Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ Hollywood Empire: The Smear Campaign Exposed

In a bombshell revelation that has shaken Hollywood to its core, court documents from the ongoing legal battle surrounding It Ends With Us have been unsealed, uncovering a story of manipulation, calculated power grabs, and a ruthless strategy aimed at destroying the reputation of co-star and director Justin Baldoni. For months, Hollywood’s golden couple, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, presented themselves as the misunderstood victims of a toxic on-set environment. However, the truth revealed in these explosive court files paints a very different picture—one of cunning, backroom plotting, and a systematic campaign to wrest control of the movie from Baldoni. What was once thought to be a creative disagreement has now been exposed as a calculated effort to seize power and rewrite the narrative, and at the heart of it all, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

The Power Play Begins: Blake Lively’s “Safety Letter” and Control of the Production

The saga began in late 2023, when Blake Lively forced Justin Baldoni to sign a so-called “safety letter” after accusing him of misconduct. While the letter was presented as a measure to protect Blake from an alleged toxic work environment, its true purpose quickly became clear: it gave Blake, and by extension, her husband Ryan Reynolds, unprecedented control over the production of the film. What followed was not a battle over workplace safety but a power struggle that saw Blake manipulate the system to her advantage.

According to the unsealed court documents, Blake’s newfound power allowed her to take control of critical aspects of the film, including the script, the marketing strategy, and even the final cut. Privately, Justin confided in friends that he felt trapped, likening himself to a “hostage” on set, where any move he made could be used against him. The tension on set escalated, with Ryan Reynolds allegedly storming into a meeting and screaming at Justin, further complicating the already strained dynamic.

But this was just the beginning of a much larger battle that would play out not on set, but in the media.

The Smear Campaign: Leaking HR Complaints and Manipulating the Press

Once Blake had secured control of the production, the real war began: the battle for public opinion. According to the newly unsealed documents, Blake and Ryan’s strategy was clear: control the narrative, control the public. They did so by leaking damaging accusations against Justin Baldoni to the press, well before the film had even been released. The leaks began with TMZ in August 2024, just days after Justin’s team refused to take the blame for rumors about the troubled production.

The documents trace these leaks directly to Blake’s camp, with Ryan Reynolds allegedly playing a key role. The complaints that surfaced—ranging from accusations of inappropriate comments made by Justin during a bar scene—were flimsy at best. Both parties admitted the comment was awkward, but far from the harassment it was being painted as. Nevertheless, Blake and her team spun these allegations into a narrative of a toxic and unsafe work environment, fully aware that the story would stick, even if the details didn’t hold up.

As the media frenzy grew, Ryan Reynolds took to the press to further discredit Justin. According to court filings, he planted stories in outlets like The Daily Mail, claiming that he had saved the film from a disaster of a script, written by a woman based on a book by a woman. Legal experts, however, pointed out that this move could violate Writer’s Guild strike rules. But Ryan didn’t care. This was a calculated move to paint himself as the hero and Justin as the incompetent villain.

Behind the scenes, Justin’s PR team saw the writing on the wall. One strategist was quoted saying, “Ryan looks the worst. This place’s good for us, bad for them.” Despite the efforts of Justin’s team to counter the leaks and protect his reputation, the smear campaign was in full swing.

Blake and Ryan Take Over: From Lead Actors to Executive Producers

Blake Lively’s newfound power didn’t end with media manipulation. The documents reveal that, after securing her safety letter, Blake used her influence to become a PGA-recognized producer on the film. This move was unprecedented—Blake was not just the lead actress anymore; she was now an executive producer with the ability to make sweeping decisions on the film’s direction. This level of control over a movie that had already been greenlit by the studio was unheard of in Hollywood and raised several red flags among industry insiders.

Blake’s control didn’t just extend to the script and the final edit; it also allowed her to push Ryan Reynolds into the picture as a “savior” of a script that had already been approved. The timing of Ryan’s involvement during the writer’s strike was particularly troubling. If true, it could have been a direct violation of the strike rules. Still, Ryan’s intervention wasn’t about saving the film—it was about further positioning him and Blake as the only people who could ensure the film’s success.

With Blake in charge of the production and Ryan playing the role of the script’s rescuer, they effectively sidelined Justin Baldoni and his vision for the film.

The $9 Million Battle: Defending Justin Baldoni’s Reputation

By mid-2024, the leaks, the smear campaigns, and the manipulation had taken their toll. Justin Baldoni’s team was forced to spend an eye-watering $9 million on crisis management. This wasn’t a PR campaign to promote the film—it was a full-scale defense of Justin’s name and reputation. The documents reveal that top crisis PR experts were hired to counter every damaging leak, every false accusation, and every story planted by Blake and Ryan’s camp.

As the marketing for It Ends With Us began, Justin’s team was under immense pressure. They had to promote the very content that Blake and Ryan had orchestrated, despite privately disagreeing with it. The marketing, which critics would later blast as tone-deaf, was already set in motion, and Justin’s team was forced to post it on official film channels, even though they knew it painted an inaccurate picture of the film’s true tone. This wasn’t just a marketing misstep; it was a calculated move to further undermine Justin’s position while making Blake and Ryan appear indispensable.

The Backlash and the Collapse: When the Truth Leaks Out

Despite the millions spent on crisis management, Blake and Ryan’s carefully crafted narrative began to unravel as the public started to see through their manipulation. The backlash against the film’s marketing, which framed a story about domestic violence as a “flowery romance,” quickly gained traction. Survivors of domestic violence spoke out, accusing Blake and her team of being insensitive and tone-deaf in their portrayal of the story’s themes.

At first, Blake’s team dismissed the backlash as “internet noise.” However, this wasn’t just a few angry fans—it was an organic movement. As the public began to dig deeper, more footage resurfaced, showing Blake dismissing important questions about domestic violence during interviews. This moment, which had once been ignored, now went viral, with viewers questioning her motives and character.

For the first time, the public shifted its focus from Justin Baldoni to Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. The once-untouchable golden couple was now facing the wrath of a public that had begun to see them for what they really were: manipulative and self-serving.

The Smoking Gun: Court Documents and the Final Revelation

As more court documents were unsealed, the full extent of Blake and Ryan’s manipulation became clear. The texts, emails, and internal notes revealed a shocking story of orchestrated leaks, planted media stories, and calculated power grabs disguised as heroic efforts to “save” the film. The documents also confirmed that Justin had warned his friends about Blake’s power grab as early as January 2024, long before the public smear campaign began.

In the end, Blake and Ryan’s carefully constructed image of Hollywood’s golden couple came crashing down. What had once been a campaign to control a film’s narrative and protect a carefully curated reputation was now exposed as a ruthless power play.

Conclusion: The Collapse of Hollywood’s Golden Couple

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds may have once been seen as Hollywood’s perfect couple, but the truth behind It Ends With Us reveals a different side to their public personas. What started as a battle over creative differences quickly became a ruthless campaign to manipulate the media, discredit a colleague, and seize control of a film for personal gain. While Justin Baldoni fought back with $9 million in crisis management, the real cost for Blake and Ryan may be the collapse of their carefully built image. As Hollywood insiders and the public begin to realize the lengths Blake and Ryan went to, their once-gilded reputations may never recover. The real villains of this story were not the ones painted in the media; they were the ones orchestrating the story from behind the curtain.