Colleen Hoover is speaking publicly for the first time about the escalating legal war between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, calling the situation surrounding "It Ends With Us" "unfortunate," "disappointing," and deeply disheartening.

The author, whose 2016 bestseller inspired the film at the center of the conflict, told ELLE she never imagined the adaptation of her most personal book would lead to such turmoil.

The lawsuit, filed by Lively in December, accuses Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios of sexual harassment, retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress during the film's production.

"It feels like a circus," Hoover, 45, said, describing the fallout as upsetting on a human level. Even more painful, she added, is the impact on the people involved: "This actually truly has impacted some of the actors' careers in huge ways."

A Film Overshadowed by Legal Turmoil

Hoover acknowledged that the public conversation around the film has ballooned far beyond anything she or anyone else could shape.

She expressed, "There's nothing anyone can say to change whatever opinion people have of it, even though no one has the actual truth. Not even me."

The writer has long been at the center of debates around her novel, which drew criticism for "romanticizing" abuse.

Hoover has maintained that the story reflects her mother's real experience with domestic violence. While she respects readers' reactions, she said she "would not change a thing" because the novel was rooted in her mother's history, not a universal statement about abuse or victimhood.

The author admitted that the intensity of public scrutiny, especially following the lawsuit, has taken a toll on her and her family. Hoover said the experience now gives both her and her mother "PTSD" to even think about.

"I almost feel like she's gone through more with the aftermath of this film... just seeing the ugliness of it," Hoover said.

With hindsight, she now believes she would never write It Ends With Us in today's climate. "I can't even recommend it anymore," she said. "I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it. I'm almost embarrassed to say I wrote it."

Tensions Behind the Scenes

Hoover recalled spending only a few days on set, including a cameo, and said she had no knowledge of tensions brewing between Lively and Baldoni at the time. Lively later revealed Hoover had joined her in the editing room as she crafted an alternate cut of the film, a version she was able to pursue after allegedly threatening to withdraw from promoting the movie.

Lively had praised Hoover's instincts during editing, telling Access Hollywood that Hoover "was really able to separate herself as the author" and explore creative alternatives for the film.

But by summer 2024, Hoover, Lively, and much of the cast had stopped following Baldoni on Instagram.

He was sidelined at the film's New York premiere, where he was kept in the basement of AMC Lincoln Square as promotional duties were handled without him.

Hoover also believed, incorrectly, she now says, that she would be able to regain rights to her sequel "It Starts With Us" and reunite with Lively for another film.

"That's 100 percent completely my fault," she said, adding she has since stopped pursuing rights sales altogether.

Lively and Baldoni are expected to face each other in federal court in March 2026 for a sexual harassment and defamation trial. While Baldoni had previously filed two massive libel countersuits, $400 million and $250 million, both were dismissed this year, according to BBC.

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Blake Lively