The PR Battle Between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni: Strategy, Spin, & Smear
“PR battles are normal and placing stories to protect your client is crisis communications 101.”
“PR is a battlefield. We fight with the truth, but make no mistake — it’s still a knife fight.”
Few films in recent memory have generated as much behind-the-scenes intrigue as It Ends With Us. Social media's fixation on production drama — reminiscent of the frenzy surrounding Don’t Worry Darling — has turned the feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni into a full-fledged digital battleground. Much like the scrutiny leading up to the infamous “spitting incident,” the fallout has been dissected with obsessive precision.
However, this time the stakes extend beyond fan speculation. The escalating conflict between Lively and Baldoni has morphed into a bitter PR war, amplified by a bombshell New York Times exposé. The resulting narrative reads like a Hollywood thriller, complete with leaked texts, media spin, and accusations of sexual misconduct, sexism, and unethical power plays.
The Anatomy of a Smear Campaign
At the heart of the feud is Lively’s accusation that Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign to discredit her after tensions arose on set. According to Lively, Baldoni enlisted a PR team known for its aggressive tactics: TAG PR, whose specialist — Melissa Nathan — previously led the entertainment team at Hiltzik Strategies, the team that represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial.
The New York Times exposé uncovered internal emails from Baldoni’s team, revealing a calculated strategy to redirect public attention toward Lively’s alleged behavior. One email read: “If Blake wants to paint herself as the victim, we need to remind people that she’s been known to demand creative control at the expense of others’ input. Let’s highlight her reputation for being difficult without making it personal.”
Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars and It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover have rallied behind her, condemning the alleged campaign and praising Lively’s resilience.
“None of Blake’s interviews were manufactured or altered; they resurfaced due to genuine interest and online interactions, just like any other content. The internet criticized her PR campaign around It Ends With Us because of tone-deaf messaging, a failure on her part. TAG [Baldoni’s PR team] had an attack PR strategy ready, but it was never needed, as the internet was already organically aligned with Justin.” — Anon
Key Allegations Include:
Digital Manipulation: Subcontractors were hired to create fake social media posts tarnishing Lively’s reputation.
Inappropriate Conduct: Baldoni reportedly made comments about Lively’s weight, religion, and personal life, leading to a strained professional relationship.
Sex Scene Disputes: Lively pushed back against adding sex scenes beyond the approved script, reportedly angering Baldoni.
Intimidation Tactics: Lively alleges Baldoni sought to silence her with threats and retaliation.
“Justin told me to ‘leave my personal issues at home’ after I requested time off to handle a family emergency,” Lively states in the filing. “He actively dismissed my creative contributions, creating a hostile environment where I felt voiceless.”
Justin reportedly became concerned about press coverage after noticing he had been blocked on Instagram by Blake’s husband, Ryan Reynolds. “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when the movie comes out,” he wrote, suggesting that a strategy would help him feel more at ease. Tension escalated when it was alleged that Justin wanted Blake to “feel like she can be buried.” Melissa, the PR team’s crisis management expert, responded, “You know we can bury anyone,” but cautioned that certain actions could lead to legal trouble, warning that documents revealing their plans could end up in the wrong hands.
The lawsuit further claims Justin routinely targeted Blake’s body and weight. Just months after Blake gave birth to her fourth child, Justin allegedly reached out to her fitness trainer behind her back. He expressed concern over needing to lift Blake in an upcoming scene, which never existed. This covert attack on her physical appearance reportedly humiliated Blake.
The pressure didn’t stop there. Justin, according to Blake, is said to have pushed for more explicit content in the script, including additional sex scenes. Blake objected, requesting that there be “no more adding of sex scenes, oral sex, or on-camera climaxing by BL outside the scope of the script BL approved when signing onto the project.” But the alleged behavior continued. Blake’s team claims Justin insisted on multiple takes of an intimate scene, even going so far as to discreetly bite and suck on Blake’s lower lip during one take, despite her discomfort and the lack of prior consent.
In another deeply troubling claim, Justin allegedly pressured Blake to appear nude while giving birth. He insisted that it was “not normal” for women to remain clothed in hospital gowns during labor and claimed his wife had “ripped her clothes off” during childbirth. Blake disagreed but felt forced into a compromise, agreeing to be nude from the waist down during filming.
