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Newly unsealed court records show Justin Baldoni hired a PR contractor to create fake fan accounts as his legal battle with Blake Lively continues.
The actress is currently suing the director for sexual harassment on the set of their 2024 film, It Ends With Us.
Lively’s legal team filed over60 exhibits implicating Baldoni, his business partner, Jamey Heath, and their company, Wayfarer Studios, in a smear campaign against her, according to the Daily Mail.
The emails show Wayfarer Studios hired Jed Wallace in August 2024, after Heath was introduced to the social media consultant by Melissa Nathan.
Wallace was brought on at a rate of $30,000 a month for three months of “untraceable” services.
In a text thread referring to his work, Nathan described the creation of “social media fan engagement to go back and forth with any negative accounts, helping to change narrative”.
A source told the Daily Mail “social fan engagement” involved the use of anonymous accounts to support Baldoni’s PR narrative during the promotion of the film.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starred in "It Ends with Us" (2024). Photo / Sony Pictures
Baldoni and Lively were dogged by rumours of a rift during the press tour for the film, an adaptation of the best-selling Colleen Hoover book.
By December 2024, the New York Times alleged Baldoni had led a smear campaign against the actress as she accused him of creating a hostile work environment.
A spokesperson for the former Gossip Girl star described the evidence as “overwhelming”.
“All you need to do is look at Melissa Nathan’s texts, Baldoni’s responses, and Jed Wallace’s ‘services’.”
But Wallace’s lawyer, Chip Babcock, has denied the PR contractor was involved in a smear campaign against the actress.
He claims he was merely hired to report on social media narratives associated with Baldoni and Wayfarer.
Another series of texts reflect the deteriorating relationship between the two stars, with Baldoni writing about his fears “acting and working with this person who can and will use anything she can against me”.
While Baldoni noted it was “scary”, he went on to say he also knew he had protection.
He attempted to subpoena Taylor Swift in May 2025, following allegations Lively had referred to the pop star as one of her “dragons”.
