Actress Blake Lively has been a public figure for a long time, starting when she played the lead of the Gossip Girl cast. She's remained household name thanks to her acting gigs and marriage to Ryan Reynolds, but most recently she's become associated with drama surrounding It Ends With Us (which is streaming with a Hulu subscription). Now that Lively and her-costar Justin Baldoni have settled their long legal battle, she's making a big change to her team.
When Blake Lively filed a complaint against Wayfarer Studios, it started a years-long legal fight between herself and It Ends With Us director/actor Justin Baldoni. Fans have been following the drama for years, with the book to screen adaptation synonymous with the beef. She and Baldoni seem to be moving on form it all, and now she's dropped her longtime publicist.
This news comes to us from Page Six, which claims that three sources confirmed Lively has separated from publicist Leslie Sloane. She'd been with the actress since back in the Gossip Girl days, so this is a major change. One can assume that it has to do with the It Ends With Us saga, which seems to have negatively impacted the public's perception of the 39 year-old actress. Since Sloane is given credit for helping make lively a household name, this change is turning heads.
Page Six reached out to both Blake Lively's manager and Leslie Sloane for a comment, but neither has issued one at the point of writing this story. The outlet reports that Lively dropped her because of the It Ends With Us drama, which continues to make headlines to this day. Despite both she and Justin Baldoni issuing a joint statement and settling their legal drama, new developments continue happening. Case in point: Lively is still requesting damages to cover legal fees and more.
Prior to the issues with Baldoni, the Shallows actress started getting backlash related to It Ends With Us. Folks took umbrage with her encouraging moviegoers to wear florals to the theater, given the movie's serious message about domestic violence. What's more, a journalist shared how Lively made her uncomfortable during an interview. It's all seemingly a PR nightmare, which might explain why she's dropped Sloane.
Only time will tell how Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's careers continue to be affected by the It Ends With Us saga. The Simple Favor actress has a few upcoming projects coming down the line, while Wayfarer Studios will be producing Gina Rodriguez's directorial debut. Neither of the stars have anything else coming out on the 2026 movie release list, but things do seem to be looking up. Perhaps Lively's change in publicist will also be a boon for her career as a whole.
