Over the past few months, people have asked me to share my perspective on the events surrounding the It Ends with Us press tour situation from August. I decided to wait until the recent NYT article and related legal developments were made public, as I wanted to ensure that my thoughts were based on publicly available information.
Back in August, I received an anonymous message via TikTok, which mentioned serious allegations. At the time, I attempted to confirm the claims with credible sources, but no one directly involved was willing to provide on-the-record confirmation. As a result, I chose not to discuss the matter publicly until more information was available.
Now that these details have been outlined in legal documents, I feel it’s an appropriate time to share my personal experience and understanding of how I became involved in the situation. I’ll provide some context, walk through the timeline of events, and reflect on my own thoughts along the way.
Statement of Position
Throughout my coverage, I maintained no direct contact with any principal parties involved in the production or legal proceedings. All information shared was based on publicly available sources or alleged communications from third parties. Any speculative content was clearly identified as such at the time of posting.
I am making this statement to provide transparency about my role in covering these events. Moving forward, I intend to return my focus to general pop culture coverage and other professional projects.
Legal Notice
This statement is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered as verification of any claims or allegations. All matters discussed remain subject to ongoing legal proceedings.
Background:
I’ve been a huge fan of pop culture for years, and I’ve always loved reading and learning about it. A couple of years ago, I decided to turn that passion into TikTok content.
I initially created a separate TikTok account called Pop Culture with Jenna, but after some time, I thought, “Why not consolidate everything into one account?” Once I made the switch, I started posting about current events and pop culture news on my main account. To my surprise, some of the videos really took off—one even hit over a million views! That video was about Stranger Things, but honestly, I would create content on anything I found interesting. In July, I joined the Creator Rewards Program, so I began actively looking for stories that could go viral.
One topic that caught my attention was the movie adaptation of It Ends With Us. I hadn’t read the book and didn’t care much about it at first, but I was intrigued by the casting. Blake Lively being cast seemed odd to me, as did Justin Baldoni—it felt like they were a bit too old for the roles. This casting choice sparked a lot of backlash when it was announced, which only added to my curiosity. Even though I’d seen behind-the-scenes content of the movie, I didn’t know much about the plot at the time.
Blake Lively has been on my radar for a long time. I was a big fan of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants growing up. While I didn’t watch much Gossip Girl, I knew she was the star of the show. As a proud Swiftie, I also knew her through her friendship with Taylor Swift, and of course, I’ve always loved her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
I was also familiar with Justin Baldoni. I’d listened to his podcast Man Enough, seen a few of his movies, and admired his work, especially his connection to Minnesota. He filmed a video here with Zach Sobiech, which really resonated with me as a Minnesotan.
Being a fan of both Blake and Justin, I was genuinely excited to see what they’d bring to the movie when it finally came out.
Start of the timeline: August 6th:
I didn't know the plot of the film and so I wasn't that invested and then I was looking for a new TikTok idea so I scrolled Instagram and I found one of Blake Lively's posts.
All of a sudden I kept seeing the question "Where's Justin? Where's Justin?" in the comments and I hadn't seen any articles about this yet or anything.
I just was seeing a few Instagram comments and I thought "Hmm that is weird. I haven't seen him in any of the press."
I’ve always been a film junkie (I went to film school) but also am a marketer so I was like this the weirdest press tour I’ve ever seen.
So then I started watching some videos about the press tour and realized Justin wasn't many of them at all.
So that night I decided to make a TikTok about it and I showed the screenshots of the instagram comments that I'd seen and asked what what going on.
So if you look back at the very first video I made about it you'll see that I just screenshotted Instagram comments, asked questions about it and then I went to bed.
I always go to bed being like “who knows what will happen in the morning when I wake up maybe it'll do well maybe not.”
August 7th:
I woke up one morning to find that a video I posted had garnered a couple hundred thousand views. I realized there was significant interest in the topic and decided to look into it further to see if I could find any additional information.
That’s when I came across Liz Plank’s Instagram stories. For context, Liz was one of the co-hosts on the Man Enough podcast and had attended the premiere of the film.
