Hasan Minhaj Reacts to Rumored 'It Ends With Us' Cast Drama

In a new interview with Esquire for its latest digital cover story, the actor and comedian -- who had a role in the 2024 romantic drama -- addressed the speculation about a possible feud between actress Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who both directed and starred in the film as Lively's love interest.

While there are fan theories about what could have caused a potential rift between the two, nothing has ever been confirmed by the actors themselves. And according to Minhaj, he wasn't aware anything went down behind the scenes.

"I can't speak to other people's experience, but everybody was very professional and cool to me," he told Esquire. "It was lovely and everybody was lovely, and it is just as disillusioning for me, because I'm like, what happened? Wait, what's going on?"

"It was a strange, bizarre year, and I am a comic deep down, because there are moments where I'm laughing at it," continued Minhaj, who also addressed the fallout from a New Yorker article published last September, in which he confessed to making up or exaggerating the truth about anecdotes he told in his stand-up routines, in his Esquire interview.

The Daily Show alum then referenced a Dave Barry quote, bringing it on his phone.

"'A sense of humor is a measurement of the extent to which we realize that we are trapped in a world almost totally devoid of reason. Laughter is how we express the anxiety we feel at this knowledge,'" the quote read, with Esquire noting that Minhaj told the reporter that the message is about embracing the "cosmic joke."

In the film, which is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel, Minhaj starred as Marshall, the brother-in-law of Baldoni's Ryle and Lively's Lily, playing the husband of Jenny Slate's character, Allysa.

"It's a surreal, wild thing that I couldn’t even imagine," Minhaj told Esquire said of appearing in the film. "I don't think anyone would've predicted it. I remember when Justin reached out to me and asked me to be part of the movie; he was so impassioned."

Minhaj's comments come after speculation of drama between Lively and Baldoni. Videos from users and creators on TikTok put a spotlight on the perceived drama, sharing their theories on why they strongly believe there's friction between the two.

The speculation seemingly began after Baldoni did not appear in any photos with Lively and fellow cast members at the film's New York premiere.

Then, Slate gave a sideways answer when asked about working with Baldoni during an interview with Deadline on the red carpet. Rather than answer directly, she sidestepped to, "What an intense job to have to do so many things," referring to him both acting and directing.

Her response further ignited rumors that something happened between Lively and Baldoni.

Meanwhile, sleuths on TikTok also discovered that Lively, Hoover, and the majority of the other cast members don't follow Baldoni on Instagram, while he follows them. In fact, Minhaj appears to be the only member of the main cast who follows Baldoni.

Another factor those online believe could have created a rift between Lively and Baldoni is Ryan Reynolds' involvement -- after Lively confirmed Reynolds rewrote the rooftop scene in the film. Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Reynolds wrote a large portion of dialogue for the scene, but did not the whole scene.

Sources also told TMZ that Lively felt fat-shamed by Baldoni during production after he had allegedly visited his trainer to ask how much his costar weighed and to find ways he could train so he wouldn't injure his back, with the insiders noting that the actor has a history of back problems. According to the outlet's sources, Lively -- who had given birth to her fourth child in February 2023 -- took issue with Baldoni's alleged remarks. Sources also told TMZ that Lively felt uncomfortable after Baldoni allegedly lingered too long while filming a kissing scene.

Meanwhile, other attacks on Lively stemmed from how she and Baldoni appeared to have promoted the film very differently, with Lively leaning into fashionable red carpet moments and participating in prank videos ... while Baldoni focused more on how the movie depicts domestic violence, bringing more awareness to the issue.