Gossiped Girl
Blake Lively had complained about the on-set behavior of her co-starring director Justin Baldoni and the producer of her recent movie It Ends With Us. The movie positioned the filmmakers as feminist allies for the MeToo era, so any hint they could have been inappropriate (especially sexually) would have been bad news for their reputations, and likely bad news for the movie’s bottom line. So they decided to hire a PR firm to deploy a preemptive attack—to damage Lively’s reputation on social media to the extent that she couldn’t really hurt them. Yes, there are PR firms that do this. Yes, with the help of schadenfreude starved social media users these efforts can be very successful. And yes, if you’ve noticed a negative buzz around Blake Lively over the past few months, this is why. This story is a reminder of how much discourse online (political, celebrity, etc) is manipulated. It’s also worth noting that the PR of personal destruction can be deployed effectively even against a popular actress who is married to Ryan Reynolds and best friends with Taylor Swift. NYT (Gift Article): ‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine. “There have long been figures behind the scenes shaping public opinion about celebrities — through gossip columns, tabloids and strategic interviews. The documents show an additional playbook for waging a largely undetectable smear campaign in the digital era. While the film, about domestic violence, was a box office hit — making nearly $350 million worldwide — online criticism of the actress skyrocketed. ‘He wants to feel like she can be buried,’ a publicist working with the studio and Mr. Baldoni wrote in an Aug. 2 message to the crisis management expert, Melissa Nathan. ‘You know we can bury anyone,’ Ms. Nathan wrote.” (After this story, the PR people are gonna need to hire PR people.)
+ Here’s a quick, really interesting video overview of the story from the NYT’s Megan Twohey.
+ Blake Lively Claims She Missed Hosting ‘SNL’ Season 50 Opener Due to Justin Baldoni Smear Campaign.
+ Amber Heard Speaks Out on Alleged Smear Campaign Against Blake Lively: “I Saw This Firsthand“
