Brandon Sklenar Gets Roped Into ‘It Ends With Us’ Legal Drama

The movie, primarily based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, has been overshadowed by controversy since December 2024, when Energetic filed a sexual harassment grievance towards Baldoni, who additionally directed the film. She accused him of misconduct throughout manufacturing and claimed that he and his associates orchestrated a smear marketing campaign to “destroy” her repute.

Baldoni has denied the allegations and, in January 2025, filed a countersuit towards Energetic, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s PR agency, alleging civil extortion and defamation.

Brandon Sklenar, who starred alongside Blake Energetic and Justin Baldoni in “It Ends With Us,” is now weighing in on the authorized drama.

Throughout a February 17 look on “CBS Mornings,” Sklenar joined Gayle King to debate the upcoming second season of 1923, the “Yellowstone” prequel. Nevertheless, the dialog rapidly turned to the authorized drama surrounding “It Ends With Us.”

King initially requested Sklenar how he was navigating the strain between Energetic and Baldoni as their co-star, to which he stated, “I simply need folks to recollect why we made the film within the first place and what it stands for, and simply conserving the give attention to that.”

The actor went on to elucidate that the movie holds deep private significance for him.

“I’ve somebody very near me who’s gone by way of what [Lively’s character, Lily, is] going by way of for a very long time, and I have been on the entrance traces serving to her navigate that area,” he revealed. “In order that film meant so much to me, and it means so much to her.”

He added that his position within the movie performed a component in inspiring real-life change.

“It was one of many causes that me doing that film gave her the power to vary her life,” he stated. “It is unlucky that issues get taken away from what the ethos of that factor is, and it will get convoluted.”

And, in fact, King didn’t hesitate to ask the burning query, “Are you Staff Blake or Staff Justin?”

Sklenar laughed on the daring query earlier than rigorously responding, “I am Staff ‘It Ends With Us.'”

Past his impartial stance on the authorized battle, Sklenar has brazenly supported the ladies concerned in “It Ends With Us,” together with Energetic, Isabela Ferrer, Jenny Slate, and Colleen Hoover, the e book’s writer.

Again in August 2024, Sklenar took to Instagram to deal with the backlash the movie was receiving, emphasizing that it was counterproductive to vilify the ladies who poured their hearts into the undertaking.

“Vilifying the ladies who put a lot of their coronary heart and soul into making this movie as a result of they imagine so strongly in its message appears counterproductive and detracts from what this movie is about,” he wrote.

He continued, “What might or might not have occurred behind the scenes doesn’t and hopefully mustn’t detract from what our intentions had been in making this movie. It has been disheartening to see the quantity of negativity being projected on-line.”

What was as soon as a extremely anticipated adaptation of Hoover’s novel has now become a authorized showdown between Energetic and Baldoni.

Based on Baldoni’s legal professionals, the actors initially shared a pleasant {and professional} dynamic on set, usually participating in what they described as “pleasant banter” that advised a seamless working relationship.

Nevertheless, because the lawsuits unfolded, that preliminary rapport gave technique to certainly one of Hollywood’s most high-profile authorized disputes.

Among the many paperwork is an modification claiming that The New York Occasions had entry to Energetic’s lawsuit at the very least 11 days earlier than publishing their report. Nevertheless, the newspaper rapidly refuted the declare, stating that the filings had been “rife with inaccuracies.”

The case is about to go to trial in March 2026.