Less than a day after it surfaced that actor Blake Lively has sued her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment, a new report has published private text messages, allegedly between Baldoni and his publicists. The messages, filed as part of Blake Lively's suit, appear to show how Baldoni orchestrated a PR-driven smear campaign against Blake after she accused him of inappropriate behaviour on the film's set. (Also read: Justin Baldoni ousted by talent agency after Blake Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit)
The alleged plan to 'bury' Blake Lively
The New York Times has reported how Justin Baldoni contacted Jennifer Abel, the public relations head of his studio, Wayfarer, and together, they brought in crisis management expert Melissa Nathan for the job. NYT report stated that in May 2024, months after filming ended, Baldoni realised that Ryan Reynolds, Blake's husband, had blocked him on Instagram. “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when movie comes out,” he wrote of Lively in a text exchange that included Jennifer Abel. “Plans make me feel more at ease.”
Abel conveyed this to Melissa Nathan, writing, “I think you guys need to be tough and show the strength of what you guys can do in these scenarios. He wants to feel like she can be buried.” Nathan cautiously replied, “We can’t write we will destroy her.” However, moments later, she added, “Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands. You know we can bury anyone.”
Days later, Baldoni reportedly texted Abel a social media post of a celebrity's bullying behaviour, adding that this was what he needed. As per the report, Melissa Nathan then floated proposals to hire contractors to dominate social media through “full social account take downs,” by starting “threads of theories”. She added, “All of this will be most importantly untraceable.”
Blake Lively's lawsuit
{{/usCountry}}Days later, Baldoni reportedly texted Abel a social media post of a celebrity's bullying behaviour, adding that this was what he needed. As per the report, Melissa Nathan then floated proposals to hire contractors to dominate social media through “full social account take downs,” by starting “threads of theories”. She added, “All of this will be most importantly untraceable.”
Blake Lively's lawsuit
{{/usCountry}}On Saturday, TMZ broke the news that Blake Lively was suing Justin Baldoni, with whom she starred in It Ends With Us. The lawsuit discussed a hostile work environment on the film's sets, including sexual harassment and a coordinated effort on Baldoni's part to destroy Blake's reputation.
The lawsuit also addressed the following demands because of Justin's alleged conduct, which included "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."