Blake Lively- Jason Baldoni and NYT - False Light claims

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thought this was interesting. Liz Plank, who cohosted the Man Enough podcast with Baldoni and Heath for years and has said nothing publicly about the Lively/Baldoni situation since formally quitting the podcast right after the NYT story, posted this video on TikTok last week:

https://www.tiktok.com/@lizplank/video/7466248157081472299

Basically she's just pointing out that no one should get their news from Candace Owens (and she's right). It's not a commentary on the case but a pretty useful reminder for anyone who wants to seize on the Candace Owens commentary on this situation.

(But also it is killing me that she has said nothing about this situation either way -- what does she think???? I would love her unfiltered opinion on all of it considering her close relationship with Baldoni and Heath and the fact that they discussed ALL of these issues on the podcast at some point -- consent, power dynamics in relationships, how women are treated in media, etc.)

I mean I get it.
But 1–Candace isnt “news” and isn’t claiming to be. She’s just fascinated with the saga, and has been reading through the evidence and piecing together the timeline. And like her or not, she’s been super thorough—so that’s why her site is attracting viewers on this issue. (And she points out constantly that she has zero in common ideologically with Justin, doesn’t know him, and has no reason to support him other than the fact that he appears to have been ostracized, humiliated, and railroaded for no reason other than that BL and RR wanted his film)
2–Candace has pointed out that she thinks it’s super-smarmy of all these people to immediately abandon JB over these allegations. Especially Liz Plank who is supposedly good friends with him. So of course Liz Plank is gonna tell people not to listen to her!
3–Candace is pretty consistent on speaking out on injustice. But you don’t have to like her to enjoy the commentary. If it turns out there is any evidence AT ALL that JB is guilty of any SH, Candace would not suddenly bend over backward to support him. I’m sure JB doesn’t care about Candace and they’d disagree about probably everything (except Gaza/Palestine and his situation with BL/RR)

Why on earth would you insert the Middle East? For the record JB has said nothing about it. He simply travels to Haifa due to his religion (one that is currently opressed in Iran). Candace flip-flopped big time and does not have a good udnerstanding of the conflict. What a strange thing to bring up.

You’re correct and I misstated.
What I should have said is that most non-conservatives disagree with Candace about everything (except BL/RR stuff and Palestine/Gaza). She has never agreed with the conservative talking points on that conflict, but otherwise points out that she and JB have virtually nothing in common. I’ve no idea how he feels about Gaza/Palestine but I’d be surprised if he supports what Netanyahu is doing, so I made an assumption that he’d agree with her on that.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know who can read all the click bait stuff and gossip rags and not be turned off by the way they approach issues like this. I don’t know who is on here calling people fat and just being mean and hateful and awful. But I don’t imagine they’re DC urban moms who have been corrupted by the right-wing media. I think they’re people with mental problems.

[Anonymous]

Blake Lively cooked her own goose.

[Anonymous]

Meanwhile, over on Reddit, folks have been noticing a trend of very negative, off topic, and critical-of-Lively postings on posts that are initially positive on Lively, and remind folks of similar machinations that happened in the Depp/Heard feud. Someone in a Depp subreddit made a post noting the trend of posts overloaded with anti-Lively content and connecting it to a paid smear campaign by Baldoni, and a bunch of other redditors agreed and posted support for this given what they were seeing in the reddit and Tik Tok comments:

You’re so right. I noticed the same thing with the wife beater’s trial. Constant bombardment with videos or stories from “their friends”. I was seeing this everywhere even though I never cared or googled either of them. Everything 100% one sided. (This was what made me so suspicious in the first place. And made me investigate more. I didn’t really care about the trial before that).... It’s so depressing. PR firms realised this is the weakest link: trusting a woman. So this is what they’re attacking. And it seems to be working....We’re primed to believe what “the hive” says. So if they buy enough bots and pay off enough “influencers”, people will believe it. And there isn’t really anything we can do to stop it....We really need to honestly consider how social media is controlling what we think. Because this is just one example. And now that they have AI models it’s quickly going to get a million times worse....There was a post on medium a week ago from a supposed ex-Twitter employee that talked about how they’ve contributed to misinformation before the election. And they pointed out a technology that they used for it - Eliza AI Agent, which allows you to create “characters” with your desired beliefs, traits etc. and those can then be used to create bots. Which means they’re almost impossible to differentiate from “real” people online.

