A journalist caught in the crossfire between Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s public exchanges claimed the actress used her “like a pawn.”
Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa was implicated in Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni after the two starred together in the Colleen Hoover-adapted film, “It Ends With Us.” Since the film’s premiere, Lively has accused Baldoni of participating in a deliberate smear campaign aimed at ruining the actress’ reputation.
During the “It Ends With Us” press tour in August, Flaa uploaded a video interviewing Lively in 2016 titled “The Blake Lively Interview That Made Me Want to Quit My Job.” Flaa apparently had an awkward moment with Lively after she congratulated the “Gossip Girl” star on her pregnancy.
“My name is just printed in the lawsuit, and there’s no real context around it – just a headline from a media outlet (that covered Flaa’s video)… But they didn’t mention my further video in the lawsuit because “They know it has nothing to do with (Baldoni’s) campaign, so they couldn’t publish it in legal journals. Instead, they took it to the New York Times,” the journalist told The Ankler. “They saw that they could insinuate that I had something to do with it.”
JUSTIN BALDONI Calls Blake Lively Allegations ‘False and Destructive,’ Lawyer Says New Trial Will Expose the Truth
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of “It Ends with Us” on January 12, 2024 in New Jersey. (José Pérez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
In the video, Flaa praised Lively for her “little bump.” Lively replied, “Congratulations on your baby bump.” However, Flaa was not pregnant at that time. The video gained traction on social media, garnering over six million views on YouTube.
Flaa claimed that the inclusion of her video in the lawsuit insinuated that she was part of Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign, but the journalist insisted that she had nothing to do with it. The New York Times, which was first to report on Lively’s claim, noted that Flaa had published excerpts of interviews with Johnny Depp during his trial against Amber Heard – noting that Depp was also a client of the Baldoni crisis public relations representative.
“It’s in (Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’) interest to demean me, discredit me as a journalist and portray me as corrupt, because that would make her look better,” Flaa told The Ankler. “The public can be very easy to persuade sometimes, and they just want to believe the narrative that suits them at that moment. The way they did that was so dirty to me because I can’t defend myself. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, they “I’m a powerhouse in Hollywood…They’re using me as a pawn.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to a representative for Lively, The New York Times and Flaa for additional comment.
DO YOU LIKE WHAT YOU READ? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday (Dec. 31). (Getty Images)
“Considering that Lively’s lawyers had access to thousands of pages of text messages and emails, it is hard to believe that they were unaware that I was not involved in the alleged smear campaign,” wrote Flaa in a statement to USA Today.
“This makes it all the more troubling that the New York Times chose to insinuate my involvement based solely on a hashtag from a Johnny Depp video on my YouTube channel from 2022.”
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds attend the premiere of ‘It Ends With Us’ months before the actress sues co-star Justin Baldoni. (Getty Images)
Highly detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, neglect and more made by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Department of Civil Rights , then in federal court.
According to the complaint obtained by Fox News Digital, the actress called an “all-hands” meeting on January 4, 2024 regarding Baldoni and Heath’s alleged behavior, at which her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was present.
“Ms. Lively was forced to report her concerns about Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath’s misconduct directly to them, and began doing so months before filming began,” the complaint states. “The concerns she raised were not just about herself, but also the other female cast and crew, some of whom had also spoken out.”
Justin Baldoni attends the premiere of ‘It Ends With Us’ with his wife. The actor has denied Blake Lively’s allegations against him. (Getty Images)
In a statement previously given to the New York Times, Lively said, “I hope my legal action helps shed light on these sinister retaliatory tactics aimed at harming people who speak out about misconduct and protecting others.” likely to be targeted. »
Additionally, Lively denied that she or any of her representatives broadcast or broadcast any negative information about Mr. Baldoni or Wayfarer, according to the Times.
Bryan Freedman, attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer, told the Times: “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious, intended to cause public harm and rehash a narrative in the media. »
Freedman added that Wayfarer, its executives and its public relations team “have not done anything proactive or retaliatory” against Lively. Freedman says Lively’s complaint is “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.”
Baldoni’s lawyer hinted at the possibility of a lawsuit against Lively. (Getty Images)
Baldoni has since sued The New York Times for defamation. The actor’s lawyer also hinted at the possibility of a separate lawsuit against Lively.
However, Lively’s team noted that her allegations were “supported by concrete facts.”
“This is not a ‘feud’ stemming from ‘creative differences’ or a ‘he said/she said’ situation,” his lawyers told Fox News Digital. “As alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer (Studios) and its associates engaged in illegal astroturfing activities in retaliation against Ms. Lively for simply attempting to to protect themselves and others on a film set And their response The goal of the lawsuit has been to launch more attacks against Ms. Lively since it was filed.
Lively’s lawyer says her allegations are “supported by concrete facts.” Baldoni’s lawyer said he would release “all evidence” showing a “pattern of intimidation.” (José Pérez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Baldoni and his team say there is more to come.
“It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of using the media as a weapon when his own team orchestrated this brutal attack by sending the New York Times grossly falsified documents before even filing the complaint,” said Freedman in a statement to People. .
“We are publishing all evidence showing a pattern of intimidation and threats to take over the film,” Freedman added. “None of this will come as a surprise because, consistent with her past behavior, Blake Lively used others to communicate these threats and intimidate her into getting what she wanted. We have all the receipts and more “, he said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox