Weekend: The Messy “It Ends With Us” Press Tour 🍿

Every now and then, a movie’s press tour manages to spectacularly eclipse the film itself (*cough, Don’t Worry Darling, cough*). This time, It Ends With Us is bringing the drama — in more ways than one. The blockbuster Colleen Hoover novel had already stirred up controversy long before its film adaptation was in the works. Many readers argued that the book, about a florist who falls for a handsome, controlling, and eventually abusive surgeon, romanticizes intimate partner violence (the book is still sold in the “romance” genre), and were outraged with certain marketing strategies, including an It Ends With Us coloring book announcement. So it wasn’t surprising that fans worried about how the film would handle the issue. 

And somehow, the film’s press tour has also amplified a different controversy, unrelated to criticisms surrounding the plot. Eagle-eyed TikTokers have noticed that there seems to be tension between actor Justin Baldoni and other cast members, including his co-star Blake Lively. The biggest pieces of “evidence”? Baldoni, who also directed the movie, was absent from joint press events and photo ops with Lively; a viral video shows cast member Jenny Slate dodging a question about Baldoni at the premiere; and Lively, Hoover, and Slate seem to have unfollowed him on Instagram. All of which has fueled speculation about behind-the-scenes drama that even Lively's chaotic, colorful press tour outfits can’t distract from. (See: this comprehensive recap with the internet’s working theories, including how Ryan Reynolds could be involved.) So we couldn’t help but wonder: Is this eventful press tour meant to divert us from the original criticism of the story? A marketing tactic to boost ticket sales? Or is there genuine tension among the cast? Whatever's going on, it’s certainly caught our attention.