Crisis PR hub

In 2024, during the promotional campaign for the film “It Ends with Us,” actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were the subject of public speculation following allegations of toxic working conditions on set (Rufo, 2025). Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment. In turn, the actor accused Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of waging a defamation campaign against him (Rufo, 2025). The dispute between the actors gained enormous media attention, and both sides suffered strong public criticism (Rufo, 2025). Consequently, the public attention fell on the actors’ legal battle, shadowing the film (Rosner, 2025).  

It is possible to infer, then, that both parties, regardless of the verdict, had their reputation damaged. In this sense, according to Coombs (2021), the act of managing issues can be seen as a specific method of risk management, both for organizations and individuals (pp. 32). Furthermore, the process of anticipating crises, also called pre-crisis, is an important stage in crisis management (Coombs, 2021).  

In the context of social media, risk is also present and needs to be managed, as stakeholders can take control of the narrative and damage a brand’s reputation (Coombs, 2021, pp. 38). For example, an article in The Echo News highlighted that actress Blake Lively suffered public backlash during the marketing campaign promoting the film “It Ends with Us,” whose central theme is domestic violence (Saad, 2024). In particular, she was accused of being insensitive and of using the film’s serious subject matter to promote her personal brand of beauty products (Saad, 2024).  

Hence, it is valid to emphasize that even before the controversy involving actor Baldoni, Lively was already being criticized for her demeanor and communication tactics (Lynch, 2025). This shows that she may have underestimated the reputational risk she was facing. Within this context, according to Eccles et al. (2007), an essential tactic in crisis management is to respond immediately to issues and problems raised by stakeholders, given that public perception impacts the reputation of an individual and organization. Therefore, if Lively had adjusted her tone when the first wave of criticism emerged, her reputation would likely have been less affected.  

References:

Coombs, W. T. (2021). Ongoing crisis communication: Planning, managing, and responding (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Eccles, R., Newquist, S., & Schatz, R. (2007). Reputation and its risks. Harvard Business Review, 85(2), 104–114, 156. https://hbr.org/2007/02/reputation-and-its-risks

Lynch, R. (2025, January 10). When does crisis management cross the legal line? Gateley. https://gateleyplc.com/insight/article/when-does-crisis-management-cross-the-legal-line/

Rosner, E. (2025, December 23). Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni “will be tied together in history” after legal war as battle hits 1 year: PR expert. People. https://people.com/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-will-be-tied-together-history-expert-exclusive-11872405

Rufo, Y. (2025, June 10). Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni: What you need to know. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewxj0qw2p9o

Saad, S. (2024, September 23). ‘It Ends With Us’ experiences backlash, scrutiny on marketing tactics. The Echo. https://www.theechonews.com/article/2024/09/it-ends-with-us-experiences-backlash-scrutiny-on-marketing-tactics