There were a few threads on Popculture Chat where you could actually see the bot activity in real time. The first hour or so the post would be up, the majority of the comments would be pro-Lively and would be getting upvoted. But the next day, all the pro-Lively content would be downvoted and buried....The really telling thing is that a lot of the newly upvoted comments that would appear wouldn’t even have much at all to do with the post itself.

For example they posted the interview with the intimacy coordinator on that sub, and the majority of the comments after several hours of the post being up weren’t even about the interview. They were still talking about Lively getting married on a plantation, or they were generic and were complaining that her story didn’t align, and how she had already been caught lying.

Just bizarre to see comments like that appear en masse on a thread that began as very pro-Lively, and for the former top comments to vanish in a short span of time under downvotes.

There are also some commenters who cite his evidence and receipts, but if you engage they can’t articulate what his filing even says. Those might not actually be bots, just people who feel for the campaign, but to me it’s really telling that the people who are supporting him don’t even know what the core points of his filing are.... The threads on the audio tape were better, but there were still random comments in that thread that didn’t seem to make any sense. Like there were multiple that say that the audio makes Lively look bad.

On TikTok the last few days I’ll get served videos about people’s “real theories” about what is happening and they’re just trashing Blake without specifying why like “Divorce is on the way. Ryan must be so mad. Justin had the receipts.” and then when I click to their profile 7/10 times it’s not a real person’s account it’s a collection of videos from different people who ONLY post about celebrities and ALL their last like 12 videos are only about Baldoni in the exact same style. So like I don’t want to say “bot” bc it’s not a robot but it is clearly a PR planted smear account to specifically spread this narrative. So obvious but infuriating.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DeppDelusion/comments/1iclmpn/my_thoughts_on_justin_baldoni/

I think it's possible that the moderators over on reddit have restricted some threads to approved reddit users in order to close off the kinds of PR funded commenting that are suspected in this case because it is a known tactic for affecting social media and public opinion, and undoubtedly because Baldoni specifically hired a PR firm who had engaged in those sorts of tactics before. Anyway, it seems fair to speculate that a good portion of the anti-Lively sentiment is paid for and nor organic, and a bunch of the rest of it is just normal folks overwhelmed by the social media bombardment and piling on.

[Anonymous]

So I don’t care who JB hired 🤷‍♀️He was facing a couple that had already used their clout to drive him out of his own movie. Reynolds and Lively made false allegations against him and threatened him. It’s perfectly reasonable for him to vigorously defend himself.

You can’t point fingers at him for defending himself without those fingers swinging back to Lively and Reynold for creating the need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I don’t care who JB hired 🤷‍♀️He was facing a couple that had already used their clout to drive him out of his own movie. Reynolds and Lively made false allegations against him and threatened him. It’s perfectly reasonable for him to vigorously defend himself.

You can’t point fingers at him for defending himself without those fingers swinging back to Lively and Reynold for creating the need.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

DP (I'm the person who just posted the quotes from reddit) and I think this is interesting and worth discussion. But am not surprised that the Baldoni side doesn't want to discuss it except to deny any possibility that they are being pulled into supporting someone who, by taking down a liberal woman, is perfectly in line with right wing talking points. After all, they can't get enough of Candace Owens' takedowns of Lively, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Meanwhile, over on Reddit, folks have been noticing a trend of very negative, off topic, and critical-of-Lively postings on posts that are initially positive on Lively, and remind folks of similar machinations that happened in the Depp/Heard feud. Someone in a Depp subreddit made a post noting the trend of posts overloaded with anti-Lively content and connecting it to a paid smear campaign by Baldoni, and a bunch of other redditors agreed and posted support for this given what they were seeing in the reddit and Tik Tok comments:

You’re so right. I noticed the same thing with the wife beater’s trial. Constant bombardment with videos or stories from “their friends”. I was seeing this everywhere even though I never cared or googled either of them. Everything 100% one sided. (This was what made me so suspicious in the first place. And made me investigate more. I didn’t really care about the trial before that).... It’s so depressing. PR firms realised this is the weakest link: trusting a woman. So this is what they’re attacking. And it seems to be working....We’re primed to believe what “the hive” says. So if they buy enough bots and pay off enough “influencers”, people will believe it. And there isn’t really anything we can do to stop it....We really need to honestly consider how social media is controlling what we think. Because this is just one example. And now that they have AI models it’s quickly going to get a million times worse....There was a post on medium a week ago from a supposed ex-Twitter employee that talked about how they’ve contributed to misinformation before the election. And they pointed out a technology that they used for it - Eliza AI Agent, which allows you to create “characters” with your desired beliefs, traits etc. and those can then be used to create bots. Which means they’re almost impossible to differentiate from “real” people online.

