Justin Baldoni’s Publicist Breaks Silence, Defends Leaked Texts About Blake Lively

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As a seasoned observer of the entertainment industry, I must say that the ongoing saga between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is a tale as old as time – or at least as old as Hollywood. From the outside looking in, it seems like a classic case of he said, she said, with both parties presenting their versions of events in the best possible light.

Justin Baldoni’s representative, who’s been embroiled in a controversy over accusations that he orchestrated a defamation scheme against Blake Lively (star of “It Ends With Us”), is sharing their perspective on the matter.

In a shocking turn of events, I discovered that my private conversations with crisis management expert Melissa Nathan were made public as they got entangled in the sexual harassment lawsuit against Ian Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, orchestrated by Lively. I’ve openly stated that Baldoni overstepped boundaries, on and off set, which he has strongly denied, claiming that Lively disrupted the filmmaking process intentionally and sought to harm his reputation.

Abel defended her crisis team interactions on Facebook, stating they predominantly involved joking about fan reactions to the Lively-Baldoni feud during the promotional period. These exchanges did not suggest that Baldoni’s team took any specific measures against Lively (although, for verification purposes, it should be noted that The Hollywood Reporter has authenticated these Facebook posts).

As a gamer, I’d put it this way: “The messages you see don’t show the whole picture. There was no ‘smear’ tactic used, no negative press was generated, nor was there any social media combat plan in place. However, we were always ready for such situations because that’s part of our job description. Fortunately, we didn’t have to use those plans as the internet was doing a great job on its own. We did discuss potential strategies, considered what resources we might need, flagged accounts for monitoring, collaborated with a social team to keep the positive narrative flowing, and yes, we celebrated and joked about how our clients were getting recognition for their heart and work without us having to actively promote them – we just kept our focus on arranging positive interviews.

Abel went on, “From the texts, it’s clear that we immaturely enjoyed ourselves and joked among ourselves about the internet reactions to the woman who was causing us immense trouble during the campaign. I’m just being honest. The long hours, the months of preparation, all while managing my daily tasks… It felt reassuring to know that our preparations were enough, and we didn’t have to go above and beyond to safeguard our client.

Afterward, Abel clarified her point when she asserted that Lively’s team was significantly complicating things for them.

“I was notified at the start of the [marketing] campaign that the opposing team had been planting horrible stories about my client as a ‘fail safe’ if my client did not comply with the demands set forth for the campaign,” she wrote. “Which is why we brought on [a crisis team], as it’s not something that I do. My sole job was to put together interviews, screening opportunities and speaking opportunities for my client in support of the film, a standard scope of work. I did my job. Now what kind of woman would work against another woman who was a victim of all the things being claimed? Thanks for asking. After reviewing the evidence, facts, hard proof that countered every single thing that was being claimed and demanded at the start of production, I made a choice to stand by my client of almost 5 years, who had dedicated his life to the equal treatment of others, especially women. Who had no incidents of negative treatment of others, and who had a wonderful community and team at wayfarer who all held the same moral fortitude and lived their life accordingly. As representatives, we all have to make that choice. So I did that to the best of my ability, and felt good about our efforts.”

In addition, attorney Bryan Freedman (representing Baldoni as well as Abel and Nathan) decided to counterattack on Monday. His statement read: “TAG PR acted like any other crisis management company would when hired by a client facing threats from two highly influential individuals with vast resources. The contingency plans TAG PR prepared turned out to be unnecessary because audiences found Lively’s own actions, interviews, and promotional activities distasteful. They reacted spontaneously to what the media picked up on. It’s ironic that The New York Times, in their attempt to expose a questionable PR strategy, ended up supporting Lively’s own questionable PR strategies by publishing private text messages devoid of crucial context – exactly what she is accusing the firm of doing.

Abel urged Nathan to demonstrate resilience and determination when dealing with the crisis team, stating, “I believe you all should act forcefully and exhibit your capabilities in these situations. [Baldoni] wants to be confident that she can disappear.” In response, Nathan acknowledged his agreement but cautioned, “Absolutely — however, it’s important to remember that we can’t include details about the actions we might take or could perform in documents because it could lead to legal complications. We can’t promise to eliminate her. Consider if a document containing all the things he desires were to fall into the wrong hands. You understand that we have the ability to make someone disappear.

Regarding the public disclosure of these messages, Abel mentions they weren’t obtained through subpoena. He further explains, “I had just departed from my previous firm (Jonesworks), during which I was still associated with the team involved in this campaign, and my superior who managed us all. Since they had access to my work emails and phone, you can draw your own conclusions about their potential involvement.

Freedman expressed strong opinions regarding the leaked documents: “Jonesworks, our PR firm bound by contract to boost and safeguard Wayfarer and Justin, is under scrutiny for an incident on August 21st. Our investigation indicates that Jonesworks used a lawyer and security guard to seize Wayfarer’s confidential data from Jen Abel’s phone by confiscation. We are still investigating the misuse of this information, but we are pressing charges against Stephanie Jones and Leslie Sloan. Once we gather sufficient evidence, anyone found to be associated with such reprehensible actions will face legal action that could potentially ruin them.

Abel remarked, ‘I wouldn’t have imagined I’d have to stand up for myself among my own group, but these past few days have indeed been fascinating, and truthfully, quite distressing.’

During her statement, Lively asserts that the situation on the movie set became unacceptable, prompting a gathering involving Lively herself, Sony Pictures, Baldoni, Jamey Heath from Wayfarer Studios (the film’s producers), public relations personnel for the film, and others, to address allegations of inappropriate behavior that occurred during production.

The actress and her representatives presented requirements to Baldoni and his team before they could resume filming following the actors’ strike. Among these demands were: “No longer displaying explicit videos of women, such as the producer’s wife, to BL or their staff”; “A prohibition on discussing Mr. Baldoni’s or Mr. Heath’s past ‘pornography addiction’ or Baldoni’s lack of pornography use with Baldoni or other team members”; “A ban on describing their own genitalia to Baldoni”; and “No longer improvising romantic kisses.

In an interview with The New York Times, Lively expressed her hope that her legal action would expose the underhanded strategies used to punish individuals who report misconduct, thereby safeguarding others potentially facing similar treatment.

I’m speaking up here to set the record straight about the allegations made in that filing. It’s disheartening that Miss Lively and her team would level such severe, undeniably false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and our representatives. This seems like another desperate ploy to salvage her damaged reputation from her own words and actions during the movie campaign; public interviews and media activities where everyone could see her unedited comments in real-time. The claims are utterly false, over-the-top, and deliberately scandalous with the intention of causing harm and stirring up an old media narrative.

After the news about the lawsuit became public this past weekend, Baldoni was no longer represented by WME.

Christy Pina contributed to this report.

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2024-12-23 23:25