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Colleen Hoover has spoken out for the first time about the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over the film adaptation of her bestselling novel It Ends With Us. The author, 45, described the situation as overwhelming and emotionally taxing for those involved.
"It feels like a circus," Hoover told Elle in an interview published on November 20. "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."
Hoover explained that she is deliberately staying out of the public eye regarding the case. "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," she said, emphasizing her desire to remain removed from negativity.
The legal conflict began after Lively, 38, filed a lawsuit in December 2024 against Baldoni, 41, accusing him and his Wayfarer colleagues of sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment, and causing emotional distress during filming. Baldoni's team has denied the allegations, calling them "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious," and accused Lively of attempting to "rehash a narrative" around the production. The case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026, with both Lively and Baldoni expected to testify.
Hoover also addressed the personal toll the drama has had on her family, particularly her mother, whose experiences inspired the novel's exploration of domestic violence. "The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it," she said. "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."
The author admitted the lawsuit has affected how she feels about her work. "I can't even recommend it anymore. I feel like the lawsuit has overshadowed it. I'm almost embarrassed to say I wrote it. When people ask what I do, I'm just like, 'I'm a writer. Please don't ask me what I wrote.' " Despite this, Hoover said she remains proud of the book, though she is less vocal about it publicly.
Hoover's novel, first published in 2016 and adapted into a 2024 film starring Lively as Lily Bloom and Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid, continues to resonate with fans, though the current legal proceedings have cast a shadow over its reception. The author has since shifted focus to new projects, including her upcoming novel Woman Down, set to explore the impact of public backlash on a writer after a film adaptation.
