
Blake Lively’s complaint against director and co-star Justin Baldoni—alleging sexual harassment, hostile PR tactics, and other misconduct during their collaboration on It Ends With Us—has taken a dramatic shift. Amber Heard has seemingly jumped in to draw parallels to her own experiences with social media scrutiny amid Lively and Baldoni’s controversy. This latest Hollywood conflict is already being compared to the infamous Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial, given its relation to the destructive power of media manipulation.
The Gossip Girl star’s allegations further reveal that Baldoni’s crisis communications team was spearheaded by Melissa Nathan, the PR expert once hired by Depp during his defamation trial against Heard. To put two and two together, Lively’s legal team has directly accused Nathan and Baldoni of orchestrating a targeted smear campaign, which, in turn, echos Heard’s claims of being on the receiving end of social media trolls who might have been carefully curated public relations strategies to silence their voices and contaminate their public images.
At least, that’s how the Aquaman actress perceives it. Heard, who faced a defeat and incessant social media humiliation in the wake of her high-profile defamation case against Johnny Depp in 2022, shared her thoughts with NBC News. The actress described Lively’s claims as indicative of vicious ad hominem attacks that undermine fact-based processes. Heard referred to this as a manifestation of the saying, “A lie travels halfway around the world before truth can get its boots on.” She added, “I saw this firsthand and up close. It’s as horrifying as it is destructive.”
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Lively’s allegations have reignited conversations about the power and misuse of social media. Amidst the many controversies during the press tour of It Ends With Us, a viral interview clip surfaced showing her seemingly dismissive behavior toward an interviewer. Such incidents fueled resentments toward the actress, with many accusing her of a diva-like attitude both during the filming and promotional events — something Lively doesn’t discern as purely circumstantial but stemming from Nathan’s alleged involvement to ensue “proactive fan posting” and “social manipulations.”
It Ends with Us, Starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, was adapted from Colleen Hoover’s eponymous bestselling novel. It became a smash hit at the box office, grossing over $350 million worldwide. The film was scrutinized for allegedly romanticizing themes of abuse and domestic violence, deviating from the source material’s intent. Hoover has also backed Lively, thanking the actress for being herself.
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