There were a few threads on Popculture Chat where you could actually see the bot activity in real time. The first hour or so the post would be up, the majority of the comments would be pro-Lively and would be getting upvoted. But the next day, all the pro-Lively content would be downvoted and buried....The really telling thing is that a lot of the newly upvoted comments that would appear wouldn’t even have much at all to do with the post itself.

For example they posted the interview with the intimacy coordinator on that sub, and the majority of the comments after several hours of the post being up weren’t even about the interview. They were still talking about Lively getting married on a plantation, or they were generic and were complaining that her story didn’t align, and how she had already been caught lying.

Just bizarre to see comments like that appear en masse on a thread that began as very pro-Lively, and for the former top comments to vanish in a short span of time under downvotes.

There are also some commenters who cite his evidence and receipts, but if you engage they can’t articulate what his filing even says. Those might not actually be bots, just people who feel for the campaign, but to me it’s really telling that the people who are supporting him don’t even know what the core points of his filing are.... The threads on the audio tape were better, but there were still random comments in that thread that didn’t seem to make any sense. Like there were multiple that say that the audio makes Lively look bad.

On TikTok the last few days I’ll get served videos about people’s “real theories” about what is happening and they’re just trashing Blake without specifying why like “Divorce is on the way. Ryan must be so mad. Justin had the receipts.” and then when I click to their profile 7/10 times it’s not a real person’s account it’s a collection of videos from different people who ONLY post about celebrities and ALL their last like 12 videos are only about Baldoni in the exact same style. So like I don’t want to say “bot” bc it’s not a robot but it is clearly a PR planted smear account to specifically spread this narrative. So obvious but infuriating.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DeppDelusion/comments/1iclmpn/my_thoughts_on_justin_baldoni/

I think it's possible that the moderators over on reddit have restricted some threads to approved reddit users in order to close off the kinds of PR funded commenting that are suspected in this case because it is a known tactic for affecting social media and public opinion, and undoubtedly because Baldoni specifically hired a PR firm who had engaged in those sorts of tactics before. Anyway, it seems fair to speculate that a good portion of the anti-Lively sentiment is paid for and nor organic, and a bunch of the rest of it is just normal folks overwhelmed by the social media bombardment and piling on.

“Meanwhile on Reddit….”

Care to share the users and moderation history of the various subs?

Don’t get it twisted. Every sub with millions is heavily moderated and pro-Lively. Off of Reddit, once the dust settled and both sides had publicly accessible submissions, only then did Lively get the criticism she has IMO earned because she is a liar.

“She is a liar” is not a right-wing angle and you are a liar for putting that upthread. The way she described a scene was wholly deceptive and the context of that scene was only known when Baldoni released the audio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

DP (I'm the person who just posted the quotes from reddit) and I think this is interesting and worth discussion. But am not surprised that the Baldoni side doesn't want to discuss it except to deny any possibility that they are being pulled into supporting someone who, by taking down a liberal woman, is perfectly in line with right wing talking points. After all, they can't get enough of Candace Owens' takedowns of Lively, either.

This case is not a right wing conspiracy. Not everything is political. The FACTS thus far based on the released EVIDENCE are that Blake Lively lied when she accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. She tried to ruin an innocent man’s life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

I got it, I got it, we'll blame this all on Trump and his base!

— crisis PR grifters billing Hollywood bozos $1,000,000

Taking candy from a baby. This PR hacks must laugh to the bank.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

DP (I'm the person who just posted the quotes from reddit) and I think this is interesting and worth discussion. But am not surprised that the Baldoni side doesn't want to discuss it except to deny any possibility that they are being pulled into supporting someone who, by taking down a liberal woman, is perfectly in line with right wing talking points. After all, they can't get enough of Candace Owens' takedowns of Lively, either.

This case is not a right wing conspiracy. Not everything is political. The FACTS thus far based on the released EVIDENCE are that Blake Lively lied when she accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. She tried to ruin an innocent man’s life.

