Justin Baldoni, Hailey Bieber, Blake Lively
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Donato Sardella/Getty Images; Jeff Spicer/Getty ImagesJustin Baldoni appears to be using a social media post on Hailey Bieber as an example in astroturfing plan vs It ends with us costar Blake Lively.
According to text exchanges reviewed in a legal complaint obtained by Us Weekly on Saturday, Dec. 21, Baldoni posted a screenshot of an X thread that unpacked “Hailey Bieber’s history of harassing women,” according to the caption, writing, “This is what we need.”
Lively’s lawsuit claims that “Baldoni’s plan went beyond standard crisis PR,” saying that what Melissa Nathancrisis communications specialist for The Agency Group, had suggested “a practice known as ‘astroturfing'”, which is defined as “the practice of posting opinions or comments on the Internet, in the media, etc., that appear to come from ordinary members of society, but actually come from a particular company or political group.
Earlier this year, Lively was the subject of a social media firestorm surrounding the promotion of her film it ends with us when it was reported that she and Baldoni got into a fight on set.
Blake Lively claims co-star and “It Ends With Us” director Justin Baldoni ran a campaign of “social manipulation” to damage her reputation. News broke on Saturday, Dec. 21, that Lively, 37, had sued Baldoni, 40, for sexual harassment. According to The New York Times, the lawsuit – which was filed on Friday, December 20 – (…)
“There were two camps in the movie — Team Blake and Team Justin,” a source exclusively speaking us from the film’s production in August. “That creative struggle set the tone for the negative experience behind the scenes and it escalated into them not talking anymore.”
Lively also received criticism for the way she answered questions about the film’s themes of domestic violence. In addition, her conduct in interviews resumed from years ago was also questioned. Amid the backlash, Lively shared domestic violence resources on social media before she quit social media entirely.
Lively’s December complaint states that “millions of people (including many reporters and influencers) who saw these prepared stories, social media posts and other online content” were “unwitting consumers of crisis PR, astroturfing and a digital vendetta campaign ,” which was allegedly orchestrated by Baldoni against Lively.
“This is exactly what an astroturfing campaign is all about,” the lawsuit says. “To stoke the fire and continue to covertly fuel conversations, blurring the line between authentic and manufactured content and creating viral public takedowns.”
Months after a reported rift between It Ends With Us co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, she sued him for sexual harassment. In the lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, December 20, and obtained by Us Weekly after being reported by TMZ and The New York Times, Lively accused Baldoni of starting (…)
Lively’s complaint also cites a script planning document from Baldoni’s team at TAG that mentions research into “planting stories about the weaponization of feminism and how people in (Lively’s) circle like Taylor Swift have been accused of using these tactics for ‘bullying’ to get what they want.”
Lively filed a sexual harassment case against Baldoni on Friday, Dec. 20, alleging that his behavior on set caused her “serious emotional distress.” The lawsuit alleges that a meeting was held during production in January 2024 to address Lively’s claims of a “hostile work environment” on set. Many people attended the meeting, including Baldoni and Reynolds.
According to the lawsuit, Lively’s demands for the meeting included “no more showing Blake nude videos or images of women, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged past ‘porn addiction,’ no more discussion of sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no more mention of the cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no more mention of Blake’s dead father.
Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Friedman, addressed Lively’s “totally false, outrageous and intentionally obscene” claims in a statement to usclaiming that Lively sued to “repair her negative reputation” and “retell a narrative” regarding the film’s production.
Justin Baldoni seems to have nothing but positive things to say about his It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively as reports of an on-set feud continue to circulate online. The drama officially hits theaters in August 2024, and Baldoni, who directs and stars alongside Lively, has heaped praise on his on-screen partner. “Blake (…)
He further alleged that the actress made “multiple demands and threats” during filming, including “threats to not show up on set, threats not to promote the film, which ultimately led to his death during release , if her demands are not met’.
In a statement to New York Times in December, Lively said, “I hope my lawsuit helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to hurt people who speak up about wrongdoing, and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
The actress also denied spreading negative information about Baldoni. us has reached out to Lively’s rep for comment.
