Justin Baldoni’s publicist breaks her silence on ‘cherry picked’ leaked messages about Blake Lively and denies ‘smear’ campaign
As a seasoned observer of Hollywood’s intricate dance, I find myself deeply troubled by this latest saga unfolding between Blake Lively and Ian Bohen. The allegations, if true, paint a disturbing picture of power dynamics, manipulation, and retaliation that is all too common in the industry.
Jennifer Abel, Justin Baldoni’s publicist, has finally spoken out regarding the leaked texts about Blake Lively that ignited allegations of sexual harassment against her client.
In a detailed legal document containing 80 pages, the actress, aged 37, has alleged that her co-star, who is 40 years old, from the movie “It Ends With Us”, engaged in unsuitable behavior on set and retaliated against her following this. However, he has strongly refuted these allegations.
According to Lively’s team, text messages found in the legal complaint suggest a complex strategy orchestrated by Mr. Baldoni and his associates, which they labeled as ‘social manipulation’, intended to tarnish Ms. Lively’s reputation. They claim this campaign started after she expressed worries about working conditions on set.
In the legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, it was revealed that Abel’s private text conversations with crisis management expert Melissa Nathan had been disclosed.
However, since then, Abel has taken to Facebook to release a statement clarifying her interactions with Nathan and firmly refuting any claims of a malicious smear campaign targeted at Lively.
She mentioned that while the carefully selected messages do not contain this surprising detail since it does not align with the storyline, there was actually no attempt to smear anything.
We never intentionally stirred up bad publicity or devised strategies for social conflict, but we always stay prepared for such situations since that’s part of our role. Fortunately, we didn’t need to act on these preparations as the internet seemed to take care of itself in this aspect.
Abel explained that a large number of the leaked conversations between her and Nathan were just them playfully discussing the fan reactions online regarding the rumored dispute between Baldoni and Lively, as they promoted their movie.
We discussed it, considered what resources we might need, marked accounts requiring our attention, collaborated with a social media team to maintain a proactive stance, and indeed, we celebrated and joked about the fact that fans were acknowledging our clients’ heart and work without any extra effort from us – just by staying focused on securing positive media coverage for our client.
From the text, it’s clear that we immaturely amused ourselves and exchanged jokes, secretly among ourselves, regarding the internet comments directed at the woman who was causing us significant trouble throughout the campaign.
“As a human being, I found it rewarding to observe that despite our extensive preparation and long hours, we didn’t need to go above and beyond to safeguard our client. Our readiness was more than enough.
In the kickoff of our marketing campaign, I was cautioned that the competing team might spread unfavorable tales about my client, serving as a contingency plan should my client fail to meet their specified requirements. To handle such unforeseen situations, we enlisted a crisis management team – a measure not typically within my usual scope of work.
My main responsibility was arranging interviews, potential screenings, and speaking engagements for my client regarding the movie, which is typical in my line of work. I fulfilled my duties successfully.
Abel countered accusations that she was working against another female colleague, instead stating her decision to support Baldoni, a client she has had for a long time.
She wrote: ‘Now what kind of woman would work against another woman who was a victim of all the things being claimed? Thanks for asking.
Following an examination of all the compelling data, facts, and indisputable evidence that refuted the initial assertions and requests during the production phase, I decided to remain loyal to my long-time client, a man who has committed over half a decade to advocating for equality, particularly for women.
‘Who showed no instances of mistreating others, was part of an exceptional community and team at Wayfarer that shared the same strong moral values, and consistently lived by those values.’
In our role as representatives, it falls upon each of us to make certain decisions. With this responsibility in mind, I endeavored to do what was necessary to the fullest extent possible, and took pride in the collective effort we made.
Lawyer Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni together with Abel and Nathan, issued a defense statement on behalf of his clients.
He stated that TAG PR functioned much like any other crisis management agency would when they were enlisted by a client dealing with intimidation from two highly influential individuals who possessed vast resources, alluding to Lively and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds.