As I watched her stories, I noticed something unusual: Justin wasn’t mentioned or shown in any of them. Liz only tagged Blake, which struck me as odd given her close association with Justin. This sparked a lot of questions for me:
Why was Justin not being mentioned?
Why was no one talking to him?
Why wasn’t he with the rest of the cast?
These questions led me to create another video, which ended up being the one that went viral, with over 3.2 million views. I was surprised it was the follow-up video that took off, and suddenly I was inundated with DMs and comments.
I started making additional videos, not just about the drama but also about the box office, my theories, and other aspects of the story. It was a whirlwind trying to keep up with the momentum and the flood of messages I was receiving.
The DMs came from a range of people: crew members, individuals in post-production, and people who had worked with both parties. Each brought different perspectives—some seemed credible, while others appeared biased or limited by their level of access. Overall, I got the impression that the project had been very chaotic behind the scenes.
Around this time, I also started connecting with other creators covering the story. One standout was Liz, a TikTok creator and producer based in LA. She reached out to me, and we eventually started texting. Liz kept me updated on developments and was a great source of support during this overwhelming period. Huge thanks to Liz!
Thursday August 8th:
Many of the messages and comments leaned heavily against Blake, but what stood out to me was the surprising number of supportive comments about Justin. I noticed several remarks praising Justin, highlighting his positive qualities, and expressing admiration for him.
Actual comments on my most viral video included. ”I refuse to think Rafael could do anything wrong” ”Justin Baldoni is an absolute angel, I know that much” ”I refuse to take any criticism about Justin Baldoni! I love himmmmmm”
At the time, I found myself wondering, “How do so many people know Justin? Why does he have such a passionate following?”
In hindsight, I considered the possibility—though unconfirmed—that some of these comments could have been influenced by the alleged findings of what was written in Blake’s lawsuit. While I can’t say for certain, the situation left me questioning things and feeling uneasy. It all felt off.
I assume some of the support stemmed from his Jane the Virgin days, but the sheer number of people insisting he could never do anything wrong felt unsettling to me.
It made me think: You don’t really know this person.
Similarly, you don’t really know Blake either.
It raised the question: How can people take a side so strongly without knowing all the facts?
The disparity in narratives on TikTok, compared to the actions and dynamics of the cast, felt strikingly one-sided.
I did get many people sending me messages defending Justin and accusing Blake of being “hard to work with” and “taking over the movie” but I did get a handful that weren’t as positive about Justin.
• A message from someone in the post-production world who had worked with Justin and did not have a favorable impression.
• A message from someone close to Colleen, sharing that something negative had allegedly occurred involving Justin on the set.
One DM, in particular, caught my attention. It contained information closely matching details which are now outlined in the lawsuit. For privacy reasons, I won’t share specifics, but I do have screenshots of the conversation.
Interestingly, just about 30 minutes before receiving these messages, I had purchased a ticket to the movie. I felt it was important to watch it in order to continue covering the story.
As everything was unfolding in real time, I received an email from a reporter at a major news outlet. I believe the timing was coincidental, as the volume of people reaching out to me had been steadily increasing.
When I spoke with the reporter over the phone, I approached the conversation cautiously. I made it clear that the information I was sharing was unverified and merely allegations that had been shared with me. While I didn’t feel comfortable providing screenshots of the DM, I relayed the general content verbally so the reporter could investigate further. Throughout this process, I was focused on ensuring that any claims were treated responsibly and not presented as fact without proper evidence.
The reporter seemed surprised by the information and assured me they would look into it. I felt a sense of relief knowing that a professional with access to resources and journalistic standards was now investigating the matter. It lessened the weight of responsibility I had been feeling, as I knew verifying such claims was beyond my capacity as a content creator.
Over the following days, it became clear that no one directly involved in the situation was willing to speak on the record. The reporters kept me updated, explaining the difficulties they faced in corroborating the allegations. Both Blake’s and Justin’s teams appeared to be tightly controlling information, which made it nearly impossible for journalists to gain traction on the story at the time.
