Ryan Reynolds Called Justin Baldoni a 'Sociopath' and 'Predator' in Explosive Texts to 'It Ends With Us' Author Before Blake Lively Filed Lawsuit

Ryan Reynolds didn't mince words when talking about Justin Baldoni to It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover as the film adaptation of her novel hit theaters.

"It's amazing to me that you can have everybody involved with a production completely run away from a person who is obviously a predator and sociopath and the narrative must first land on why a woman is the problem," Reynolds, 49, wrote in a text message dated August 10, 2024, according to a new report.

Reynolds' wife, Blake Lively and Baldoni, 42, starred as love interests in It Ends With Us, which hit theaters on August 9, 2024.

Nearly four months later, the Gossip Girl star filed a complaint in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and running a smear campaign against her around the film's debut. Baldoni denied the allegations.

The Jane the Virgin star filed a $400 million counterclaim weeks later, accusing Lively and Reynolds of defamation and extortion. A judge later dismissed Baldoni's counterclaim in June 2025.

Reynolds and Hoover's text messages were exchanged amid the film's 2024 press run, where the actress faced backlash for her perceived lack of sensitivity when promoting a movie centered on domestic violence.

"It’s amazing to me how low people still go," the Deadpool star wrote to Hoover. "But people are already coming forward and soon enough someone is just gonna go on record."

"It's mind blowing,” Hoover, 46, wrote in response. "But also I feel like the loud ones are mostly 13-year-olds who don’t have fully developed brains yet and will be mortified by their thought process a few years from now."

The It Ends With Us author added, "Good to hear it’s already beginning to skew away from him."

Reynolds was "surprised" that the negative reaction was "mostly girls," adding, "At least, that’s what I’ve seen. And the really smart folks already know. Although the narrative at the moment is how insanely well the film is performing and how much audiences love it. So…"

Hoover reacted to Reynolds' message with a heart.

Lively and Baldoni's settled their 18-month legal battle in May just weeks before the case was set to hit trial. The case reportedly cost the It Ends With Us costars a combined $60 million in legal fees.

"This settlement is a resounding victory for Blake Lively," the actress' lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement with a news outlet on May 7. "By agreeing to this settlement, and waiving their right to appeal, Justin Baldoni and every individual defendant now face personal liability for abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate Ms. Lively."