MELISSA NATHAN is a veteran publicist who is well-known in Hollywood for her work with several high-profile celebrities.
This no-nonsense PR manager is alleged to have orchestrated a smear campaign against Blake Lively on behalf of her client Justin Baldoni – here’s what we know about her.
Actor and director Justin Baldoni has been named in a lawsuit by his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively[/caption]
Lively faced controversy for her promotion of It Ends With Us earlier this year[/caption]
Who is Melissa Nathan?
Melissa Nathan is recognized for her work in crisis communications and dealing with celebrity scandals.
She deals with controlling the narrative and managing the media response in the public eye whilst a celebrity is facing controversy.
Nathan has worked with several high-profile figures, including Logan Paul, Drake and Johnny Depp, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Not much is known about this elusive Hollywood fixer, but she has gained a lot of attention for her work with one client in particular.
She made a name for herself in the media for representing the actor Johnny Depp during his highly contentious legal battle with fellow actor Amber Heard.
What is Melissa Nathan accused of?
In a recent lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni’s It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively, the actress accuses Melissa Nathan of running a social media smear campaign against her during the summer.
The lawsuit claims that Nathan engaged in the coordinated effort after Lively expressed concerns over Baldoni’s allegedly toxic on-set behavior and sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us, which Baldoni directed and starred in opposite Lively.
Lively has stated that Nathan helped spread misinformation about the actress during the press tour for the movie.
This included circulating fake stories on social media platforms which criticized the actress.
According to Dailymail, Nathan also coached Baldoni on damage control strategies, which included interesting the actor on how to redirect sympathy away from Lively.
Lively shared a statement to the New York Times, saying: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Nathan has not currently addressed the allegations.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman has strongly denied the claims.
What has Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of doing?
It Ends With Us is based on a book by Colleen Hoover, which deals with domestic violence and emotional abuse[/caption]
Livemint also reported that Baldoni showed Lively explicit pictures, although the exact nature of them is not known[/caption]
In her legal complaint, Lively accuses Baldoni of several inappropriate behaviors on-set whilst making It Ends With Us.
This included comments about Lively’s weight, talks on explicit subjects, and references to his supposed pornography addiction.
Livemint also reported that Baldoni showed Lively explicit pictures, although the exact nature of them is not known.
Lively’s lawsuit also points to several instances of her trying to set boundaries during production, which had been approved by the film’s distributor Sony Pictures.
The lawsuit claims that Lively tried to ban the showing of explicit content on-set and unapproved inserts of sex scenes.
What was the It Ends With Us drama?
Melissa Nathan has not commented on the accusations yet[/caption]
Baldoni’s movie came under extreme scrutiny earlier this year for a particularly controversial press run.
At the time, Lively was coming under fire for her approach to promoting It Ends With Us, based on a book by Colleen Hoover about domestic violence and emotional abuse.
The actress was accused of not properly highlighting the serious themes of the movie, whilst Baldoni was seen in several interviews talking about how he made the film for victims.
Tensions increased at the premiere of It Ends With Us, where it is thought that costars went out of their way to avoid Baldoni on the red carpet.
Baldoni, the director and star of It Ends With Us, faces claims of inappropriate misconduct in a new lawsuit[/caption]
