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)  

Following the revelation that Blake Lively had filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, a new report surfaced detailing private text messages that allegedly show Baldoni coordinating a public relations campaign aimed at damaging Lively’s reputation after she accused him of inappropriate behavior on set.

These texts, included in Lively’s legal filing, shed light on further tactics used to discredit her, adding complexity to the ongoing legal dispute.

According to The New York Times, Baldoni reached out to Jennifer Abel, head of public relations at his studio, Wayfarer, and enlisted crisis management expert Melissa Nathan to handle the fallout. The report reveals that in May 2024, several months after filming had concluded, Baldoni discovered that Blake Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, had blocked him on Instagram.

In a text to Abel, Baldoni expressed concerns about the situation, saying, “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when movie comes out. Plans make me feel more at ease.” This message highlighted his apprehension about potential backlash once the film was released.

Abel then forwarded the exchange to Nathan, adding, “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 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 following days, Baldoni reportedly sent Abel a social media post about a celebrity’s bullying behavior, stating this was the approach he wanted to take.

The crisis manager then suggested hiring contractors to manipulate social media, including orchestrating “full social account take downs” and starting “threads of theories.” Nathan emphasized that the entire plan would be “untraceable,” underlining the desire to discreetly conduct a smear campaign while shielding the orchestrators’ identities.

Blake Lively’s Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni

On December 21st, 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 also includes several demands, such as prohibiting Baldoni from showing nude videos or images of women to Lively, refraining from discussing his purported “pornography addiction,” avoiding talks of sexual conquests in front of her and others, stopping mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, halting inquiries about Lively’s weight, and ceasing comments about her late father.