Hollywood thrives on big personalities, but sometimes those personalities clash. But that seems to be small potatoes when it comes to Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, co-stars in It Ends With Us (2024).
Allegations, lawsuits, and now even speculation about Marvel star Ryan Reynolds’ — Blake Lively’s husband — latest film have thrown this saga into the spotlight, leaving fans divided over who’s in the right.
Related: Blake Lively Takes on Justin Baldoni in Bitter Lawsuit After ‘It Ends With Us’ Fallout
A Rocky Start
Tensions between Baldoni and Lively reportedly began early during filming, but the public first noticed something was off during the movie’s premiere. Baldoni conspicuously avoided posing with Lively or their other co-stars. Months later, Blake Lively shocked fans by filing a lawsuit against Baldoni.
The accusations ranged from fat-shaming and inappropriate comments to attempts at adding unscripted intimate scenes without an intimacy coordinator present.
A bombshell New York Times report followed, detailing Baldoni’s alleged misconduct.
The fallout was swift. Baldoni was dropped by his management, lost a podcast co-host, and saw his publicist file a lawsuit against him. Baldoni retaliated with a $250 million countersuit against the Times, claiming the article painted an unfair, one-sided picture.
The Role of Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds, has now been drawn into the controversy. According to Baldoni’s team, Reynolds allegedly confronted Baldoni during a meeting with producers of It Ends With Us.
The accusations don’t stop there, as fans have begun connecting the dots between Reynolds’ portrayal of “Nicepool” in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and Baldoni.
Related: ‘Deadpool’ Star Ryan Reynolds Confirms Fate of Fan-Favorite Character in MCU
X (formerly Twitter) user @spiritualshift_ started a viral thread alleging that the Nicepool character was a parody of Baldoni. The long-haired, man-bun-sporting Nicepool is a “feminist” who compliments Blake Lively’s Ladypool in ways that seem to mirror Baldoni’s alleged comments during filming.
The more I learn about Nicepool’s character, the more evident it becomes that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were mocking Justin Baldoni in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie. Here are all the scenes where Nicepool is imitating Justin Baldoni 🧵
(1) In this scene, Nicepool, portrayed by Ryan Reynolds, sports a hippie-style man-bun and long hair, similar to Justin Baldoni’s signature look. Nicepool compliments Blake’s character, Ladypool, saying, “Oh my goodness, wait til you’ve seen Ladypool. She’s gorgeous. She just had a baby too, and I can’t even tell.” Deadpool interjects, “I don’t think you’re supposed to say that,” to which Nicepool calmly responds, “That’s okay. I identify as a feminist.”
This parallels Justin Baldoni’s public persona as an activist and feminist. Blake’s complaint also alleges that Justin fat-shamed her after she gave birth, called her “sexy,” and made inappropriate remarks about her body.
The more I learn about Nicepool’s character, the more evident it becomes that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively were mocking Justin Baldoni in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie. Here are all the scenes where Nicepool is imitating Justin Baldoni 🧵
(1) In this scene, Nicepool,… pic.twitter.com/gdQpCvBvcH
— The Spiritual Shift (@spiritualshift_) January 8, 2025
Related: Ryan Reynolds Faces Backlash for Alleged ‘Berating’ of Popular Actor During Intense Incident
One pointed scene involves Deadpool asking, “And where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?”—a possible jab at the allegations against Baldoni.
A Public Spectacle
The allegations don’t end with the Deadpool character. In another tweet, @spiritualshift_ highlighted outtakes where Nicepool quips about starting a podcast “that monetizes the women’s movement.” Many interpreted this as a dig at Baldoni’s real-life podcast, Man Enough, which explores masculinity and cultural expectations.
(3) Additionally, here, in the outtakes, a scene with Nicepool seems to be another direct dig at Justin. Nicepool smugly remarks, “My calling is to host a podcast that monetizes the women’s movement.” This appears to parody Baldoni’s feminist podcast, Man Enough.
(4) Here, Nicepool imitating Justin is being criticized for opening up about his trauma and turning to faith and spirituality for healing, something Justin has openly discussed in his podcast and interviews.
(4) Here, Nicepool imitating Justin is being criticized for opening up about his trauma and turning to faith and spirituality for healing, something Justin has openly discussed in his podcast and interviews. pic.twitter.com/otvSJVP2GM
— The Spiritual Shift (@spiritualshift_) January 8, 2025
Blake Lively appeared to nod to these moments in a recent Instagram post, where she praised Reynolds for standing by her and referenced “nice men who use feminism as a tool.”
A Messy Fallout
The drama reached its peak with Deadpool & Wolverine’s climactic moment: Ladypool (played by Blake Lively) killing Nicepool in front of a flower shop—a setting reminiscent of Lively’s role as Lily Bloom, a florist in It Ends With Us. Fans see this as a calculated move, while critics argue it’s a step too far.
As Lively and Baldoni continue their legal battle, the fallout shows no signs of slowing down. With allegations flying in all directions, the court of public opinion is split. What do you think of this ongoing feud? Let us know in the comments below!
