The actress is engaged Blake Lively Legal battle highlights what she called “fake promotion” tactics in public relations In a complaint she filed last Friday, Lively accused fellow director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and of leading a smear campaign against her through his public relations team, TAG PR.
False propaganda…the illusion of popular support
Lively alleged that Baldoni’s team used social media to portray her as “controlling” and “difficult” during the production of their film It Ends with Us.
She explained that this strategy aims to create the illusion of popular support or a planned backlash.
Commenting on this, Baldoni’s attorney, Brian Friedman, argued that the TAG PR team acted as a crisis management office in the face of threats from powerful actors.
Experts point out that “fake promotion” relies on coordinating real or fake accounts to create artificial public opinion. “It’s about distorting reality,” says Dr. Joan Donovan of Boston University. “Campaigns are designed to appear to represent public opinion,” according to People magazine.
Stereotypes and misogyny
Lively accused the TAG PR team of exploiting stereotypes against women to fuel the campaign, a common practice in Hollywood. “PR companies know how to exploit biases, such as portraying strong women as demanding,” Donovan says. “This tactic works because audiences who are willing to believe these narratives react destructively to them.”
Similarity to previous cases
The case points to similarities to what happened during the trial of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, where coordinated narratives heavily targeted Heard. Experts say misogyny on social media is being used as a weapon in such campaigns.
In a statement to the New York Times, Lively explained that her goal with the lawsuit is to expose retaliatory tactics used against those who speak out about misconduct, saying, “I hope my legal action will help protect others from being targets of such campaigns.”
How did the crisis start?
The crisis between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni began during the filming of the movie It Ends with Us, based on Colin Hoover’s best-selling novel. According to sources, tensions between the two parties began due to professional differences while working on the film.
Lively alleged that Baldoni acted inappropriately, prompting her to file internal complaints. But things quickly escalated when the media started circulating negative news about her, describing her as “controlling” and “difficult to deal with.”
Lively asserts that this news was part of an orchestrated smear campaign by Baldoni’s public relations team, TAG PR, aimed at retaliating against her after she expressed concerns about Baldoni’s behavior.
In August, Baldoni brought in public relations director Melissa Nathan, known for managing crises of high-profile figures such as Johnny Depp, escalating the dispute into the open.