, that casting choice may just have been Baldoni’s first mistake.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldon’s behind-the-scenes feud
Lively’s love for the project grew by the second, and soon enough, she became much more intricately involved in the film’s post-production than initially expected. After a series of reshoots, Lively personally commissioned Shane Reid to create an alternate cut of the film — the version that ultimately made it to theaters. However, this wasn’t Baldoni’s original vision for the adaptation, and tensions began to rise.
This, of course, had a snowball effect. Before long, Lively even brought in her husband, Ryan Reynolds (you might have heard of him once or twice), to write an entire scene for the film — all without Baldoni’s knowledge. Things began to spiral out of control, and fans quickly sensed that something was off with the production, after noting that Baldoni was absent from joint press events — despite both directing and starring in the film.
In August 2024, Baldoni hired a public relations crisis manager, and to this day, we still have no idea where these two stand — legally and otherwise.
Blake Lively’s social media footprint only made matters worse
As you can imagine, nothing truly disappears from the world wide web, and while many of us may have focused on her flawless MET Gala looks in lieu of scrutinizing her actions, the internet surely doesn’t forget. And thus, more and more clips of past interviews surfaced, only worsening her reputation. So, where does her brother in law come in, you may wonder?
Well, not long after the backlash began, a few people stepped up to defend Lively, one of them being her brother-in-law, Bart Johnson — yes, the same Bart Johnson from High School Musical and Yellowstone. The actor took to social media to wish Lively a happy birthday, perhaps as a gesture of support and subtle damage control.
“Countless stories of family trips and vacations, chaperoning her school field trips, and most importantly, helping me win the favor of her older sister Robyn (now my wife of 25 years), who didn’t even know I existed for years after meeting Blake!!” Johnson wrote in the caption.
Of course, this heartfelt post came at the peak of Lively’s controversy, and soon enough, comments began flooding in, addressing the situation. This prompted the Yellowstone actor to quickly take action, replying to defend Lively’s honor. “Shame she’s so set on promoting happiness in a domestic violence setting without any regard for victims,” one user said in a now-deleted comment.
“I’m really sorry you feel that way,” Johnson responded — which was also eventually deleted. “I’m sure you have a huge heart and want the best. I can promise you the truth has not come out yet. Blake worked harder on this film than anything I’ve seen her do in my entire life… because it meant so much to her.” He continued, “The message is in the book. And in the movie. Not in the short clips or interviews. She is the reason the message and this movie are reaching people.”
He concluded with, “Were mistakes made? Yes. I make mistakes in life. But they aren’t under a microscope.” This tells us all we needed to know: while defending his sister-in-law, Johnson openly admitted that yes, she has made mistakes. And what now? Where does reparation begin? Well, only time and money will tell.