*She & her creepy husband. This needs to be emphasized. People should honestly go to jail for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

DP (I'm the person who just posted the quotes from reddit) and I think this is interesting and worth discussion. But am not surprised that the Baldoni side doesn't want to discuss it except to deny any possibility that they are being pulled into supporting someone who, by taking down a liberal woman, is perfectly in line with right wing talking points. After all, they can't get enough of Candace Owens' takedowns of Lively, either.

This case is not a right wing conspiracy. Not everything is political. The FACTS thus far based on the released EVIDENCE are that Blake Lively lied when she accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment. She tried to ruin an innocent man’s life.

*She & her creepy husband. This needs to be emphasized. People should honestly go to jail for this.

And more than likely it was for money in the form of rights to the sequel. So gross

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

DP (I'm the person who just posted the quotes from reddit) and I think this is interesting and worth discussion. But am not surprised that the Baldoni side doesn't want to discuss it except to deny any possibility that they are being pulled into supporting someone who, by taking down a liberal woman, is perfectly in line with right wing talking points. After all, they can't get enough of Candace Owens' takedowns of Lively, either.

I admire your dedication to defending Lively. However, politics has nothing to do with BL making false allegations against a man for her own benefit. Dem women don’t get free passes. Honestly if you really want to go there, BL is a fan of plantations and general rudeness which aligns much more with Trump’s behavior than Baldoni’s aversion to partisan politics due to his faith.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

I’m not attacking or dismissing you for weaving these things together because it’s often disturbing when the people we do not like or want to align ourselves with are the ones who end up uncovering truth or defending the correct party in a dispute.
Our politics are so divided right now that we desperately *want* the “bad people” on the other political spectrum to be wrong about everything and the “good people” on our side to be right.

But honestly this is a case that seems super clearly not about SH at all and entirely about money/business. From the massive amount of evidence (texts, timeline, interviews, even statements from Blake herself about her involvement with wardrobe, music, re-writes), it really looks as though this is a simple story of BL attempting to grow her actress role into a producer credit (which she appears to have done successfully via a combo of persuasion at the beginning and by leveraging the fact that she hadn’t signed her contract yet and then threatened not to promote the film if she didn’t get what she wanted re: editing the film and such). BL shamelessly spoke in an interview with the book author about how she would follow her anywhere—especially if she gets the movie rights to her book. But BL knew Colleen had already sold those rights to JB and she would NOT have the rights to the next movie unless JB sold them (which he refused to do) or unless his contract was voided. And is t it interesting that the contract allegedly had a morality clause in it that would nullify the contract in the case if SH allegations/entanglement?

This situation does not seem to be AT ALL about or women or SH or politics.
Instead, it’s about money and power.
BL/RR wanted this movie, and essentially got everything they wanted.
And then it seems that when they perceived that JB was orchestrating a smear campaign— (it doesn’t appear that he was…and even if his people were, that cant force people turn on you for being mean to people when videos resurface showing her being mean to people! That was just BL being BL on her own—and the public reacting to what they saw as her nastiness and/or out of touch flippant “wear your florals!” Promotion of a serious domestic violence film)—they decided to go on the attack with a SH claim to hurt his reputation.
She already humiliated him by taking his movie and making her own cut of it and insisting (allegedly—but also backed up by texts and also by what actually happened on premiere night) that JB and his family had to be seated in the basement of the theatre.
It’s just so much. And he clearly tried to just move on from it—even being very careful with how he spoke about Blake and the conflict they had which he seemed to think was about her wanting more creative control and him not giving in as much as she wanted (“I think she’s ready to direct—that’s what I think!”)
But there is only so much one can take and imo he had to fire back to salvage his career and reputation.

I know it’s not a great look to connect the dots and see conservatives or Trump-hires or mouthpieces all over this story, but the point is that sometimes “me too” gets it wrong. And I think this is one of those cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just want to not some of the politics going on in this controversy, which I think might be flying below the radar for some people.

Baldoni has hired numerous professionals who are aligned with the right or Donald Trump. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, has ties to a lot of journalists on the right -- Megyn Kelly is a former client and has spoken out a lot on this case, seizing on the "she lied" aspect of Baldoni's argument. Freedman has also previously represented Perez Hilton, whose website has a spotty record, at best, with its treatment of women. Perez Hilton has recently been discussing the case on Ben Shapiro's podcast. Meanwhile, well known alt-right Nazi Candace Owens has been posting constantly about the case and become a darling of pro-Baldoni support. When her disturbing views (she's a Holocaust denier and has engaged in danger conspiracy theorizing about everything from Jews in Hollywood to mass shooting events), they often reply with comments like "Sure, I don't agree with all her views, but..."

