Justin Baldoni’s ex-publicist sues him, his crisis PR team over alleged Blake Lively smear campaign
The “It Ends With Us” drama has deepened.
Justin Baldoni’s ex-publicist is suing the actor, his film studio and his crisis PR team over an alleged breach of contract, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Stephanie Jones, notably, runs Jonesworks and represented the “Jane the Virgin” alum, 40, before his and Blake Lively’s alleged feud made headlines.
When Baldoni allegedly began to fear in August that “allegations of misogynistic and toxic on-set behavior … would be harmful to his reputation and career,” his point person, Jones’ employee Jennifer Abel, hired “crisis fixer” Melissa Nathan to help her, according to court docs obtained by Page Six.
Jones claims in the lawsuit that Abel and Nathan “coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to implement an aggressive media smear campaign” against Lively.
She further alleges in court docs that this was used “as an opportunity to drive a wedge between Jones and Baldoni, and to publicly pin blame for this smear campaign on Jones — when Jones had no
knowledge or involvement in it.”
Jones, who claimed in court docs that she fired Abel for attempting to steal documents in an attempt to poach clients and start her own business, shared subpoenaed texts from Abel’s company phone in her lawsuit.
Abel currently works for Baldoni, whom she continued to rep after opening her firm.
In the alleged messages, Abel blasted Baldoni as a “pompous” man who was “not that important” and needed “to be humbled.”
“When this movie flops, he’s going to try to blame every person around him for it,” Abel allegedly wrote, adding that she “can’t stand” him.
In another text, Abel allegedly criticized “his face,” to which an unidentified person replied, “Blake was probably grossed out too.”
Reps for Baldoni, Abel and Nathan have yet to respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
However, a source provided documents to Page Six appearing to show that Abel resigned on July 10 via Zoom and left the company on August 23 with an expressed desire to be on amicable terms.
The insider alleged that Jones’ subsequent lawsuit is “retaliatory” behavior, claiming, “Justin and Wayfarer chose to leave with Jennifer Abel and were not ‘stolen.’
“Nor were any other clients,” the source continued. “The rest of the clients that came with her were either ones she had represented for years prior to joining Jonesworks, and she received written approval, and one she had personally signed while at Jonesworks who had no relationship with Stephanie Jones.”
Meanwhile, a source close to Joneswork maintained the claims made in the lawsuit.
Lively was the first to accuse Baldoni and his team of attempting to “destroy” her reputation in a sexual harassment complaint that went public over the weekend.
In addition to allegedly inappropriate behavior on the set of the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 book, Lively claimed Baldoni used “a digital army … to create, seed, and promote content” portraying her in a negative light.
The director has denied any wrongdoing, calling her claims “fabricated” and “salacious” via his and Wayfarer Studios’ lawyer, Bryan Freedman.
The attorney also defended Baldoni’s PR team’s work in a statement to Page Six, claiming they took part in “standard scenario planning” as opposed to an “insidious PR effort.”
Lively and Baldoni’s co-stars have come to the “Gossip Girl” alum’s defense, with Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar sharing their support.
While Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, has yet to comment on the scandal, he made headlines for a cryptic Instagram Story post on Monday.
The “Deadpool” star noted that he suited up as the character for a charity promotion “during a time [when he] really didn’t feel like” it.
Reynolds, who has been married to Lively since 2012, allegedly blocked Baldoni on social media prior to “It Ends With Us” premiering over the summer.
In addition, Reynolds was reportedly present at a previous “all hands on deck” meeting held to address Baldoni’s alleged bad behavior, which ranged from allegedly improvising during intimate scenes and discussing his past porn addiction, according to Lively’s lawsuit.
