Behind closed doors at Sony Pictures, executives weren’t mincing words about Blake Lively during the It Ends With Us controversy.
Newly unsealed documents from the ongoing legal battle between Lively and director Justin Baldoni reveal a stark contrast between public pleasantries and private frustrations.
One executive called the actress a “fucking terrorist.” Another predicted her career was “done for.”
The leaked communications paint a revealing picture of Hollywood power dynamics and the high-stakes drama that unfolded as the film became both a box office success and PR nightmare.
From Threats to Triumph: Sony’s Whiplash Reaction
Andrea Giannetti, Sony Pictures’ executive vice president of production and senior creative, confirmed she called Lively a harsh name when speaking with producer Jamey Heath.
The inflammatory language came after Lively threatened to leave the production unless 17 specific changes were implemented.
There was a tremendous amount of money that had been invested and spent, and we had to finish the movie or it was unreleasable.
Yet just months later, that same executive was singing an entirely different tune. After It Ends With Us opened to a massive $50 million debut in August 2024, Giannetti texted Lively with effusive praise.
Blake, $50 million!! Your blood, sweat, tears, brilliant smarts, heart and soul in every single frame. My God, it’s incredible. Thank you 50 million times. And it’s only Saturday night.
The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Sony for comment but received no response by publication time.
The Premiere Standoff That Started Everything
Tensions between Lively and Baldoni became impossible to hide as the film’s release approached.
Author Colleen Hoover, who wrote the original novel, sent Lively a screenshot from celebrity gossip account Deux Moi on July 12, 2024. The post noted Baldoni was “missing from” press events and that Lively “doesn’t follow him on IG.”
Lively made her position crystal clear to Sony. She didn’t want to be on the red carpet with Baldoni, appear in photographs with him, or sit near him during the premiere.
When additional cast members began unfollowing the director, Sony marketing executive Danni Maggin observed the trend spreading.
The unfollowing has really picked up today.
Producer Alex Saks had his own theory about who orchestrated the coordinated social media snub.
Why did everyone have to fucking do that? … It’s Blake, I’m sure.
Sony’s Brutal Assessment: “She Did It to Herself”
As negative press about Lively intensified in August 2024, Sony executives didn’t rush to her defense.
Tahra Grant, Sony’s executive vice president and chief communications officer, was blunt in her assessment on August 11.
She orchestrated all this drama in a totally unsavvy and amateur way (and basically threatened…Sony) and now is mad it backfired on her.
Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman and CEO Tom Rothman acknowledged Lively didn’t “deserve” the backlash but argued she caused her own problems.
He specifically criticized her decision to launch her haircare brand around the film’s release.
Days earlier on August 9, Rothman had called the situation a “fucking disaster.”
None of the who or right or wrong matters at all. The mess is the story now and it will define the film. No one can watch the film the same way. Tragic.
The Anne Hathaway Comparison and Predictions of Career Death
Rothman drew parallels to another A-list actress who faced intense public backlash.
He wrote that Lively “has so much — looks, money, fame, hunk husband, kids — that the instinct of the crowd is to tear her down.” He compared it to what happened to Anne Hathaway, noting neither deserved such treatment.
Sony Motion Pictures Group president Sanford Panitch was even harsher. On August 21, he criticized Lively’s strategic choices regarding both her beauty brand and Baldoni’s exclusion from promotion.
She did it to herself. If she just let him come to the premiere or didnt make all the cast unfollow him or kick him off the movie and did what everyone ever has done in show business for time and memorial which is protect ‘the show’ then none of the sleuthing would have happened. The hair sell at the same time was epic level stupid. She wouldn’t listen. She knows better.
Panitch’s assessment grew darker when discussing Lively’s career prospects.
It’s quite ironic because she has a huge hit movie headed to $300M-plus. And probably will never work again, or not for a while. Although even Hathaway recovered. Tom thinks she’s probably and bizarrely unhirable right now.
When another executive pushed back, suggesting the controversy would pass and Lively would be “FINE,” Panitch doubled down.
No. Disagree. She is done for. At least for a while. It’s cooked.
The Legal Battle Continues
Lively filed her complaint against Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and claiming he orchestrated a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” her reputation.
Baldoni responded with his own lawsuit, which was subsequently dismissed in June.
A trial is scheduled for May 18, where these behind-the-scenes communications will likely play a significant role in determining what really happened during one of Hollywood’s messiest recent controversies.
The unsealed documents reveal more than just executive gossip—they expose the complex calculation studios make when balancing star power, creative control, and protecting their investments.