Brandon Sklenar may be one of the main characters of “It Ends With Us,” but that doesn’t mean he’s going to formally pick sides amid castmates’ Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s very public legal drama.
The “1923” star stopped by “CBS Mornings” on Monday to discuss the return of his Paramount+ spinoff, where Gayle King made sure to ask him point-blank whether he was Team Blake or Team Justin.
“I’m Team ‘It Ends With Us,’” Sklenar said with a laugh. “I just want people to remember why we made the movie in the first place and what it stands for and just keeping the focus on that.”
“I have someone very, very close to me who’s gone through what Lily’s going through for a long time and I’ve been on the front lines helping her navigate that space, so that movie meant a lot to me and it means a lot to her. It was one of the reasons that me doing that film gave her the strength to change her life,” he elaborated. “It’s unfortunate that things get taken away from what the ethos of that thing is and it gets convoluted and I just want to remind people of why it exists in the first place.”
In August of 2024 — before Lively and Baldoni’s feud got litigious in December — Sklenar spoke out about the rumors surrounding their film, condemning anyone who was “vilifying the women” involved in the Colleen Hoover adaptation.
“Colleen and the women of this cast stand for hope, perseverance and for women choosing a better life for themselves. Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about. It is, in fact, the opposite of the point,” he wrote on Instagram. “What may or may not have happened behind the scenes does not and hopefully should not detract from what our intentions were in making this film. It’s been disheartening to see the amount of negativity being projected online.”
“Trust me when I tell you, there isn’t a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this. A responsibility to all the women who have experienced generational trauma — domestic abuse — or struggle with looking in the mirror and loving who they see,” he added. “This movie is a harsh reality check for the men who need to get their s—t together and take responsibility for themselves and their actions.”
“This film is meant to inspire. It’s meant to validate and recognize. It’s meant to instill hope. It’s meant to build courage and help people feel less alone. Ultimately, it’s meant to spread love and awareness. It is not meant to once again make the women the ‘bad guy,’ let’s move beyond that together,” Sklenar concluded. “All I ask is that before you spread hate on the Internet, ask yourself who it’s helping. Ask yourself if your opinions are based in any fact. Or if you simply want to be a part of something. Let’s be a part of something better together. A part of a new story being written for women and all people everywhere.”
Most recently, Lively’s team issued subpoenas last week to crisis PR firm consultant Jed Wallace of Street Relations, as well as multiple telecoms, to discover if Baldoni’s team really has the receipts they claim to have regarding the so-called “smear campaign” and/or “falsified stories” at the heart of the legal battle.
The actress first accused her director/co-star of sexual harassment in December 2024. Baldoni then filed (and amended) his defamation counterclaim against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist and the New York Times for $400 million. Their first hearing earlier this month ended in no gag orders being placed.
As things stand, the trial is expected to begin in March 2026.
