It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover sent scathing email threatening to pull out of premiere if Justin Baldoni attended

Colleen Hoover privately urged studio executives to reconsider Justin Baldoni’s attendance at the It Ends With Us premiere amid mounting behind-the-scenes tension.

In a newly surfaced email, which was among the newly unsealed exhibits in Blake Lively’s bitter legal battle against Baldoni, the bestselling author, revealed she felt ‘beyond uncomfortable’ by his presence. 

Hoover, whose 2016 novel was adapted into the pair’s controversial box office hit, laid out her concerns in a candid July 2024 message to two Sony executives, explaining why she was no longer comfortable attending the premiere if Baldoni was in attendance.

In the email, which has circulated online after appearing as an exhibit in court filings, Hoover stressed that while she remained grateful for the film and proud of the adaptation, she felt cornered by internal conflicts and miscommunication.

‘At this point,’ Hoover wrote, ‘things are beyond uncomfortable.’

She made clear that her concerns were not about choosing sides, but about protecting herself amid what she described as anxiety-inducing pressure and blurred boundaries – particularly as decisions around the premiere became more fraught.

Turning to the premiere itself, Hoover said she no longer felt comfortable being asked to make ‘huge decisions,’ writing that she felt like she was being positioned as the messenger for bad news rather than supported as the author whose work was being celebrated.

‘Am I going to be comfortable if Justin is there? No,’ she wrote plainly.

Although Hoover said she hoped to attend the premiere, she stopped short of committing – noting she could not promise to appear if Baldoni and his team were present, and acknowledging she was torn between showing up and retreating entirely due to the emotional toll.

The author also expressed empathy for Lively, writing that she understood why the actress might choose not to attend and that she herself would struggle to celebrate alongside people she felt she could not fully trust.

Ultimately, Hoover said she would personally support Lively’s decision, whatever it may be, while urging Sony not to place responsibility for Baldoni’s attendance, or absence, on her shoulders.

‘I definitely don’t want to be a scapegoat,’ she wrote.

Hoover closed the message on a conciliatory note, saying that regardless of what happened with the premiere, she would continue to speak positively about the film publicly and remained deeply grateful to those involved for doing ‘the book such justice.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to Hoover and Baldoni’s representatives for comment.

X users were quick to express their frustration over Hoover’s email as many believed she ‘picked the wrong side.’

‘Above all else, I am truly aghast by the lack of professionalism in Hollywood,’ one scoffed. 

Another referred to Hoover as a ‘traitor’ and a ‘shameful sellout.’

Baldoni previously claimed Lively ‘demanded he not attend’ the premiere, and alleged that she, ultimately, relegated him and his family to the basement to watch it.

In his lawsuit against Lively, which was dismissed, Baldoni described the basement as ‘a makeshift holding area surrounded by concession stand stock, with only foldout tables and chairs arranged in a square.’

‘Surrounded by close friends, family, soda bottles, and a lot of love, the irony of being held in a basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni’s career thus far, was not lost on anyone,’ his lawsuit stated.

Hoover’s email comes days after exhibits obtained by the Daily Mail revealed an email Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds allegedly sent the email to Hoover.

In the message, which was sent one day after the film’s August 10, 2024, premiere, he boasted about the movie being a ‘complete f***ing WIN.’

He also seemingly mocked Baldoni, whom he called a ‘dumb-dumb’ in other unsealed correspondence, writing, ‘I heard you guys got a tummy bug and you’re stuck in NY. I can’t think of anything worse. Although it might be your body ridding itself of any residual Baldoni.

‘I’d rather be puking in a gulag than hijacking performative feminism while practicing personal growth catchphrases in the mirror,’ he added.

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Reynolds and Baldoni but has yet to hear back.

‘I know the road isn’t always easy or clear. When you’re a creator and apex storyteller like you, I can imagine it takes a very resolute mind and heart to process all the strange people with muddled intentions trying to warm their hands on your light,’ the actor wrote.

He further gushed: ‘Holy f***ity f**. You guys really pulled it off. Like … Colleen .. . this thing is on fire everywhere. And audiences have wrapped both arms around the film.

‘You and B made something gorgeous out of ingredients you didn’t ask for. Which is what makes you both (and this whole post-production team) so clutch.’

The email went on, ‘I know we all breathe rare air. I realize how lucky we are. But I also know how genuinely GOOD you and B are. And seeing good people put s****y people over their knee, for a good old-fashioned, pants-down spanking in the supermarket is a special experience I don’t take for granted.’