Blake’s team also revealed her attempts to set boundaries during the production. She reportedly requested, “No more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.” These requests were reportedly ignored or violated, adding further distress to her experience.
The lawsuit claims the production company behind the film, Wayfarer (at which Justin is an executive), went beyond standard crisis PR, engaging in a practice known as astroturfing: manipulating public opinion by making it appear as though ordinary people were behind certain media stories. Melissa allegedly coordinated with an editor at The Daily Mail, who was “ready when we are” to publish stories about Blake. Later, a story from the outlet was shared, and Melissa responded, “That’s why you hired me right. I’m the best.”
The lawsuit paints a clear picture of a controlling atmosphere where Blake’s well-being was consistently disregarded in favor of maintaining a specific narrative.
However, Baldoni has vehemently denied the accusations, dismissing Lively’s claims as exaggerated and self-serving. “Blake’s accusations are not only false but deliberately inflammatory,” Baldoni said in a statement to The New York Times. “She was deeply involved in every creative decision, and her demands often conflicted with the vision we had agreed upon as a team.”
Leaked text messages from Baldoni’s team seem to support his account—or, at the very least, complicate Lively’s narrative. In one exchange, Lively allegedly wrote: “I can’t work under these conditions anymore, Justin. If I’m not heard, this project will fail.”
Sources close to the situation reveal that Baldoni’s team became aware of the looming negative press in early August. Acting swiftly, his crisis PR team moved to protect his reputation against what they described as baseless accusations.
“Everyone needs a modern-day defense lawyer,” one insider explained. “In today’s world, that lawyer is often a PR professional. Being canceled online can damage your career just as much as a lawsuit, and that’s where we come in—to protect and shape the narrative.”
In Baldoni’s case, the stakes were high. “He likely got on the call and said, ‘I hear my life is about to be ruined by Blake Lively, who’s big and powerful.’ The team reassured him, saying, ‘We’ll protect you, ensure your positive narrative is out there, and push back in the press.’ That’s what publicists do—counter narratives and fight for their clients.
But after reviewing the strategy, he may not have felt the same energy or protection he’d been promised. His longtime publicist intervened, and Melissa responded, ‘We can bury her,’ meaning the team would do whatever it took to defend him.”
This narrative-building reportedly involved countering claims fueled by viral moments and planted stories. The stories, which suggested inappropriate behavior and internal conflict, subtly wove a damaging narrative against Baldoni, escalating the public drama.
- August 9: Disturbing TRUTH behind why Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us stars are feuding with Justin Baldoni
- August 13: Justin Baldoni Hires Crisis PR Veteran Amid Alleged ‘It Ends With Us’ Rift
- August 14: SHE FELT KISSING SCENE LINGERED TOO LONG ...Feels He Fat-Shamed Her
- September 12: Blake Lively Was ‘Upset’ by It Ends With Us Drama: ‘It Felt Very Out of Control to Her’ (Exclusive)
“At the time, there were pro-Blake, anti-Justin stories being placed ahead of the big blow-up,” one source revealed. “They were weaving a narrative ahead of time to control the headlines. His team clearly had to be careful not to fight back too aggressively, or it would validate the negativity.”
The timing of the lawsuit filed by Lively’s team just days before Christmas is seen by some as a strategic attempt to disrupt Baldoni’s ability to respond effectively. The lawsuit cited alleged ethical breaches by Baldoni’s team, including accusations of obtaining private text messages and documents.
Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni’s crisis management firm, denied these allegations and called out Lively’s team for unethical practices. Freedman said, “The New York Times ran with claims about subpoenas that don’t exist. They accepted information obtained unethically without proper verification. It’s astonishing that they didn’t demand to see a subpoena before referencing it.”
Outside of the central feud between cast members, this case highlights broader questions about the ethics of PR and journalism: How far is too far in shaping public opinion? And what happens when the boundaries between truth, spin, and strategy blur?
“People lack PR literacy,” an industry source added. “They don’t understand how the industry works. PR isn’t about spinning lies — it’s about highlighting the truth in a way that defends their clients. Sometimes, that truth comes with a knife fight.”