This experience reinforced my commitment to transparency and accuracy. I intentionally refrained from presenting the allegations as anything more than unverified claims and waited to see if those with more resources could confirm them. My goal was always to seek the truth while maintaining ethical standards in how I approached sensitive information.
At that point, I realized I couldn’t share the DM publicly. I understood the importance of having solid proof before discussing such serious allegations, as relying solely on this DM could have had significant consequences if the information turned out to be false. I was deeply aware of the potential legal and ethical implications of sharing unverified claims, including the risk of defamation.
Although I could have chosen to break the story on TikTok, I recognized that doing so without verification would have been irresponsible. The fact that two major news outlets, after reviewing the information I provided, chose not to publish anything further reinforced my decision to wait. It was clear that this situation had complex implications, and rushing to share incomplete or unverified information would not have served anyone involved.
At the time, public sentiment was overwhelmingly against Blake and supportive of Justin, which made me question whether sharing the allegations would have made an impact without concrete evidence. My goal was not to sway opinions but to ensure that any information shared was truthful and substantiated.
Even though the DM seemed to align with my instincts and helped me make sense of certain aspects of the situation, I ultimately chose to hold off. I felt it was more prudent to wait for the truth to come to light through reliable channels rather than risk adding to the confusion or misinformation. My intention throughout was to approach this matter with care and integrity.
I saw the film that night knowing all of this. It made it very hard to stomach and I ended up crying afterwards over all the intensity I felt.
Friday August 9th: The Hollywood Reporter article was published, followed by hundreds of others, many of which referenced my video (The Sun, Page Six, Distractify, The Independent). For the first time, my Google alert for my name was triggered. My “TikTok” presence suddenly became very public and personal, with people from all corners reaching out on social media, including some I hadn’t heard from in years.
It was an overwhelming experience. I was grappling with the weight of the DM I had received and the ramifications, yet I felt constrained from discussing it publicly. The situation left me feeling caught in a challenging position, unsure of how to navigate the sudden attention and responsibility.
Saturday August 10th and 11th:
On August 10th, I received an email from a reporter at another major publication. The following day, I sent her the screenshots of the DM I had received. She said she would investigate, but I never heard back.
At that point, I felt stuck. I had this alleged information, but without being able to verify it—and with reporters also struggling to confirm the details—I couldn’t provide any concrete conclusions in my videos. Instead, my updates ended with vague statements like “stay tuned for more.” While I hoped the DM wasn’t true, it inevitably influenced my perspective on the situation, which now it seemed to explain the actions of everyone involved, at least in my mind.
By then, the stress was taking a toll on my mental health. My birthday on August 11th arrived, but I was physically and emotionally drained from the whole experience. It felt like I was constantly in fight-or-flight mode.
I celebrated my birthday quietly with a small group of friends and tried to refocus on other aspects of my life.
August 12th and beyond:
I posted a few more TikToks during this time, referencing publicly available articles that mentioned Blake feeling “uncomfortable.” I used these articles to highlight that there seemed to be tension or issues worth noting.
While I didn’t directly reference or disclose the content of the message I had received, I acknowledge that my intention may have been to allude to it indirectly. I was careful to base my comments on publicly available information rather than making any unverified claims for fear again of any legal action if down the road what I believed was not true.
I ended up stepping back from TikTok entirely for a month, giving myself some space to process and recover.
August 16th:
YouTuber Brett Cooper shared a video about the story, including a clip from one of my TikTok videos. A few friends reached out to let me know after seeing her video, which garnered 2.5 million views.
At the time, the attention felt overwhelming, and even hearing people discuss the situation brought up a lot of difficult emotions for me. In the months that followed, when asked about it, I would simply say that I might share the full story someday. Now, after taking the time to process and reflect on the experience, I feel ready to share my perspective.
Saturday December 21st:
Months later, I woke up to texts and articles reporting that Blake had filed a lawsuit against Justin. Multiple people forwarded me the New York Times article and others detailing the case. As I read through them, I noticed that some of what I had previously suspected seemed to align with the details in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit included one of the DMs I had received and shared on Tiktok. To clarify, this was not something I created or wrote myself—I was simply sharing what had been sent to me. Blake’s team used this as proof that Justin’s team was tracking any remotely negative posts about him.
