Astroturfing, smear campaigns: How celebrity scandals reveal the dark side of PR

Here’s all you need to know about the ongoing Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni controversy

- Somya Mehta

In today's digital world, the way we take in information has completely transformed, often making it hard to tell the difference between what's real and what's been carefully planned or fabricated. For celebrities, this means constantly walking a fine line when it comes to public perception, where even a small mistake can quickly snowball into a major controversy.

Social media has only added to the challenge, with stories spreading like wildfire and leaving stars and their teams racing to manage the fallout. The recent Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni case is a clear example of how tricky it can be to handle fame and reputation in the digital era.

On December 20, Lively filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. Lively claimed that Baldoni engaged in inappropriate on-set behaviour, including unsolicited physical contact and sexual comments, fostering a hostile work environment.

After she raised concerns, Baldoni allegedly orchestrated efforts to damage her reputation through coordinated negative publicity. Baldoni's former publicist, Stephanie Jones, also came out in support of Lively's claims, alleging in a separate lawsuit that Baldoni's team attempted to discredit Lively to protect his image. Baldoni has denied the allegations, calling them false and outrageous.

Several of Lively's former co-stars and industry peers have publicly expressed their support for her. Notably, her co-stars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants have issued statements condemning the alleged smear tactics and exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories.

Colleen Hoover, the author of the novel on which the film is based, has also expressed support for Lively, praising her honesty and patience during this challenging time.