Blake Lively's publicist denies planting stories about Justin Baldoni during 'It Ends With Us' press tour
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: It looks like the ongoing skirmish between the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni camps is only heating up with each passing day.
Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane is hitting back hard after Baldoni’s lawyers accused her of planting stories to smear him. With a countersuit on the horizon that promises to “shock everyone,” Sloane is calling out the allegations, which she believes are flat-out lies.
Leslie Sloane denies planting stories about Justin Baldoni
In a statement to People, Leslie Sloane set the record straight. “It’s clear that Mr Baldoni and his Wayfarer Associates are suggesting that I originated press stories about HR complaints on set, which is false,” she said.
Sloane shared her version of events, saying she first learned about the HR complaints through an anonymous tip forwarded by journalist Sara Nathan.
“I was contacted on 8/11 by Sara Nathan (Melissa Nathan’s sister) forwarding an anonymous tip that Page Six received, regarding allegations of HR complaints on the set of 'It Ends with Us,'” Sloane explained.
This detail is key because Baldoni’s crisis rep Melissa Nathan was previously named in Lively’s complaint and accused of being part of the alleged smear campaign against the actress.
Sloane has implied that if stories were planted, they didn’t originate from her or her team.
“After that, I was contacted by various press outlets asking about allegations of HR complaints,” she continued. “When contacted, I responded to press questions by referring them to Wayfarer or Sony for information regarding HR complaints.”
She also encouraged people to check out both Lively’s complaint and another legal filing by Jonesworks LLC and Stephanie Jones, which she believes back up the claims of a campaign against Lively.
Justin Baldoni to file countersuit against Blake Lively
While Leslie Sloane defends herself, Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman is gearing up for what he promises will be a game-changing countersuit.
“I am not going to speak to when or how many lawsuits we are filing, but when we file our first lawsuit, it is going to shock everyone who has been manipulated into believing a demonstrably false narrative,” Freedman said in a statement to Deadline.
“It will be supported by real evidence and tell the true story,” he added. “In over 30 years of practicing, I have never seen this level of unethical behavior intentionally fueled through media manipulation,” the lawyer continued.
The countersuit is expected to claim that Lively’s subpoenaed messages — included in her lawsuit — were taken out of context. Freedman alleges that her legal filing was less about seeking justice and more about “fixing her negative reputation.”
Blake Lively’s explosive lawsuit against Baldoni accuses the actor-director of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign to tarnish the actress' reputation among other allegations.
As the August premiere of 'It Ends with Us' approached, Baldoni allegedly feared Lively would go public with her negative experiences on set. To counter this, the suit claims he assembled a team to “bolster” his own credibility while working to “eviscerate” hers.
Justin Baldoni’s defense
Meanwhile, Justin Baldoni’s team has denied everything. Freedman called Lively’s allegations “false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” He doubled down on this narrative in his statement about the countersuit, aiming to flip the script on Lively’s allegations.
Central to Baldoni’s countersuit are claims about Leslie Sloane and her PR team. His camp alleges that Sloane planted stories in the media to make Baldoni look bad—stories about HR complaints and behind-the-scenes drama on the 'It Ends with Us' set.
Sloane, however, maintains her innocence. She’s adamant that she didn’t start any rumors and is pointing fingers back at Baldoni’s side, suggesting the leaks originated there.
