Last year, A-list actress Blake Lively’s reputation was irreparably shattered by a firestorm of negative press. The spark that kindled this breakdown was relatively unremarkable, the public simply noticed Lively avoided raising awareness of domestic violence despite starring in “It Ends with Us”, a movie based on the subject. However, this spark quickly caught fire as decades-old interviews revealed Lively being rude to journalists and fellow cast members. People immediately turned against this once-beloved actress, but there is always more happening behind the scenes. In December it was revealed that Lively was suing the director of “It Ends with Us”, Justin Baldoni, for sexual harassment.
“Originally I thought Blake Lively was a down-to-earth celebrity with a fun marriage,” WCHS senior Emilia Desideriocioli said. “I have always loved her in ‘Gossip Girl’ but once all of this negative press came out, I started to think that maybe the critics were right about her. She started to seem conniving and rude to me.”
Rumors of a feud between Baldoni and Lively began around the “It Ends with Us” press tour. Fans noticed that the two never directly interacted, avoiding red carpets and interviews near each other. Baldoni seemed to emphasize the issue of domestic violence at the center of the movie, while Lively focused more on the aesthetics and filmmaking process. Lively’s seeming ignorance on such a serious issue immediately upset audiences. Her previously uncaring attitude has led many to claim that she is lying about sexual harassment to benefit from public sympathy.
“I think this issue is more nuanced than Baldoni or Lively being clearly in the right,” Desideriocioli said. “I do think that Lively acted inappropriately on the press tour, but I do not think that means she is lying about the allegations. Both can be true at once.”
Lively has claimed that Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign against her to cover up these allegations. Subpoenaed text messages between Baldoni and his Crisis P.R. Manager, Melissa Nathan, show there may be some truth to this allegation. In these messages, Nathan proposed “full social media takedowns” and Baldoni sharing posts that could make Lively look bad.
“These text messages have definitely changed my opinion on the case,” Desideriocioli said. “To me, there is no reason to try and smear a co-star this badly unless something was going on behind the scenes that needs to be covered up.”
However, Lively’s case is not the only one of its kind. Instead, it reflects an increasingly troubling trend of wealthy male celebrities abusing social media to harm the reputations of their alleged victims. A highly controversial example of this is that of Depp v. Heard. In this case, Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife, Amber Heard for defamation after Heard referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse” in an op-ed.
“Originally, I was on Johnny Depp’s side because everyone was,” WCHS freshman Ava Dean said. “But as the trial progressed, all of the evidence seemed to clearly show that Heard was a victim of domestic violence, not Depp. This trial felt disturbingly surreal.”
Now with Lively, the cycle repeats all over again. Nathan, Baldoni’s Crisis PR Manager, also worked for Depp during his defamation case. Similarly to what is now happening with Lively, Nathan used social media to damage Heard’s reputation. Heard was presented as an abusive, manipulative woman, people even went so far as to parody Heard’s testimony of Depp’s abuse.
“It was really difficult to watch the Depp v. Heard trial,” Dean said. “Heard had transcripts from decades-old therapy sessions already alleging Depp’s abuse. There are so many released text messages and recordings that support what she was saying.”
Baldoni and Depp sharing a PR manager is already highly suspicious. However, this network of deceit runs throughout Hollywood, working to undermine the testimonies of women who have been hurt by famous men. Another controversial example is Evan Rachel Wood and Marilyn Manson. Manson happens to be close friends with Depp. In 2021, Wood officially exposed Manson as her abuser and spoke out about the circumstances of their relationship. Soon after Depp v. Heard concluded, Manson sued Wood for defamation, just as Depp did to Heard.
“I have always admired Evan Rachel Wood,” Dean said. “She is one of my favorite actresses. Her documentary about Marilyn Manson, ‘Phoenix Rising’ made me reevaluate exactly how I view Hollywood. It showed me how much darkness goes on behind the scenes.”
Although these cases can be depressing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In November of 2024, Manson dropped his lawsuit against Wood. Abuse cases against powerful men are not unwinnable, but public support is key to success. As Baldoni’s trial draws closer, the public should educate themselves on these cases to avoid the same mistakes made during Depp v. Heard.
“In a post-Me Too world I think we need to be very careful about what we see on social media,” Dean said. “Blindly believing social media is one of the worst things we can do in cases like these.”
