Why Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s On-Set Kiss Sparked a Firestorm
Legal tensions are boiling over for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni as their It Ends with Us kiss becomes the flashpoint; Baldoni said in a filing it was the last thing he wanted, and fans are now scrutinizing publicist Leslie Sloan’s next moves.
Here we go: the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni drama around It Ends With Us just added a very awkward subplot. It involves a court filing, a deleted kiss, and what fans think is a very loud PR pivot about, well, kissing.
Quick setup: Lively and Baldoni are in an ongoing legal fight tied to their movie together. In newly surfaced material from Baldoni's court filings, he says a kiss got pulled from a scene, and he was totally fine with that because he did not want to kiss his co-star anyway. Naturally, the internet took that and ran with it.
What Baldoni says happened on set
In Exhibit 81 of his filing, Baldoni notes an "intimacy" issue, claiming Lively changed the direction of a scene and removed a kiss. His own words in that note read:
"She has removed kissing - which is fine in the end, the last thing I want to do is kiss this woman."
He also wrote that her taking control of the moment left him "not sure what to do on this scene." If you have ever wondered what behind-the-scenes production notes look like when things are tense, this is that in the wild.
The PR whiplash fans think they spotted
Shortly after that filing language started making the rounds, a clip posted by @thebushbirds on X dug up a very pointed coincidence: publicists Leslie Sloan and Blake Lively were suddenly being tied to coverage about Lively kissing her co-stars. The post specifically pointed to Looper pieces from June 19, 2024 and November 17, 2025 highlighting stories about kissing Blake on various sets. The implication fans are making: after Baldoni said he did not want to kiss her, a narrative popped up reminding everyone that plenty of colleagues apparently did.
The internet reaction, because of course
Lively has been getting dragged for the timing and the optics. A sampling of what people on X are saying, for context, not endorsement:
- Several users called the move embarrassing and desperate, with one literally describing "second hand embarrassment."
- One commenter argued that if someone believed they were sexually harassed and retaliated against, it would be bizarre to push press about being a desirable on-screen kisser.
- Others said the PR approach was backfiring and making her look like she is sabotaging her own career.
- A few posts speculated she was upset Baldoni did not reciprocate interest, which is very much fan theory territory.
More from Baldoni's filing: the vibe on set
Baldoni also claims he felt exposed to gotcha moments around Lively, writing:
"The risk of something innocuous... could and would very likely be used against me (as it already has). By now we all know what she is capable of."
He did not mince words about his frustration with the film's creative control either, saying he was angry that Lively had taken over a project he says they spent years developing, writing, and funding. He adds that "creativity is impossible in an environment shrouded in fear."
To be extremely clear: these are Baldoni's allegations and notes from his side of the legal dispute. Lively's camp has its own version of events. But the combination of the filing, the pulled-kiss line, and the sudden "Blake is a great onscreen kisser" chatter was more than enough to send fans into pile-on mode.
Where this all goes next: the trial tied to their legal battle is currently scheduled for March 2026. In the meantime, It Ends With Us continues to be the rare book-to-film that is getting almost as much attention for the off-camera saga as the movie itself.