Justin Baldoni, the director and star of It Ends With Us, is embroiled in a legal battle following sexual harassment allegations from co-star Blake Lively. In a December 23 statement, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman addressed claims that his crisis PR team conducted a smear campaign against Lively, arguing that the accusations were "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."
Freedman defended the actions of The Agency Group (TAG PR), which Baldoni hired to manage his public image during the controversy. "TAG PR operated as any other crisis management firm would when hired by a client experiencing threats by two extremely powerful people with unlimited resources," Freedman stated. He accused the media of amplifying the situation, adding, "The New York Times, through their effort to 'uncover' an insidious PR effort, played directly into the hands of Lively's own dubious PR tactics."
The allegations stem from Lively's complaint, filed as a precursor to a potential lawsuit under California's Civil Rights Department. She accused Baldoni of inappropriate behavior during the production of It Ends With Us, including sharing explicit images, inquiring about her personal life, and attempting to include unauthorized intimate scenes in the film. The filing also cited an alleged "hostile work environment" and documented a meeting involving producers and Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, to address her concerns.
Freedman categorically denied the allegations, asserting, "The complete set of text messages unequivocally show that there was no smear campaign initiated at all." He invited media outlets to review the messages to form their own conclusions.
The complaint includes private text messages between Baldoni and PR executives Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan. Lively claims these messages illustrate plans to damage her reputation. The texts allegedly discussed strategies to "bury" Lively and to leverage public perception against her during the promotional tour of the film.
Lively's legal team countered Freedman's narrative, asserting that the PR tactics were designed to retaliate against her for raising concerns about workplace misconduct. "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct," Lively said in a statement.
The scandal also highlights the role of crisis PR firms, which are typically shielded from public scrutiny. TAG PR founder Melissa Nathan, known for representing high-profile clients like Johnny Depp, has been accused of orchestrating the alleged smear campaign. Freedman dismissed these claims, calling Nathan's actions consistent with industry standards.
The case has sparked public support for Lively from her former Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel. They issued a joint statement on Instagram, declaring, "We stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation."
Another layer of intrigue surrounds how Lively's attorneys obtained internal PR communications. According to her filing, the messages were acquired via a subpoena to Jonesworks LLC, a separate PR firm involved in managing Baldoni's image. Jonesworks founder Stephanie Jones is accused of holding sensitive information from former employee Jennifer Abel, whose phone was confiscated during her departure.
Legal observers have noted that California law permits limited pre-litigation discovery, allowing Lively's team to gather evidence before formally filing suit. Nicole Page, a partner at Reavis Page Jump LLP, explained, "You may need that information to make the decision" to proceed with legal action.