This battle of narratives between Baldoni and Lively raises questions about the ambitions driving the conflict. Lively, alongside her husband Ryan Reynolds, has been building a media empire akin to Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, with plans to leverage the lucrative “book-to-screen” market. Some sources I spoke to wondered whether their partnership with Colleen Hoover (who already has multiple adaptations of her best-selling books in pre-production) plays any role in the feud.
What started as whispers of creative differences exploded during the promotional tour. Observers noted palpable tension between Lively and Baldoni, particularly during joint appearances. Lively, in her own words during interviews, fueled backlash, with fans criticizing her tone when addressing the film’s sensitive themes surrounding domestic violence.
“She was suddenly very unlikable. People started to notice how off putting and tone-deaf she was in these sit-downs, and they turned on her as a result. None of that was orchestrated. It led to internet sleuths diving deeper into her background to find further evidence of her being problematic overall.”
“My Nightmare Interview”
In an unearthed 2016 interview promoting Café Society, Kjersti Flaa, a California-based journalist and founder of Content Now TV, experienced what she described as a “traumatizing” exchange with Blake Lively. While congratulating the then-pregnant actress on her “little bump,” Blake shot back with, “Congrats on your little bump,” a comment Kjersti said “felt like a bullet” because she is unable to conceive.
The remark left Kjersti feeling “belittled and ignored” throughout the interview, prompting her to question her future in the industry. “I was there to do a job, but they made it as difficult as possible,” she shared with DailyMail.com, adding that the experience shattered her confidence and left her replaying the encounter, trying to understand the hostility.
Now 51, Kjersti has no regrets about speaking out, despite Blake’s recent unrelated lawsuit. “I showed her behaving poorly in an interview and what it looks like when the power dynamic is off,” she said. “It wasn’t about her allegations, but about standing up to disrespect in the workplace.”
Though the incident initially shook her, Kjersti said it ultimately strengthened her resolve to continue her work on her own terms.
Speculation intensified when it was revealed that multiple cuts of the movie were created during post-production. While such variations aren’t uncommon, the lack of a unified vision — paired with Baldoni’s absence from key promotional events — fueled theories of behind-the-scenes discord. Social media sleuths zeroed in on Instagram activity, noting that neither Lively nor her co-stars followed Baldoni.
Adding to the intrigue was Lively’s revelation that her husband, Ryan Reynolds, contributed dialogue to a pivotal rooftop scene early on in the film. While insiders confirmed Reynolds’ involvement was minimal due to his commitments to Deadpool & Wolverine, the admission bolstered rumors that Lively had wrested creative control from Baldoni.
Tensions escalated further when Jen Abel, a former employee of Baldoni’s PR firm, left to start her own agency. Baldoni wanted to follow her but was bound by a contract with Jonesworks (a different PR firm), sparking a legal battle. Amid this fallout, Stephanie Jones, CEO of Jonesworks, allegedly accessed Abel’s private communications and passed them to Lively’s team. These messages formed the foundation of the New York Times article, portraying Baldoni as a vindictive strategist determined to “bury” Lively.
Critics question the ethics of how these texts were obtained. “This wasn’t transparency — it was pure retaliation,” an insider claimed, pointing to Jones’s motives (who is now suing Baldoni for breach of contract).
Freedman also addressed the role of Baldoni’s crisis management firm in a broader statement. Freedman told Variety, “If all of the text messages were produced in that ‘subpoena,’ then Lively’s team knows the true facts of what actually happened and did not happen. The truth is completely different than what has been portrayed in the complaint and they know that. The complete set of text messages unequivocally show that there was no smear campaign initiated at all which is why certain texts are incomplete and other texts, which tell the truth, are purposefully excluded.”
Baldoni’s team has staunchly denied any misconduct, calling the texts “cherry-picked” and emphasizing that industry jargon was twisted to appear sinister. “The internet took routine PR conversations and turned them into a scandal,” an industry source said.
Bryan Freedman added, “TAG PR [Melissa Nathan’s PR firm] operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources. The standard scenario planning TAG PR drafted proved unnecessary as audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews, and marketing during the promotional tour distasteful, and responded organically to that which the media themselves picked up on.
It’s ironic that the New York Times, through their effort to ‘uncover’ an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively’s own dubious PR tactics by publishing leaked personal text exchanges that lack critical context — the very same tactics she’s accusing the firm of implementing.”
