New Emails Reveal Colleen Hoover’s Growing Discomfort With Justin Baldoni

Behind-the-scenes tensions surrounding “It Ends With Us” have continued to extend far beyond what audiences saw on screen. Newly unsealed court exhibits tied to “It Ends With Us” star Blake Lively’s ongoing legal battle with director and co-star Justin Baldoni reveal that bestselling author Colleen Hoover privately raised serious concerns about Baldoni attending the film’s premiere. Colleen Hoover, whose 2016 novel was adapted into the high-profile box office release, emphasized in the message that her discomfort wasn’t about taking sides, but about being placed in the middle of escalating conflict.

In a candid July 2024 email sent to two Sony executives, Hoover made it clear she felt deeply uneasy about the situation, describing the environment as emotionally fraught and increasingly difficult to navigate. “At this point, things are beyond uncomfortable,” she wrote, per Daily Mail.

She went on to explain that decisions surrounding the premiere had begun to feel overwhelming, particularly as she was being asked to weigh in on what she described as “huge decisions” while internal tensions mounted.

Hoover noted that she no longer felt supported as the author whose work was being celebrated, instead feeling positioned as a messenger for difficult news amid blurred boundaries and mounting pressure. “Am I going to be comfortable if Justin is there? No,” she wrote.

While Hoover expressed a desire to attend the premiere, she stopped short of committing to being there if Baldoni and his team were present, acknowledging the emotional toll the situation was taking. She also voiced understanding toward Lively, writing that she empathized with why the actress might choose not to attend the event herself. Hoover said she, too, would struggle to celebrate alongside people she felt she could not fully trust.

Despite her concerns, Hoover stressed that she did not want responsibility for Baldoni’s attendance, or absence, placed on her shoulders. “I definitely don’t want to be a scapegoat,” she wrote.

Hoover closed the email on a conciliatory note, reassuring studio executives that no matter how the premiere unfolded, she intended to continue speaking positively about the movie publicly, reiterating her gratitude to those involved in bringing the story to life and emphasizing that she remained proud of the adaptation for doing “the book such justice.”

Last year, the author spoke candidly about the situation in an interview with Elle, explaining why she deliberately chose not to engage publicly as the legal battle intensified. “It feels like a circus,” she told the outlet. “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.”

At the time of that interview, Elle noted that Colleen Hoover was preparing to give a deposition in the case within weeks, a detail that showed just how close she was to the legal fallout despite her desire to remain on the sidelines. “I’m just trying to stay removed from the negativity,” the 45-year-old continued. “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.”

Hoover also acknowledged the emotional toll the controversy has taken on her family, particularly her mother, whose personal experiences with Hoover’s father inspired the novel’s domestic violence storyline. “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 ongoing dispute has even changed how Hoover feels about her own work. “I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it,” she admitted. “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.'”

Colleen Hoover has yet to comment on the recently unsealed emails.