The Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni War: A Who’s-Who Guide to a Messy Scandal
Read below for network blurbs.
STUDIO
SONY
It Ends With Us studio — reveling in the film’s $350 million box office haul — announced that it was “fully and firmly” supporting Lively; it’s also making Baldoni’s Eleanor the Great.
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BRANDON SKLENAR
After signing with WME, Lively’s It Ends With Us co-star urged his followers (in ALL CAPS) to read her complaint in a gesture of support.
RYAN REYNOLDS
The actor and marketing maestro attended the “hostile work environment” summit between Lively and Baldoni while remaining quiet during the controversy.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
VISION PR
Home to Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, and Reynolds’, Jami Kandel; Baldoni’s attorney has suggested Sloane planted stories against him (she denies this).
TALENT AGENCY
WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR
The agency — which represents Lively and Reynolds — dropped Baldoni within hours of reports of Lively’s sexual misconduct complaint.
TAYLOR SWIFT
Lively’s bestie, name-dropped by Baldoni’s team as somebody who “weaponizes feminism.”
SCARLETT JOHANSSON
Set to make her directorial debut in the Baldoni-produced Eleanor the Great (and formerly married to Reynolds).
MEDIA
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Broke Team Lively’s complaint about Baldoni, who has sued NYT for $250M for libel, alleging it relied on cherry-picked facts that portrayed the filmmaker in a false light.
PRODUCTION COMPANY
WAYFARER
The independent production company founded by Baldoni and Steve Sarowitz with the mission of “championing inspirational stories towards social change.”
PRINCE HARRY & MEGHAN MARKLE
Senior Wayfarer executive Tracy Ryerson left for Archewell.
LEGAL
BRYAN FREEDMAN
Baldoni’s lawyer threatening to “sue into oblivion” Lively’s PR team while defending TAG PR as operating within bounds.
MANAGEMENT
JACK WHIGHAM
The talent manager whose Range Media Partners reps Baldoni and Depp.
JOHNNY DEPP
Reportedly worked with Nathan and Matthew Hiltzik amid his high-profile defamation battle against ex-wife Amber Heard.
AMBER HEARD
Issued a statement supporting Lively, suggesting similar tactics were used against her: “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
JED WALLACE
Owner of Street Relations, a firm Lively accused of releasing “a digital army … to create, seed, and promote” content against her.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
STEPHANIE JONES
Owner of Jonesworks PR firm initially enlisted by Baldoni; turned against her former employee, Jen Abel. Now suing Baldoni, accusing him of smearing her.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
JEN ABEL
Baldoni’s publicist and ex-Jones works staffer whose confiscated phone was the source of sensational text messages about Lively. She’s insisted “there was no ‘smear’ implemented.”
PUBLIC RELATIONS
MELISSA NATHAN
Crisis expert whose The Agency Group was hired by Baldoni. She allegedly texted “we can bury anyone” in regard to Lively.
SCOOTER BRAUN
Swift’s sworn enemy is a client of TAG PR, the agency Baldoni allegedly hired to smear Lively.
TALENT AGENT
JASON HODES
The WME partner represents Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and also is married to Jones.
DWAYNE JOHNSON
A former Jonesworks client (and Reynolds’ Red Notice co-star) who also has received his share of negative press (e.g., pees in bottles on set).
MEDIA
SARA NATHAN
Melissa’s sister, who covered rumors of on-set strife between Lively and Baldoni for the New York Post while keeping in touch with her sibling and Abel.
CRISIS PR
MATTHEW HILTZIK
A crisis guru whose company was employed by Johnny Depp and trained previous employee Melissa Nathan (she exited in October 2023).
This story appeared in the Jan. 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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