Blake Lively Sued For Defamation by Crisis PR Firm in ‘It Ends With Us’ Feud – Hollywood Reporter
IT ENDS WITH US, Blake Lively, 2024. © Sony Pictures Releasing /Courtesy Everett Collection
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterJed Wallace targets the actress naming him in the sexual harassment and retaliation complaint she filed with the California Civil Rights Department.
By Winston Cho, Gary Baum
February 5, 2025 10:02am
Blake Lively has been sued by a crisis management firm that allegedly played a key role in the public relations standoff between her and It Ends With Us director-star Justin Baldoni.
Jed Wallace of Street Relations, in a complaint filed in Texas federal court on Tuesday, accuses Lively of defamation for roping him into the criss-crossing lawsuits, one of which alleged that he created artificial content on social media platforms that appeared to attack her and defend Baldoni. He seeks at least $7 million and a court order stating that he didn’t engage in harassment or retaliation against the actress.
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The move comes after Lively dropped a petition on Tuesday filed in Texas state court last month seeking a court order to depose Wallace, though it may be a precursor to the actress adding him as a defendant to her ongoing lawsuit against Baldoni and his company Wayfarer.
In that filing, Lively accused Wallace of weaponizing a digital army to create and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums. Baldoni’s public relations team that allegedly orchestrated the campaign to undermine the actress would then feed pieces of the manufactured content to reporters, with the goal of making it go viral in order to “influence public opinion and thereby cause an organic pile-on,” the petition said.
“Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively ‘into oblivion’ for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation,” said Lively’s legal team, led by Michael Gottlieb, in a statement. “This is not just a publicity stunt—it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department. While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court.”
Wallace’s 10-page lawsuit faults Lively for naming him in the petition and complaint she filed with the California Civil Rights Department, which accused him of illegal harassment and retaliation, that sparked the feud without evidence.
“As Lively later admitted she knew of no facts to support the allegations,” writes Charles Babcock, a lawyer for Wallace, in the complaint. “Neither Wallace nor Street had anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation. Neither could they have breached a contract with Lively because no such contract exists.”
Wallace — who described himself as a “hired gun” and purported to have a “proprietary formula for defining artists and trends,” per Lively’s petition — was retained on behalf of Baldoni and his company Wayfarer, who also brought on veteran crisis PR exec Melissa Nathan of The Agency Group (Nathan is named in Lively’s lawsuit). A text from Nathan to Jennifer Abel, another PR rep for Baldoni, cited in the filing stated, “Can I start a Signal thread with you, me and Jed,” implicating him in the alleged smear campaign initiated by the It Ends With Us director.
Lively detailed efforts by Wallace to “seed and influence online forums” on Reddit attacking her and defending Baldoni. Nathan didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, Babcock stressed that Lively “made false statements to the press through a private administrative filing, claiming Mr. Wallace and Street Relations had sexually harassed her, retaliated against her, aided and abetted others who did the same, breached a contract with her and engaged in other improper conduct.” He added, “Mr. Wallace, who is a very private person, has never met or spoken to Ms. Lively. Ever. He has not engaged in a smear campaign against her at any point in time. The decision to file this lawsuit to rightfully protect himself and his family was made after Ms. Lively not only filed against him first in Texas but, indicated she intended to name him in yet another lawsuit.”
Feb. 5, 1:26 p.m. This story has been updated with a statement from Wallace’s lawyer. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSend us a tip using our anonymous form.
