Ryan Reynolds called Justin Baldoni a “predator and sociopath” in private texts to Colleen Hoover during the opening weekend of It Ends With Us. The Aug. 10, 2024, exchange concerned the film’s director and co-star as Reynolds’ wife, Blake Lively, faced criticism over its promotion.
Writing to the novelist behind the adaptation, Reynolds questioned why the public discussion had turned against Lively when, in his view, others involved with the production were distancing themselves from Baldoni. He predicted that people with firsthand knowledge would eventually speak publicly.
The correspondence received renewed attention in an Oct. 9, 2026, Page Six report. The messages were among records a federal judge ordered unsealed on Jan. 20, months before this latest coverage.
Lively formally accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during production and a retaliatory publicity campaign in December 2024. Baldoni denied those allegations and later brought his own claims against her, Reynolds and others.
Reynolds Wrote a Fictional Conversation Between Baldoni and His PR Team
Reynolds imagined a crisis-publicity team telling Baldoni to emphasize domestic violence awareness, praise Lively and maintain his feminist image while advisers handled the online response. He supplied the fictional reply himself: “Justin: Namaste. Let’s get this bitch.” Hoover reacted with laughter, according to the messages quoted by Page Six.
Hoover also dismissed many of Lively’s online critics as “mostly 13-year-olds,” suggesting they might eventually regret their comments. Reynolds said he had noticed many girls criticizing his wife, while believing other observers already understood the situation. Hoover reacted to one of his responses with a heart.
The film’s commercial performance also came up in the exchange, with Reynolds pointing to its success with audiences. The adaptation earned approximately $50 million domestically during its Aug. 9 through 11 opening weekend, according to The Numbers.
A source close to Reynolds told Page Six that he was trying to protect his wife from what the source described as a coordinated publicity campaign. Representatives for Reynolds and Hoover had not immediately responded to the outlet’s requests for comment.
Reynolds Wanted Sony to Defend Lively More Forcefully
‘It Ends With Us’: Sony Chief Praises Blake Lively for “Advancing the Conversation Around Domestic Violence” https://t.co/M7dseBxw2O
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 15, 2024
On Aug. 9, Reynolds messaged his agent, Warren Zavala, urging Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, to engage Sony Pictures and fight back. A court filing also records an Aug. 13 exchange with WME executive Patrick Whitesell in which Reynolds called Baldoni and a business associate “predators and frauds.” Whitesell replied that he and colleagues were working to protect the couple’s professional reputations.
Sony’s then-chairman and CEO, Tony Vinciquerra, publicly supported Lively on Aug. 14. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, reproduced by Us Weekly, he praised her work on the movie and commitment to discussing domestic violence.
Reynolds was still dissatisfied with the studio’s response three days later. In messages to Zavala detailed in a separate Page Six report, he wanted Sony to describe the criticism as part of a coordinated campaign by a crisis PR team. He drafted proposed language for the studio, which did not issue his version, and complained that it was failing to defend Lively adequately.
Sony reiterated its support on Dec. 23, after her complaint became public. A spokesperson told TheWrap that the company stood behind her and condemned attacks on her reputation.
Lively Sought to Keep the Reynolds-Hoover Exchange Private
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman considered the correspondence as part of requests to seal evidence submitted before potential trial. His 62-page order specifically addressed Exhibit 206, containing Reynolds’ messages with Hoover, which Lively wanted kept private on third-party privacy grounds.
The judge found that Reynolds’ involvement in the underlying events and the messages’ relevance to the case outweighed those privacy interests. He also rejected sealing requests for correspondence with Reynolds’ talent representatives and directed the parties to refile the affected material by the following day, with personal identifying information redacted.
In her response to the defendants’ account of the evidence, Lively acknowledged that the cited document contained her husband’s description of Baldoni. She contested interpretations inconsistent with the full exchange. The filing recorded the parties’ positions, rather than a finding that Reynolds’ accusation was true.
Lively’s Remaining Claims Settled Before the Scheduled Trial
Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit, which alleged defamation and other wrongdoing, was dismissed in June 2025. Liman later dismissed Lively’s claims against Baldoni and the other individual defendants on April 2, 2026.
Three claims remained against corporate defendants: retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract. Lively settled those claims against Wayfarer Studios and the other remaining companies on May 4, averting the May 18 trial. Reuters reported that the announcement did not disclose the agreement’s terms.
Justin and Emily Baldoni Addressed the Aftermath in July
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Baldoni appeared alongside his wife, Emily, in a July 8 Instagram video addressing the family’s experience of the dispute, as the Los Angeles Times reported. The couple said they had considered speaking during the proceedings but chose to wait.
Emily described the pain and feelings of injustice they had experienced, while Justin thanked their supporters. They said their attention had returned to their family, faith and recovery from the experience.