In December 2024, actress Blake Lively surprised the entertainment world with demanding director and actor Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment. What four months after the premiere Break the circlea film he co-starred in and directed. Also, from a press tour full of rumors, controversies and controversies. Most, pointing to the superficial appearance of the interpreter About the problem of domestic violence, production center.
But the lawsuit addressed the issue of excessive negative attention Lively received over several months. In addition to accusing the actor of inappropriate behavior on set, Demand also explored another troubling point. An alleged major defamation campaign that was aimed at destroying the artist’s professional and personal reputation. That by order of Justin Baldoni and involving your crisis management team.
In addition, legal libel was studied at several points simultaneously. On the one hand, there is the fact that Baldoni hired the services of Melissa Nathan, a public relations specialist who handled the case of Johnny Depp and his divorce. On the other hand, that the publicist’s team coordinated a frontal attack through social networks, forums and the press to discredit Blake Lively. A preventive maneuver in the face of the fact that The actress reveals the assumptions that occurred during filming.
While this is not the first time the demand for damage and prejudice against public image has been fulfilled, it is the first to show the intricate mechanism of one. In fact, much of the controversy surrounding Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came from details that revealed the performance of their publicists. Point of view showing in detail the huge already complex press mechanism Hollywood and what points to its most questionable practices.
Origin of the scandal
Although Break the circle– Based on Colleen Hoover’s books – it was a box office hit, the truth is that her promotion was completed in a sour dispute. The argument, which tells the story of a woman who experiences domestic violence, was considered superficial and sweetened for the seriousness of the subject. But much more than that, the way Blake Lively, the lead and then producer, seemed to focus only on the most trivial aspects of the plot. What did he include, his character’s profession, The central theme of several of his interviews during the promotional tour.
Or is it something that involved constant attention – almost always critical and negative – about the actress. However, demand makes it clear that this was a maneuver similar to the one used by Nathan during Johnny Depp’s reputation crisis. A maneuver that, according to Lively’s demand, focused its efforts on transferring conversations to platforms and social networks in relation to discrediting and slandering the attack. What when using different strategies pdistort the narrative around the tape, its message and distribution.
The strategy was a precautionary maneuver to prevent the spread of Lively, which could spread what happened in filming. According to the claim, Justin Baldoni and producer Jamie Heath created a toxic and violent atmosphere during nearly a year of filming. Especially after returning to production, after the 2023 union was completed. This is to note the many restrictions in the behavior of the director, as well as the producer of the film. Something that included showing nude videos, Even aggressive behavior such as improvising scenes without an intimacy coordinator.
An increasingly uncomfortable contradiction
During December 2024 and based on the article New York Times Details of the claim showed that the conflict began with a specific event. This is when in July 2024, Justin Baldoni hired Melissa Nathan as soon as he discovered that Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively’s husband, was blocked on Instagram. In order to prevent conflict and to prevent Blake from venting the agreement during filming, Baldoni He insisted on a negative public relations campaign against the actress.
Throughout August and September, both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni remained distant while promoting. In fact, the first symptom of the conflict was that social networks immediately warned that the actors were avoiding being together. Either in interviews, red carpets or debates. The truth is that Justin Baldini and Blake Lively remained at a considerable distance and simply directed the word. In addition, it was known that the team The production tilted for the actress and the majority ultimately turned out to be in her favor.
Soon after, a wave of backlash against Blake Lively’s comments and general attitude was made public. Much more so when he was directly accused of trivializing a complex issue such as abuse and domestic violence. In contrast, Justin Baldoni – who has spent years making a career as a feminist ally in Podosta and other content – He seemed focused on analyzing the film raised in the film in a very direct way.
As requested by Blake Lively, his attitude towards the tour responded to Sony’s demands while indicating which topics he could delve into. Agreement that Justin Baldoni ignored the convenience and failed to notify the Blake Livel Press team. By early October, several media outlets were describing the situation as a crisis credibility for the actress and a public relations triumph for the director.
Timeline of public shock
Finally, Blake Lively has decided to counterattack with a lawsuit that not only precedes the marks regarding relationships between actors on any set of filming. Additionally, to how image and reputation are handled in social media and the media. A random process that It had some interesting and key dates to understand its development.
December 20, 2024:
Blake Lively files a sexual harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni. He faces off against the California Department of Civil Rights. The document includes all the data about Justin Baldoni’s behavior during filming. At the same time, details the alleged smear campaign launched against the actress.
December 21, 2024:
New York Times He publishes a detailed investigation of all the resources used by Justin Baldoni to attack Blake Lively. In addition, WME announces the dismissal of Baldoni as a client.
December 31, 2024:
Blake Lively is suing Justin Baldoni, his producer Wayfarer and his public relations team in New York federal court. This, claiming that he came under relentless attack after the New York Times article.
In turn, Justin Baldoni and his team filed a lawsuit New York Times defamation. This is according to the assumption that the research article was data driven rather than a verified narrative that benefited the actress.
January 16, 2025:
Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer and public relations agency Nathan & Abel have a controversy against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. The legal maneuver is seeking $400 million in damages and prejudice. Dead libel, civil extortion and invasion of privacy included.
Ryan Reynolds is included in the demand, accused of manipulating circumstances during filming to gain creative control over the film. Also because, according to Baldoni, he ultimately appropriated the publication and the final production cuts. In case all of the above weren’t enough, Baldoni also accused Reynolds of using Nicepool tape characters Deadpool and Wolverine (Wolverine)To make fun of him.
January 17, 2025:
Blake Lively’s legal and public relations responded to Justin Baldoni’s allegations in a joint statement. In the document, they insist that this is yet another twist on Defame’s central strategy and narrative control against the actress.
Source: Hiper Textual