Scarlett Johansson’s ex continued to praise the author and his wife, writing, ‘I could literally write you 85 more paragraphs eulogizing what this all means to me. This whole team rallied and delivered. Even Sony stepped up in ways I never imagined. But mainly, I’m just incredibly proud and inspired by you and B.’

Fans were confused by Reynolds’s close involvement in the film and the lengthy email, with many calling it ‘cringe’ and ‘egotistical’.

‘All of a sudden I appreciate my husband’s one-word text responses,’ one person quipped.

Many also pointed out that both Reynolds and Lively’s emails have a tendency to be lengthy.

‘Why do they write like this my god everything I’ve seen from him and Blake is about 5x times longer than it needs to be. Do they have a word of the day app they’re using?’

‘After reading excerpts from how him and Blake speak…they’re made for each other.’

‘Lol so he could’ve said congrats then and there but decided to avoid her and send this egotistical email instead.’

‘I now have a tummy bug after reading that,’ another joked.

‘On the plus side, I feel so much better about any cringey text or email I’ve ever sent now.’ The roasting went on, with another person joking: ‘I don’t have the data plan for this text…’

‘Him talking about performative feminism lol,’ someone else wrote.

‘A real man would have just said “great job, proud of you guys- let’s celebrate”. All of this for a movie that should have been straight to video.’

‘Imagine destroying you and your spouses reputation and career over a Colleen Hoover book adaptation.’

‘Why is he involved at all? Ew,’ someone else questioned, after Reynolds and Lively were accused of ‘hijacking’ the film from Baldoni.

‘The way they speak is so manipulative. And every single correspondence they can’t stop talking about Justin. They are obsessed.’

Elsewhere in a series of unsealed text messages from Reynolds to agent Warren Zavala he called Baldoni a ‘dumb-dumb’, and said his wife was responsible for the box office success of It Ends With Us.

Reynolds complained about the actor-director and his associates not taking the public hit after initial reports of tension on the film set began to circulate.

‘Baldoni and these other buckets of dumb-dumb-juice should be acknowledging the speculation and gossip themselves,’ Reynolds said. ‘They should be jumping in front of it in the most full throated, unqualified way. Now.’

In the exchange, Reynolds speculated on strategies to shield his wife from bad publicity, stating she ‘should not be subjected to some eye-roll-y narrative of the “controlling b****”‘ amid early reports of dissension during production.

Reynolds said Baldoni and his team ‘should be protecting’ Lively, adding, ‘They can and should accept the consequences of their actions and lean into the countless and willfully gross behavior before it leans into them.

‘They made a big f***ing mess. Blake – under NO CIRCUMSTANCES – should be asked to clean up this sloppy, cliched f***storm.’

Reynolds said he was ‘super frustrated because this is a moment in which Blake should be celebrating’, as ‘she made this unbelievable win happen’.

He added: ‘She made this a win for Sony and by proxy, Wayfarer.’

Reynolds said that Lively ‘f***ing refused to give up on the film’ as she ‘didn’t sleep’ and ‘missed countless moments with her kids while sitting in edit rooms, scrapping and frame f***ing dailies for every square inch of quality’.

Reynolds also claimed that Baldoni had tension with others involved with the making of the motion picture.

‘Every cast member and key crew member (including Colleen) won’t be in the same room as the guy,’ Reynolds wrote. ‘All of them have at some point, over the last six months, unfollowed him on social media.’

Not one person has said Justin’s name out loud in any interview at any time.’

Reynolds also put his comedic chops to work in crafting a hypothetical letter he felt Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath should have issued publicly to take the early hit.

The parody letter read, ‘Our behavior on the set of IEWU was abhorrent and not even close to standards and respect both Colleen Hoover and Blake Lively deserve.

‘To say nothing of the entire cast and crew who bravely pushed their way through an unnecessarily challenging shoot.’

Reynolds said Baldoni and his camp should have told the public that they ‘were working to better understand how we fostered a workplace environment so lacking boundaries, guardrails, respect and in many incidents, decency.’

‘Our aim is take real accountability which extends beyond performative virtue signaling. The success of IEWU isn’t because of our involvement. The film is succeeding in spite of it.’

The latest news in the case comes as the contentious legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has gone on more than a year.

Lively filed her lawsuit in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct and intentional infliction of emotional distress, including claims of body shaming and attempts to damage her reputation.

Her suit also named several of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backers, and PR personnel.

Baldoni previously sought $250million in damages from The New York Times over a report he said was defamatory, later adding it to a $400million suit filed in January 2025.

His lawsuit named Lively, her husband and her publicist Leslie Sloane, though the case was dismissed in June.

All parties have denied the allegations against them.