Many people on the internet find it funny how things are taking a turn in the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni situation. At first, it seemed like Team Baldoni had the upper hand, but after Lively brought in a former CIA employee for her PR team, the narrative is changing, now more people are talking, and not in Baldoni’s favor, putting Lively in sort of a good light.
This might have pushed (now, this is all speculative) Justin Baldoni’s father, Sam Baldoni, to step in. As he reportedly showed support for his son on Instagram dissing Lively, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Justin Baldoni’s father enters the battlefield against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds!
The Baldoni vs. Lively showdown just got even messier, now that Justin Baldoni’s dad, Sam Baldoni, is entering the battlefield. On March 5, Sam shared a video on his Instagram Story featuring a bulletin board that stated, “In a world full of Blakes and Ryans, be a Justin.” Subtle? Not so much. Other than that, the board was decked out with pictures of Baldoni, news clippings about him, and all the good work he has done.
The video originally came from TikTok user @jennybenners, and while Sam’s repost has since disappeared from his Instagram, since it was a story mention, the clip is still making headlines.
Watch the story here:
For people living under a rock, the public show of support comes in the middle of a legal war between Baldoni and Lively, which kicked off when she sued him in December 2024, accusing him of s-xual harassment and a smear campaign, both of which he has denied.
Baldoni also didn’t sit back, he fired back with a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her firm Vision PR, accusing them of civil extortion, defamation, and more. And a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times over claims they falsely accused him of running a smear campaign against Lively.
Blake Lively has hired a former CIA official to do all the talking!
Only a week ago, it was reported that Blake Lively has brought in Nick Shapiro, former CIA deputy chief of staff and senior advisor, to handle crisis PR. Shapiro, who founded 10th Avenue Consulting in 2015, has managed major crises such as the Boston Marathon bombing, the Gulf Oil Spill, and large-scale cyberattacks.
His involvement sticks out like a sore thumb in this case since Lively’s legal battle lacks any obvious political connections, and half the internet sees it as mere Hollywood drama.
Interestingly, Lively’s team was critical of Justin Baldoni last summer for using crisis PR experts. Now, she herself has turned into one of the most seasoned professionals in the field.
Another interesting tidbit, journalist Kjersti Flaa, who was dragged into the lawsuit for her “Congrats on your little bump” interview with the actress, is now speaking out. In her latest videos on YouTube, she reveals that her Wikipedia page was mysteriously edited to make it seem like she was involved in the alleged Blake Lively smear campaign.
Flaa finds the timing suspicious, especially given the recent shift in public perception, something she doubts is not a coincidence, especially after a former CIA employee joined Lively’s team. Although nothing can be known for sure with the trial still a year away, all fans can do now is wait.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