In simpler terms, the preliminary plan for scenario analysis created by the TAG PR team turned out to be redundant because the public reacted negatively towards Lively’s actions, interviews, and promotional activities during the tour, which were deemed distasteful. Instead of following the planned approach, the audience organically responded to what the media highlighted about Lively, without needing any additional guidance or strategies from TAG PR.
It’s interesting to note that The New York Times, while attempting to expose a questionable PR strategy, inadvertently ended up supporting Emily Lively’s own dubious PR methods. This is because they published private text messages without providing crucial context – a practice she claims the firm is using, but it seems she may have employed it herself.
In her court filing, it is stated that Lively had concerns about Baldoni before the start of filming, and she alleges that they disagreed on his attempts to incorporate unnecessary nude and sexual sequences in the film.
The relationship deteriorated more significantly during the production process, eventually leading to a Human Resources meeting where Baldoni and his studio, Wayfarer, negotiated certain terms with Lively. These conditions were accepted, allowing for potential resumption of filming following the writers’ strike, as stated in the official documents.
Prior to August 2nd, Baldoni brought on board crisis management expert Nathan, along with publicist Abel, to his PR team.
A significant number of communications within the court case, procured through a subpoena, involve the women. One conversation includes Nathan stating that he could potentially ‘eliminate or discredit anyone.’
The message was sent in reply to Abel’s text which says that Baldoni, ‘wants to feel like she [Lively] can be buried’.
Nathan replies, “Absolutely – however, it’s important to note that when we share documents, we can’t include what we might or might not do, as that could lead us into a tricky situation.” He also clarifies, “We certainly can’t state that we will harm her.
She followed up the message with another which reads, ‘Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands.
‘You know we can bury anyone but I can’t write that to him. I will be very tough.’
Another back and forth on August 2 appears to show Nathan joking about murdering Lively.
‘I also sent you a present. Don’t worry, I didn’t kill her and send her in a box to your house. It’s a congratulations present,’ the message from Nathan reads, to which Abel responds: ‘DAMNIT’.
Later the same day, Abel penned down that she was contemplating impulsive ideas about writing negative comments on Blake’s performance at work this week.
As rumors surfaced about friction between Lively and Baldoni, speculation arose that their disagreements were primarily related to artistic differences.
Baldoni emphasized promoting the film by highlighting the central theme of domestic abuse, whereas Lively believed a more optimistic and inspiring approach would be preferable.
Later on, Lively faced criticism for her insensitive approach when advertising the movie, as she neglected to bring up the issue of domestic abuse during multiple interviews despite its relevance to the film.
It’s uncertain whether this response was intentionally created, yet Baldoni’s communications seem to suggest he was prepared to leverage the unfavorable publicity for his advantage.
In a message, Baldoni asks, “Could you please devise a TikTok approach focusing exclusively on discussing domestic violence, sharing relevant clips, and explaining the significance of this specific film?
However, amidst the continuous debate about the movie, some unsavory accusations that Amber Heard (Lively) had previously made against Baldoni started to surface in the media.
They mentioned that he made uncomfortable remarks about her body size and stayed too long during intimate kissing sequences.
The texts demonstrate that the crisis management group made efforts to change the conversation, refocusing media attention on Lively once more.
On August 11, Abel sent Baldoni a message reassuring him that the stories were not a threat.
She expressed that there hasn’t been much response, but her fans continue to be encouraging and think the ongoing dispute about the movie is due to her taking charge of it, as she put it in writing.
Yesterday, Nathan shared with Abel his thoughts about a topic, saying: “Most people seem to support Justin, but I only concur with about half of their views, chuckling ‘lol’.” In a different context, Nathan expresses his satisfaction with what he considers a ‘brilliant’ approach.
Jen, this turned out amazingly! I can’t wait to chat with you soon to share the details. It was absolutely brilliant!
Further allegations about Baldoni’s unwelcome behavior are included in the legal complaint.
