Blake Lively at the “It Ends With Us” New York Premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on August 06, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)
After Blake Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her *It Ends With Us* co-star Justin Baldoni, new reports emerged, revealing private text messages that allegedly show Baldoni organizing a public relations campaign to harm Lively’s reputation in response to her accusations of inappropriate behavior on set.
These texts, presented in Lively’s legal filing, reveal further tactics designed to undermine her, adding complexity to the legal battle.
The New York Times reports that Baldoni contacted Jennifer Abel, head of public relations at his studio, Wayfarer, and enlisted crisis management expert Melissa Nathan to manage the fallout. The report details an exchange in May 2024, several months after filming had ended, where Baldoni discovered that Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively’s husband, had blocked him on Instagram.
In a text to Abel, Baldoni expressed concern, saying, “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when the movie comes out. Plans make me feel more at ease.” This message highlighted his anxiety about potential backlash when the film was released.
Abel then forwarded the conversation to Nathan, writing, “I think you guys need to be tough and show the strength of what you can do in these scenarios. He wants to feel like she can be buried.” Nathan responded, “We can’t write we will destroy her,” but quickly added, “Imagine if a document saying all the things that he wants ends up in the wrong hands.
You know we can bury anyone.”
In the days that followed, Baldoni reportedly sent Abel a social media post about a celebrity’s bullying behavior, suggesting it as the approach he wanted to take.
Nathan then proposed hiring contractors to manipulate social media, including orchestrating “full social account take downs” and starting “threads of theories.” She emphasized that the entire plan would be “untraceable,” indicating a desire to carry out a smear campaign discreetly, without revealing those responsible.
On December 21, TMZ reported that Blake Lively had filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, accusing him of creating a hostile work environment on set. The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment and a coordinated effort by Baldoni to damage her reputation.
It includes several demands, including prohibiting Baldoni from showing nude images or videos of women to Lively, refraining from discussing his purported “pornography addiction,” stopping talks of sexual conquests in front of her and others, ceasing mentions of cast and crew members’ genitalia, halting inquiries into Lively’s weight, and stopping comments about her late father.
