Studio Execs Blasted Blake Lively in Emails About Haircare Promo During "It Ends With Us" Fallout: 'EpicLevel Stupid' Elizabeth RosnerJanuary 21, 2026 at 11:01 PM 0 Taylor Hill/FilmMagic Blake Lively A Sony executive claimed Blake Lively brought backlash upon herself and would "never work again" In unsealed private emails, executives warned that "the mess is the story now" and would permanently change how audiences view It Ends With Us Publicly, however, Sony backed Lively despite the backlash in August 2024 Senior executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment privately criticized Blake Lively dur...
- - Studio Execs Blasted Blake Lively in Emails About Haircare Promo During "It Ends With Us" Fallout: 'Epic-Level Stupid'
Elizabeth RosnerJanuary 21, 2026 at 11:01 PM
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Blake Lively -
A Sony executive claimed Blake Lively brought backlash upon herself and would "never work again"
In unsealed private emails, executives warned that "the mess is the story now" and would permanently change how audiences view It Ends With Us
Publicly, however, Sony backed Lively despite the backlash in August 2024
Senior executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment privately criticized Blake Lively during the height of the It Ends With Us controversy, with one suggesting she was "done" in Hollywood.
In legal documents unsealed Wednesday, Jan. 21, ahead of a summary judgment hearing in the lawsuit between Lively, 38, and Justin Baldoni, 41, internal emails dated Aug. 21, 2024 show Sanford Panitch, executive vice president and president of Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group, weighing in with studio leadership.
"It's quite ironic because she has a huge hit movie headed to $300M-plus," Panitch wrote. "And probably will never work again, or not for a while. Although even Hathaway recovered. Tom thinks she's probably and bizarrely unhirable right now."
Another executive pushed back, arguing the backlash would fade.
"This will pass. She is going to be FINE," the executive wrote, suggesting Lively issue a direct apology to a reporter and offer something more substantial to survivors beyond what was described as a 24-hour Instagram Stories post.
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Blake Lively
Panitch disagreed. "No. Disagree," he responded. "She is done for. At least for a while. It's cooked."
He went on to speculate that Lively had told someone named Josh that she was retiring, adding that any return could take years. He compared the potential pause to an "Eva Mendes time," referencing the actress's long step back from acting. "She did it to herself," Panitch wrote.
Panitch also detailed what he believed were the key decisions that escalated the backlash. "What everyone ever has done in show business for time and memorial is protect 'the show,'" he wrote. "Then none of the sleuthing would have happened."
He further criticized the timing of Lively's business activity, calling the launch of her haircare brand, Blake Brown, during the controversy "epic-level stupid." "She wouldn't listen," Panitch added. "She knows better."
A source tells PEOPLE the haircare launch "was set with Target months in advance and could not be changed. The film date pushed to overlap." Originally intended for a Valentine's Day 2024 release date, It Ends With Us was postponed twice, eventually landing on the August 2024 rollout.
Earlier emails show similar alarm at the highest levels of the studio. In an Aug. 9, 2024 message, Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures' Motion Picture Group, described the situation in stark terms.
"It's all a fucking disaster," Rothman wrote. "None of the who or right or wrong matters at all. The mess is the story now and it will define the film. No one can watch the film the same way. Tragic."
Publicly, Sony struck a markedly different tone. Amid backlash over Lively's promotion of It Ends With Us, the studio issued a statement Aug. 15, 2024, praising her "passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence," emphasizing the film's intent and social message.
Later that day, Rothman said in an email, Lively "has so much — looks, money, fame, hunk husband, kids — that the instinct of the crowd is to tear her down. Like what happened to Anne Hathaway, and neither of them deserve it, even though she did bring it on herself by refusing to listen to advice … and by selling her products."
In November 2025, Lively detailed the damages she claims to have suffered as a result of the fallout. According to the documents, she is seeking more than $56 million in lost acting earnings and $71 million in lost business profits, tied to her consumer ventures Betty Buzz, Betty Booze, and Blake Brown Beauty.
The trial is scheduled to begin May 18.
Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman said Jan. 21: "As stated all along, and reflected in our clients' motions, as well as in messages from Sony discussing Ms. Lively's behaviors, the evidence does not support the claims as a matter of law. A simple read of the newly released message exchanges make the truth abundantly clear. We remain confident in the legal process and clearing the names of all of the Justin Baldoni parties."
on People
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Source: Entertainment
Published: January 22, 2026 at 12:45AM on Source: ANDY MAG
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