
Nick Viall measures out Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively the ongoing lawsuit sagasharing his own opinion about It ends with us director.
Bachelor star he told Bustle in a profile published on Thursday, January 16, he “wasn’t that surprised” by the line-up It ends with us distanced themselves from Baldoni (40) because legal problems arose between him and Lively (37).
“I had the opportunity to interview Justin a few years ago on my show and I just had a feeling that he wasn’t the person he was so vocal about,” Viall, 44, told Bustle. “When it was said that the entire cast and the author of the book (on which the film is based) clearly distanced themselves from him, I was not so surprised. However, I was surprised at how quickly the internet started trying to find reasons to discredit Blake by bringing up old interviews and alleged mistakes from the past.”
He added: “I think the internet has made it easier for people to share other people’s opinions instead of expressing their own. This story just reinforced that.”
Viall interviewed Baldoni for his podcast “The Viall Files” in January 2023. As rumors of bad blood between Lively and Baldoni swirled in August 2024, Viall questioned why Baldoni hired a PR crisis manager, Melissa Nathanwho previously represented Johnny Depp during his legal battle with Amber Heard.
“This PR team gutted Amber Heard online,” Viall said via his podcast at the time. “It was, like, an all-out attack on her character.”
In an interview with Bustle, Viall alluded to his previous comments about the Baldoni/Živahni feud and said he was just “sharing his opinion”.
“When I shared my thoughts on this topic, I didn’t see it as speaking too publicly; I shared my opinion and challenged my audience to ask themselves different questions,” he explained.

Justin Baldoni.
(Photo: Getty)Rumors of a rift between Baldoni and Lively first surfaced in August 2024 during promotion for It ends with us when the couple, who were the main actors in the film, did not work together.
In December 2024. Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment. (Baldoni denied all the allegations against him in the lawsuit he won Us Weekly.)
It ends with us author Colleen Hoover Lively described as “honest” and “brave” via her Instagram the same day the lawsuit was filed.
Days later, Baldoni was among 10 prosecutors which launched a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for reporting on Lively’s allegations. (Spokesman for The New York Times told Our that the publication plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”)
Lively filed suit that same day against Baldoni in New York federal court, mirroring her earlier lawsuits — which were filed with the California Department of Civil Rights.
Studio Baldoni filed a new lawsuit on Thursday against Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and her husband, Ryan Reynoldsseeking $400 million in damages. The lawsuit includes allegations of civil extortion, defamation, false invasion of privacy and other claims.