In Hollywood, scandal has a way of bubbling to the surface no matter how carefully it’s buried. This time, the names at the center of a $9 million storm are Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and director Justin Baldoni. Newly unsealed court documents have blown open a narrative that insiders are calling one of the most calculated PR takedowns the industry has seen in years — and shockingly, it all points back to Ryan Reynolds as the hidden puppeteer.

For months, speculation swirled about behind-the-scenes tension on the set of It Ends With Us, the highly anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. But the latest revelations go far beyond artistic disagreements or clashing egos. According to hundreds of pages of text messages, strategy memos, and leaked communications, what unfolded was a systematic campaign — orchestrated not just by Blake Lively, but with the full force and behind-the-scenes muscle of her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

And the alleged cost of this shadow war? A jaw-dropping $9 million, spent by Baldoni and his team to defend themselves against an onslaught of damaging leaks and narrative manipulation.

From Creative Clash to Power Grab

Insiders say the tension began long before cameras rolled. In late 2023, Blake Lively reportedly signed a document designed to ensure her “safety and protections” while returning to work. But in practice, that agreement gave her unprecedented control over the production. Baldoni himself confided to friends in early January 2024 that he felt “held hostage” by Lively’s maneuvering, admitting that she had used the letter to “gain power over the whole production.”

From there, control shifted rapidly. Lively became more than an actress — she took on producing authority, editing influence, and ultimately a hand in shaping the marketing strategy. But the real shock came when Baldoni’s private concerns were eclipsed by something darker: the emergence of a smear campaign that seemed to originate from within his own camp.

The Marketing Misfire That Sparked a Firestorm

If there was one flashpoint in this saga, it was the film’s controversial marketing. Critics and fans alike were stunned when promotional materials for a story about domestic violence were presented as a whimsical summer rom-com, complete with floral motifs and playful interviews. Social media erupted, with TikTok users and victims’ advocates blasting Lively’s dismissive tone in press junkets.

But here’s the twist: court documents reveal that Baldoni’s team hadn’t planned to weaponize that criticism. Instead, they watched in real time as outrage organically exploded online. PR consultants admitted in group chats that the narrative “wasn’t us — it just happened.”

Yet, as the chaos mounted, Ryan Reynolds reportedly stepped in. According to leaked messages, Reynolds began funneling stories to the Daily Mail, painting himself as the savior of the project. He allegedly claimed the script was a “disaster” until he personally rewrote it — a staggering allegation, considering the script was penned by a female writer and based on a female-authored novel.

The optics were damning: Reynolds positioning himself as the knight rescuing his wife’s floundering project, while undermining the credibility of both the female creative team and Baldoni as director.

A Calculated Leak Machine

The most explosive allegation in the documents? That Reynolds and Lively were behind a string of targeted leaks designed to smear Baldoni and justify their takeover of the film.

First came HR complaints. Just days after Baldoni’s team refused to issue a statement framing the production as “troubled,” TMZ suddenly received tips about alleged misconduct on set. These complaints, traced back to Lively and another actress, centered on offhand remarks and awkward interactions — accusations Baldoni never denied, but which his allies claim were weaponized for maximum PR damage.

Then came Reynolds’ Daily Mail blitz, portraying himself as the lone genius who saved the film from collapse. Within hours, Baldoni’s PR team scrambled to counter what they saw as a narrative “flip,” pointing out that Reynolds was effectively scabbing by rewriting during an active writers’ strike.

“It’s a man coming in to say his female writer sucks and he needs to save it,” one consultant wrote in a leaked text. “Let him drown in his own pool.”

The $9 Million Defense

By now, the scale of the conflict had escalated into all-out warfare. With every leak, Baldoni’s team was forced to spend more on damage control, hiring high-powered crisis PR experts and strategists to push back. According to insiders, producer Jamie Heath eventually admitted that the effort cost a staggering $9 million — not to make the film, but to defend Baldoni’s reputation against his own leading lady and her Hollywood A-list husband.

The irony wasn’t lost on Baldoni’s circle. Here was a director trying to salvage his vision for a sensitive story, only to watch as his star actress — backed by one of Hollywood’s most powerful men — allegedly twisted harassment claims, leaked HR documents, and manipulated the press to secure more control.

The Bigger Picture: Misogyny or Mastermind?

Perhaps the most unsettling takeaway from the unsealed documents is the role Ryan Reynolds played. While much of the public narrative framed Baldoni as controlling or tone-deaf, the leaked communications suggest Reynolds himself may have been the one undermining female creatives. By declaring the script “a disaster” until he rewrote it, Reynolds not only erased the work of a woman writer but also cast himself as the indispensable savior of his wife’s career.

To critics, that reeks of misogyny — the idea that no woman, not even his wife, could possibly succeed without his intervention. To others, it looks like cold-blooded strategy: Reynolds leveraging his influence, reputation, and media connections to elevate Lively at Baldoni’s expense.

The Fallout

In the end, the fallout is staggering. A fractured production, a director who spent millions defending himself, and a Hollywood couple now facing accusations of manipulative backroom tactics. The unsealed documents don’t just pull back the curtain on one troubled movie — they raise uncomfortable questions about how power, influence, and narrative control are wielded in Hollywood.

Did Blake Lively leverage allegations for personal gain? Did Ryan Reynolds mastermind a PR war to install himself as his wife’s protector and savior? Or was this all a chaotic clash of egos that spiraled out of control?

One thing is certain: what began as whispers of tension on set has erupted into a full-blown $9 million bombshell. And the story is far from over.

👀 what do you think — was ryan reynolds protecting his wife, or pulling the strings of one of hollywood’s dirtiest smear campaigns?