For me, this marks the end of my involvement in this story. I plan to step back and let things unfold as they will. While there’s likely more to come, I no longer wish to be a part of the discussion or to have this define my presence in the public eye.
TikTok's Role in the Story
What started as a simple observation about Instagram comments quickly transformed into something much bigger, largely due to TikTok's unique ecosystem. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how the platform itself shaped this story's trajectory.
The Algorithm's Impact
When my follow-up video hit 3.2 million views, I witnessed firsthand how TikTok's algorithm can amplify a story beyond its original scope. What began as a straightforward question about Justin's absence from press events snowballed as the algorithm pushed my content to millions of viewers, many of whom had no prior context about the situation. Each view, like, and comment fed into the algorithm, creating a feedback loop that kept the story at the forefront of many For You Pages.
The pressure of the Creator Rewards Program definitely played a role here. As I mentioned earlier, I had just joined in July, so I was actively seeking trending topics. This situation hit right as I was learning to navigate content creation as a potential income source, which added another layer of complexity to my decision-making process.
The Comment Section Echo Chamber
Looking back, I noticed how the comment sections of my videos became their own ecosystem. Early comments often set the tone for subsequent responses. When those initial comments were heavily pro-Justin or anti-Blake, as many were, it created a sort of echo chamber. New viewers would arrive at the video, see these comments, and their perceptions would be influenced before they'd even fully processed the situation.
This relates back to what I observed about the surprisingly passionate defense of Justin in the comments. TikTok's format encourages quick, emotional responses rather than nuanced discussion, which might explain why so many people felt comfortable making absolute statements about people they'd never met.
Platform Limitations and Responsibility
One of the biggest challenges I faced was trying to cover this story responsibly within TikTok's format constraints. How do you convey the complexity of a developing situation in videos that typically need to be under three minutes to perform well? How do you maintain nuance when the platform rewards definitive, attention-grabbing statements?
When I received that significant DM with serious allegations, these platform limitations became even more apparent. TikTok's quick-hit format isn't really designed for the kind of careful, measured reporting this situation required. This partially explains why I turned to professional journalists instead of sharing the information directly on my platform.
The Digital Footprint
What I didn't fully appreciate at the time was how permanent this digital footprint would become. Once my videos were cited by The Hollywood Reporter and other mainstream media outlets, they became part of the official record of this story. My TikToks weren't just quick social media posts anymore – they were being referenced in serious journalism and, eventually, legal documents.
This permanence adds weight to what might otherwise seem like casual social media commentary. When the lawsuit mentioned one of the DMs I had shared, it drove home how social media content can transcend its original context and platform limitations to become part of larger narratives.
Looking Forward
This experience has fundamentally changed how I approach content creation on TikTok. While the platform's ability to rapidly spread information can be powerful, it also requires careful consideration of responsibility and impact. As I move forward with my pop culture coverage and other projects, I'm much more mindful of how TikTok's unique characteristics can shape narratives and influence public perception.
The platform's role in this story – from its algorithm to its comment sections to its format limitations – serves as both a cautionary tale and a learning experience for creators covering developing stories. While TikTok can be an incredibly powerful tool for sharing information and building community, it's crucial to understand its limitations and potential impacts when dealing with sensitive or developing situations.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to focus on writing my book in 2025 and creating lighthearted TikToks about pop culture, which is what I enjoy most. What started as a story I followed has veered into territory like true crime, a genre I don’t typically cover, and I’m ready to move on from it.
Jenna Redfield is a Minnesota-based entrepreneur specializing in digital organization, content creation, and personal wellness strategies. As a Notion Ambassador, she offers templates, courses, and coaching to help individuals streamline workflows and boost productivity. Jenna shares her expertise on TikTok, YouTube, and her podcast, Optimization Toolbox, where she explores ADHD-friendly productivity and content creation strategies. With an upcoming book on digital organization and personal optimization, Jenna continues to empower others to achieve clarity and success in both their personal and professional lives.
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