Uncovered documents from Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s settlement reportedly showed that companies were “spooked” to work with the actress amid the pair’s It Ends With Us legal battle.
Legal documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, May 5, showed emails and texts sent by Lively’s alcohol company, Betty Booze, that detailed how companies were reluctant to partner with Lively, 38, amid her and Baldoni’s dispute following the film’s December 2024 release. (TMZ was first to report the news.)
In a September 10, 2024, internal email between Betty Booze staff members that reflected on an alleged conversation with a representative from Kroger, who stocks the product line in-store. The correspondence read, “I just got off the phone with the SGWS Kroger VP, and the first thing he mentioned to me was that Betty Booze was just discussed … there is a negative taste in Kroger’s mouth based on the [Blake Lively] interview from the movie, and they said they will be closely monitoring sales on the brand.” (The email did not specify which interview of Lively’s it was referring to.)
Us Weekly has reached out to representatives for both Lively and Baldoni for comment.
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The documents were uncovered as part of Lively’s planned “evidence” against Baldoni, who she accused in December 2024 of purposefully creating a smear campaign targeting against her in addition to sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment when the pair worked together on It Ends With Us. (Baldoni, 42, strongly denied all allegations throughout the legal battle and filed a failed countersuit against Lively. The two parties confirmed via a joint statement on Monday, May 4, that Lively’s filing had been settled prior to trial.)
The outlet further quoted the internal email, stating that the supermarket chain was “expecting a negative sales impact, and they’re wondering what [Lively] will be doing to course correct and make things right with her audience.”
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In a text sent by “the VP of Food & Beverage” at Princess Cruises, another Betty Booze stockist, further concern was allegedly expressed. “By the way our legal ethics and compliance committee board spooked with Blake !!! I am working things out hopefully will not have any affect,” the text read.
Additionally, the legal documents alleged that Betty Booze was “forced to go dark” as a result of Lively’s headlines, which impacted sales. Further documents supported Lively’s claim that “overwhelmingly positive” social media engagement with Betty Booze transitioned into “negative comments” across Instagram, and Instagram follower growth was allegedly “held back by negative PR.”
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In a statement shared with Us on Monday, Lively and Baldoni confirmed via their attorneys that their legal battle had reached a settlement just four days before they were set to go to trial. “The end product – the movie It Ends With Us – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind,” the statement read. “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard.”
The pair had been urged by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman to consider settling outside of court and prior to their scheduled Monday, May 18, trial commencement.
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