The allegations suggest that Baldoni exhibited inappropriate behavior towards Lively, such as showing her explicit videos of his wife, invading her privacy by entering her trailer while she was nude or breastfeeding, openly discussing his alleged porn addiction, and making both Lively and other female staff members feel uneasy with his sexually suggestive remarks.
In my role as a lifestyle expert, I had the privilege of attending a crucial meeting in January, which brought together the dynamic trio of Ryan Lively, Jay Baldoni, and various studio representatives. During this gathering, we reached a consensus on several significant modifications to ensure a more harmonious and professional environment. Among these changes was the strategic decision to incorporate an intimacy coordinator onto our film set, further cementing our commitment to maintaining a respectful and inclusive workspace for all involved.
Wayfarer acknowledges that while we may have differing viewpoints on various matters, creating a secure space for everyone is undeniably crucial, as stated in the legal claim.
Moreover, it appears that a media strategy document attributed to the crisis management team, which is part of the legal complaint, describes their intended tactics for safeguarding the reputations of Baldoni, lead producer Jamey Heath, and fwayfWayfarer.
The document outlines several possible talking points to boost Baldoni, but also discredit Lively.
They mention that she has a less-than-stellar image within her professional circle, and they question whether her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was brought into the picture to establish an unfair advantage.
During the editing phase after filming, Lively replaced the original editor with one of her own choices, resulting in the final cut that was distributed.
In a different communication, it seems like Baldoni is proposing leveraging Reynolds’ participation as an additional strategy to attract Lively.
The text seems to imply that your partner discussed reversing the storyline regarding the morning’s revelation about Ryan claiming the script was a mess but ultimately saving the movie. In simpler terms, they suggested using Ryan’s own words against him.
Additionally, the document implies that certain team members may have been terminated because Lively demanded creative control over the project.
In her legal case, Lively has added a supposed text from Baldoni to Abel, which includes a screenshot of a conversation in an X forum discussing accusations of bullying against Hailey Bieber, accompanied by the statement: “This is the kind of evidence we’re looking for.
It’s clear that there’s been no indication whatsoever that Bieber played any role, directly or indirectly, in the rumored defamation case involving Lively.
Baldoni has refuted the claims through his lawyer Brian Freedman.
It’s regrettable that Ms. Lively and her associates have chosen to make such severe and undeniably untrue allegations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This seems to be another desperate move to rectify her damaged reputation, which stems from her own words and actions during the film campaign.
Publicly observed, real-time, uncensored interviews and media events, enabling open discussions and diverse perspectives on social media platforms.
‘These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.
Wayfarer Studios chose to bring on a crisis manager ahead of their film’s marketing campaign, as a precautionary measure. This individual would collaborate with their existing representative from Jonesworks, who is employed by Stephanie Jones. The decision was based on the numerous demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production, such as threatening not to attend set or promote the movie. If her requests were not fulfilled, she warned that it could lead to the film’s failure upon release.
It emerged that Ms. Lively employed Leslie Sloan from Vision PR, who also works with Mr. Reynolds, to spread misleading and entirely fictional reports to the media before any promotional activities for the film began. This was one of the factors that led Wayfarer Studios to engage a crisis management expert to initiate strategic planning in case they needed to deal with such issues.
At Wayfarer Studios, their representatives have yet to take any active steps or counteractions, instead choosing to address only incoming media queries for the purpose of maintaining accurate and fair reporting, while also monitoring social media activity.
Freedman noted that what’s conspicuously absent in the selectively presented letters is any proof of actions taken ahead of time with the media or elsewhere, beyond internal strategic planning and private discussions. Such preparations are typically part of a public relations professional’s routine.
Lively denied planting false or negative stories about her co-star or his company.
She expressed her hope that her legal action would expose the hidden, malicious strategies used to retaliate against individuals who expose misconduct, thereby safeguarding others who might face similar situations in the future.
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2024-12-24 14:34