Sources defending Baldoni insist it was Lively’s team who started planting insidious narratives to try and shift mounting criticism of Blake. “Her team realized the narrative wasn’t shifting in her favor and social media was bringing up all of these old interviews from her and her antebellum wedding and Woody Allen support, so then they decided to focus on the fact that he hired Johnny’s previous team.”
Blake’s hair company Blake Brown alleged that sales were cut by up to 78% due to the onslaught of negative social media.
The Lively-Baldoni feud is far from an isolated incident. Recent years have seen a spate of celebrity disputes spilling into the public arena, from Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial to Olivia Wilde’s behind-the-scenes drama on Don’t Worry Darling. What sets this case apart is how thoroughly it has exposed the internal machinery of Hollywood PR, as both sides have weaponized leaks, media narratives, and carefully timed statements to gain the upper hand.
Despite the accusations, Baldoni’s reputation as a thoughtful filmmaker and advocate for social causes has largely weathered the storm. So far, that is. Organic support online, to date, has counterbalanced Lively’s complaints, with many pointing to her own public missteps as the origin of the conflict. Meanwhile, Lively’s team continues to grapple with the fallout. Her once-glowing reputation has taken a hit, as critics and fans alike question her approach to the film’s promotion. The situation has brought in vocal support from allies like Amber Heard, who described social media as a “weaponized battlefield.”
“The media weaponized my past for clicks and for drama,” Heard remarked, reflecting on her own public battle with Depp. “It’s all the same: they twist narratives to create villains. You’re a hero or a villain based on who controls the story.”
Critics have drawn comparisons between the Lively-Baldoni feud and the infamous Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial, but defenders of Baldoni argue that such parallels are part of a slanderous tactic. “This isn’t that,” one source remarked. “The public came to detest Amber Heard because they watched the trial unfold live and saw firsthand that she wasn’t credible or likable. That shift was organic.”
Amid the public spectacle, the personal toll on both parties has become apparent. Lively, who has long cultivated an image as an unshakeable professional, now faces accusations of being controlling, self-serving, and difficult. Baldoni, once seen as a figure of emotional intelligence and compassion, risks tarnishing his reputation through the optics of aggression and retaliation, in addition to disturbing claims of sexual misconduct on set.
Some PR pros are empathetic to Abel and Nathan, given the unusual disclosure of private texts and documents which were likely subject to nondisclosure agreements.
“There are two smear campaigns going on here,” said one top studio executive. “One against Lively, and one against the PR people. It doesn’t mean that Jen Abel and Melissa Nathan didn't do anything wrong, but who sold them out? There's a code you don't breach.”
Another industry figure frequently involved in high-profile conflicts said, “That's crisis PR talk, right? Everybody talks like that. Everybody loves to talk a big game.”
“This isn’t just about Blake and Justin,” they noted. “It’s a wake-up call for the industry. You can’t manipulate the narrative without consequences — not in the digital age.”
While the dust is far from settled, this case as it stands now serves as a reminder of the cutthroat nature of Hollywood’s reputation management industry. As one insider I spoke to put it: “PR is a battlefield. We fight with the truth, but make no mistake — it’s still a knife fight.”
I don’t know what happened on the set and I will try to not make any judgements. HOWEVER she promoted movie about domestic violence with “florals”, launched her hair products at the same time and promoted her husband’s movie. It seems to me that she sabotaged herself with being completely out of touch and self-serving. And let’s not forget her mean and ignorant behavior during interviews. Now she is trying to fix her image but blaming others. How brave!
Was waiting patiently for all this, way more info/details than I’ve seen anywhere else thus far. General coverage (even some non-mainstream) is really pushing to defend Lively, and admittedly, I’d be grossed out by a lot of these claims but I’m just not sold. Neither seem very likable, TBH, but I’m old enough to remember like a week ago when RR tried to claim Blake and him both grew up “working class” and that now seems like a little seed he was sowing to gain some empathy for this lawsuit they decided to bomb the media with before Xmas. Also, RR & BL seem so money-hungry with all their conquests/products and sorry but it just sits real icky given how much money they rake in combined already. My overall opinion right now is that both parties should get over themselves, but the power imbalance working against Justin makes me doubt the BL side for sure.