On December 21, actress Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, attempting to sabotage her career, and allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign to damage her reputation.
The lawsuit, which has since gone viral, also implicates two public relations professionals, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. Nathan, the founder of The Agency Group, and Abel, CEO of RWA Communications, are accused of actively participating in efforts to tarnish Lively’s image online.
The legal filing also names Melissa Nathan’s sister, Sara Nathan, an editor-at-large at the New York Post. According to Lively’s allegations, Sara was involved in spreading negative stories about the actress, with Page Six, a New York Post subsidiary, publishing pieces allegedly aimed at discrediting her.
One such headline read, “Blake Lively approved final cut of It Ends With Us amid feud with co-star and director Justin Baldoni,” among other damaging narratives.
Who Is Sara Nathan?
Sara Nathan, an accomplished journalist with 25 years of experience in UK, US, and global news, has previously worked for outlets such as The Sun, People Magazine, and Daily Mail.
Her bio highlights her expertise in covering Hollywood, celebrity scandals, and royalty-related stories. Despite her professional accolades, the lawsuit alleges her involvement in campaigns to defame Lively through planted stories and smear tactics.
The lawsuit outlines communications between Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, where they allegedly discussed strategies to undermine public support for Lively while promoting Baldoni. Messages reportedly exchanged between the two suggest efforts to plant stories portraying Lively as “difficult to work with” and coordinating with media outlets to amplify negative narratives.
A particular text exchange between Nathan and Abel reportedly referenced their online campaign as a “success,” with Nathan allegedly stating, “The majority of socials are so pro-Justin, and I don’t even agree with half of them, lol.”
Melissa Nathan is accused of running a smear campaign against Blake Lively.
Anyone surprised that she is the sister of Sara-Nathan. A so called journalist,who also ran smear campaign against Meghan?
What parent raised those two monsters?#BlakeLively pic.twitter.com/6IEu59zq0o— Snarky Guy (@Barbara27541025) December 23, 2024
Another alleged message involved a reference to an editor “friend” at Daily Mail, indicating readiness to publish unflattering narratives about Lively. Additional texts described a story titled, “Blake Lively set to be CANCELLED?” as a calculated move in their campaign.
The lawsuit also accuses Baldoni of inappropriate behavior on set, including watching Lively change, sharing explicit stories, and showing her a private video of his wife. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has dismissed the allegations as “entirely fabricated” and “intentionally salacious.”
Meanwhile, Lively has stated that her lawsuit aims to expose and prevent retaliatory actions against those who speak out about misconduct, advocating for the protection of others in similar situations.
The case was filed with the California Civil Rights Department and has sparked widespread debate about the entertainment industry’s handling of power dynamics and workplace misconduct.
