For a few years now, there’s been countless headlines related to It Ends With Us. But rather than being about the contents of the book to screen adaptation (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription), they’ve been about the long legal battle between its stars. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni just announced they settled the case, and while they didn’t make any money, their lawyers most certainly did.
Back in December of 2024, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni over conflicts that occurred on the set of It Ends With Us. He filed a defamation case against both Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and the saga lasted years. According to a new report by Page Six, the pair of actors didn’t make a dime. But their lawyers reportedly made $60 million combined thanks to the years of litigation for the two actors.
This is a huge payday for those lawyers, and shows just how high stakes the legal fight between these two actors was. Attorneys spoke about how expensive it was for them to keep going, and now we know the exact number. And it’s a staggering amount that might explain why the It Ends With Us stars decided to settle.
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Of course, this sum is just one way that the stars have been financially impacted by their long legal battle. Lively alleged she lost $161 million due to to its negative impact on her career and business ventures. Additionally, Justin Baldoni hasn’t booked any new jobs since the drama began. But now that they’e settle their case, perhaps this will change and they can go back to making money.
It’s no secret that long-standing legal issues result in tons of lawyers fees. But $60 million is an insane sum of money, especially for Baldoni who presumably has less means than Lively. So not only did the It Ends With Us actors not make any money from their lawsuits, it was a significant loss for them both.
While It Ends With Us did well in theaters, the movie’s messaging has largely been overshadowed by the interpersonal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. In addition to playing the male lead, the latter also directed the book adaptation, and his company Wayfarer Studios produced it.
The legal battle was kicked off by Lively’s team, with the actress making a number of allegations about Baldoni’s behavior on set. He fired back his own defamation suit, and a number of other names were roped in such as Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift.
It Ends With Us is streaming over on Netflix now. While Justin Baldoni isn’t attached to any upcoming movies at the time of writing this story, Blake Lively has projects coming on the 2026 movie release list and beyond.