Author Colleen Hoover’s First Words on Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni’s ‘It Ends with Us’ Legal Battle

Colleen Hoover is breaking her silence to Elle on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s “It Ends with Us” legal battle.

Hoover wrote the book on which the film is based and served as an executive producer.

While she was on set for just a few days, she tells Elle she was “completely unaware that anything was happening.” 

Hoover said of the legal showdown, “It feels like a circus. When there are real people involved, with real feelings and emotions. This actually, truly has impacted some of the actors’ careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad.” 

Colleen continued, “I’m just trying to stay removed from the negativity. I have my own story I could tell… but I don’t want to bring attention to it, and I don’t want to have to put someone else down to lift myself up. So, I’d rather just ignore it and let people think and say what they’re going to say. I feel like it’s so big at this point that 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.”

More than anything, she’s heartbroken over how the lawsuits have impacted her mom.

“The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it,” Hoover explained. “I feel awful because I almost feel like she’s gone through more with the aftermath of this film, more pain than she went through with my dad, just seeing the ugliness of it.” 

These days, Colleen says of the book, “I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it. I’m almost embarrassed to say I wrote it.”

The 45-year-old said, "When people ask what I do, I’m just like, ‘I’m a writer. Please don’t ask me what I wrote.’” 

Colleen put it this way, “But it is sad, because I was very proud of that book. And I’m still proud of it, but less publicly so. Maybe I need therapy, I don’t know.”

At the time of the interview, Colleen was preparing to be deposed for the case.

The “It Ends with Us” battle started in December when Lively filed a legal complaint with the California Civil Rights Department claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her on set.

Two months later, she also accused him of defamation. Baldoni has denied all of Lively's allegations. 

He then filed the $400-million lawsuit against Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds that has now been officially dismissed. 

Justin also filed a $250-million lawsuit against The New York Times, but that was dismissed as well.