Senior executives at Sony Pictures Entertainment have found themselves involved in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle.
In unsealed court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Tuesday, January 20, internal emails from executives at the movie studio who created It Ends With Us show various opinions on Lively and the controversy surrounding the film.
In an email from August 21, 2024, Sony president Sanford Panitch questioned why Lively’s Blake Brown line launched at the same time as the film’s release.
“The hair sell at the same time was epic level stupid,” he allegedly wrote per court documents. “She wouldn’t listen. She knows better.”
Multiple reports previously claimed that Lively’s Blake Brown line was set with Target months in advance and could not be changed. The film was originally set to premiere months early, but was pushed back.
Panitch also seemingly referenced the drama with Lively and Baldoni when he allegedly wrote, “She did it to herself. If she just let him come to the premiere or didn’t make all the cast unfollow him or kick him off the movie and did what everyone ever has done in show business for time and memorial, which is protect ‘the show,’ then none of the sleuthing would have happened.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Sony for comment on the unsealed court documents.
As Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni continues, keep reading to learn more about Panitch and other Sony executives who have found themselves involved with the case:
Who Is Sanford Panitch?
Sanford Panitch joined Sony in 2016 and was named copresident of the motion picture group with Josh Greenstein in October 2019.
He has overseen the studio’s blockbuster franchises such as Spider-Man, Jumanji and Venom.
In July 2025, Variety reported that Greenstein was stepping down from his role to join Paramount. Panitch would remain as president of Sony’s Motion Picture Group.
What Did Sanford Panitch Say About Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Drama?
In addition to questioning the timing of Blake Lively’s haircare line, Sanford Panitch predicted that the drama with It Ends With Us would affect the actress’ movie career.
“It’s quite ironic because she has a huge hit movie headed to $300M-plus,” Panitch wrote in court documents. “And probably will never work again, or not for a while.”
When another executive pushed back and predicted the backlash would fade, Panitch replied, “No. Disagree. She is done for. At least for a while. It’s cooked.”
What Did Other Sony Executives Say About Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends With Us’ Drama?
Court documents revealed alleged text messages between Blake Lively and Sony executive Ange Giannetti on August 11, 2024, days after It Ends With Us was released.
“Blake 50m dollars!! Your blood sweat tears brilliant smarts heart and soul in every single frame,” Giannetti wrote when celebrating the box office numbers. “My God. It’s incredible. Thank you 50m times and it’s only Sat night.”
In a separate deposition, Sony Motion Picture Group President Josh Greenstein said he believed the It Ends With Us edit Lively worked on was “a stronger cut.”
“All she cared about was greatness,” Greenstein allegedly said. “I was incredibly impressed that — especially seeing everything she was doing in terms of the cut of the film and the marketing of the film, that she — her creativity, she took a — like an OK campaign and elevated it.”
In August 2024, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chair-CEO Tony Vinciquerra told The Hollywood Reporter that the company wants “to do 12 more movies with [Lively.]”
“Blake, Colleen [Hoover] and so many women put so much effort into this remarkable movie, working selflessly from the start to ensure that such an important subject matter was handled with care,” he said. “Audiences love the movie. Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence is commendable.”
Other executives, however, wish Lively handled things differently.
On August 11, 2024, Tahra Grant, Executive VP and Chief Communications Officer at Sony allegedly wrote, “She orchestrated all this drama in a totally unsavvy and amateur way (and basically threatened…Sony) and now is mad it backfired on her.”
What Does Justin Baldoni’s Team Think of Sony’s Messages?
In a statement to People on January 21, 2026, Justin Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman expressed confidence that the various messages from Sony do not help Lively’s case.
“As stated all along, and reflected in our clients’ motions, as well as in messages from Sony discussing Ms. Lively’s behaviors, the evidence does not support the claims as a matter of law,” Freedman shared. “A simple read of the newly released message exchanges make the truth abundantly clear. We remain confident in the legal process and clearing the names of all of the Justin Baldoni parties.”
What Does Blake Lively’s Team Think of Sony’s Messages?
Blake Lively’s legal team believes various messages from Sony executives show the Gossip Girl alum had a big role in the film’s success.
“The documents show the Sony/Lively cut was the one chosen for release and was an unprecedented success, earning over $80 million dollars in its opening weekend and over $351 million dollars in box office worldwide,” Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively’s legal team told Us. “The evidence shows Ms. Lively worked closely with author Colleen Hoover on the cut. Sony supported this cut, Ms. Hoover expressed her preference for this cut, Wayfarer approved it and the book’s most devoted fans reacted to the Sony/Lively cut with enormous enthusiasm at Ms. Hoover’s charity event, Book Bonanza. The Sony/Lively cut went on to make Sony and Wayfarer hundreds of millions of dollars.”
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