In a bombshell sexual harassment complaint, Blake Lively accused her director and co-star Justin Baldoni of misconduct on the set of their film “It Ends with Us.” The lawsuit also highlights the role of expensive crisis communications experts in shaping public opinion and protecting celebrity reputations.
According to the complaint, Lively’s lawyers obtained text messages between Baldoni’s publicist, Jennifer Abel, and a crisis management team led by Melissa Nathan, which showed that they were prepared for a scenario where Lively would come forward with accusations of misconduct on the set. The team was allegedly planning to counter her by enlisting friendly journalists and hiring a digital whiz to fabricate and amplify unflattering content about her.
The crisis team’s plan, dubbed “reputation management,” involved a four-month, $175,000 battle plan to create a narrative that would deflect attention from Baldoni’s alleged misconduct. The plan included creating “threads of theories” on social media platforms like Reddit and TikTok, as well as hiring a “digital army” to promote content that appeared to be authentic.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, branded the allegations as “cherry-picked” and “irrelevant,” saying that they failed to provide crucial context. He also accused Lively’s team of using similar tactics to those accused of by Baldoni’s team.
The controversy has raised questions about the ethics of crisis PR and the use of expensive fixers to shape public opinion. Industry insiders have expressed concern that the language and tactics used by crisis PR experts are often at odds with their clients’ best interests. The use of social media “agitators” and “cyber warriors” to manipulate public opinion has also been criticized as unethical and potentially illegal.
The debate has also sparked concerns about the effect of crisis PR on the entertainment industry, with some experts warning that the line between reputation management and harassment or retaliation is increasingly blurry. As one industry figure noted, “These days, all PR is crisis PR.”