Meanwhile, Melissa Nathan, the crisis manager Baldoni hired to help him with his conflict with Lively not only famously worked for Johnny Depp in his takedown of Amber Heard, she also worked for Donald Trump during the "Russiagate" controversy and associated impeachment proceedings.

Meanwhile, Blake Lively is a fairly standard Hollywood liberal. Not super outspoken but has spoken out against Trump and aligns with the left on immigration and abortion. She's also close friends with Taylor Swift who, while also not super outspoken on political issues, became a very public enemy of Donald Trump by endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Lively is also represented in the case by Mannatt Phelps. Mannatt is somewhat unusual among big law firms in having a decidedly liberal bent. The firm is best known for its work in the healthcare space, where its hybrid legal/consulting work crosses over into advocacy for Medicaid expansion. Many Manatt lawyers and consultants are outspoken in their political views in a way that is uncommon in corporate law.

As I have watched an army of people mobilizing online against Lively, seizing on both the standard online hate directed at women (also seen in the Heard case) but also more fully embracing alt-right advocates and conspiracy theorists, I have grown increasingly uneasy. I want this to be your standard Hollywood gossip -- juicy and interesting because it involves people who are rich and attractive. But I think it's more than that. I don't think Baldoni himself is actually conspiring with the right directly, but I think he's become a useful cause to advance the alt-right in a time when we are genuinely at a dangerous crossroads with regards to the direction of our country and democracy.

I am sure this comment will be attacked. I'm sure I'll be dismissed. But there is a subtext to this controversy that is easy to miss if you are someone who is quick to dismiss or roll your eyes at Hollywood gossip. I think Jeff is missing it and it's one reason he's not understood what is really happening in these threads. But I want to put it out there.

Be careful who you listen to and use critical thinking when you read, even about Hollywood gossip. These are dark times and the weapons being used by people who want to destroy this country might come in odd disguises.

I’m not attacking or dismissing you for weaving these things together because it’s often disturbing when the people we do not like or want to align ourselves with are the ones who end up uncovering truth or defending the correct party in a dispute.
Our politics are so divided right now that we desperately *want* the “bad people” on the other political spectrum to be wrong about everything and the “good people” on our side to be right.

But honestly this is a case that seems super clearly not about SH at all and entirely about money/business. From the massive amount of evidence (texts, timeline, interviews, even statements from Blake herself about her involvement with wardrobe, music, re-writes), it really looks as though this is a simple story of BL attempting to grow her actress role into a producer credit (which she appears to have done successfully via a combo of persuasion at the beginning and by leveraging the fact that she hadn’t signed her contract yet and then threatened not to promote the film if she didn’t get what she wanted re: editing the film and such). BL shamelessly spoke in an interview with the book author about how she would follow her anywhere—especially if she gets the movie rights to her book. But BL knew Colleen had already sold those rights to JB and she would NOT have the rights to the next movie unless JB sold them (which he refused to do) or unless his contract was voided. And is t it interesting that the contract allegedly had a morality clause in it that would nullify the contract in the case if SH allegations/entanglement?

This situation does not seem to be AT ALL about or women or SH or politics.
Instead, it’s about money and power.
BL/RR wanted this movie, and essentially got everything they wanted.
And then it seems that when they perceived that JB was orchestrating a smear campaign— (it doesn’t appear that he was…and even if his people were, that cant force people turn on you for being mean to people when videos resurface showing her being mean to people! That was just BL being BL on her own—and the public reacting to what they saw as her nastiness and/or out of touch flippant “wear your florals!” Promotion of a serious domestic violence film)—they decided to go on the attack with a SH claim to hurt his reputation.
She already humiliated him by taking his movie and making her own cut of it and insisting (allegedly—but also backed up by texts and also by what actually happened on premiere night) that JB and his family had to be seated in the basement of the theatre.
It’s just so much. And he clearly tried to just move on from it—even being very careful with how he spoke about Blake and the conflict they had which he seemed to think was about her wanting more creative control and him not giving in as much as she wanted (“I think she’s ready to direct—that’s what I think!”)
But there is only so much one can take and imo he had to fire back to salvage his career and reputation.

I know it’s not a great look to connect the dots and see conservatives or Trump-hires or mouthpieces all over this story, but the point is that sometimes “me too” gets it wrong. And I think this is one of those cases.

Very well said.