Journalist who shared interview where Blake Lively was 'rude' to her speaks out amid Justin Baldoni lawsuit
The journalist who shared an interview where Blake Lively was ‘rude’ to her has spoken out amid the recent lawsuit.
The It Ends With Us actor has sued her co-star, Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and alleged he tried to launch a ‘social manipulation’ campaign.
When the Colleen Hoover novel-based film landed in cinemas over the summer, rumours were rife of an off-set rift between the two stars.
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And with speculation building over what had happened between the pair, all sorts of old drama also seemed to be dragged up – including a 2016 interview with Lively.
Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa shared a video of her chat with the Green Lantern actor and her Café Society co-star Parker Posey in 2016, captioning it: “The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job."
She told LADbible that part of why she’d decided to post it was because: “I think it’s about time that people behaving badly in Hollywood gets called out for it. It’s not okay, even if you are rich and famous."
However, with the video going extremely viral over the summer, there are new ‘theories’ over just why Flaa posted it when she did.
Obtained by The New York Times (NYT), Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni of trying to ‘destroy’ her reputation (while his lawyer says her team tried to ‘plant false stories with media’). And the NYT’s report lays out how Baldoni’s team allegedly carried out a ‘smear campaign’, noting a link to Flaa.
The actor had hired crisis management expert, Melissa Nathan, who allegedly said she had spoken to an editor when his team wrote to her: “I’m having reckless thoughts of wanting to plant pieces this week of how horrible Blake is to work with.”
The NYT report says of Flaa: “It wasn’t the first time she had posted a video aligned with a client of Ms. Nathan. In 2022, in the midst of Mr. Depp’s legal battle with Ms. Heard, Ms. Flaa posted clips of her interviews with the actor, tagged #JusticeForJohnnyDepp.”
But Flaa is slamming these theories as speculation builds, taking to various social media and writing on Instagram: “Just wanted to put it out there. I have nothing to do with Justin Baldoni and his smear campaign against Blake Lively that was reported on by The New York Times today. There are conspiracy theories out there accusing me of being paid by his PR team to help with their smear campaign. None of this is true.”
She said in a clip that she has ‘nothing to do with’ the ‘dirty work’ that had been ‘going on behind the scenes’.
Flaa added: “When I read the text messages that was going back and forth between Justin Baldoni’s PR team, I was as shocked and appalled like everyone else, and I would never be take part in anything like that. That's such an insult to me.”
During her near-10 minute video on this, she says she has ‘never met’ Baldoni and ‘actually didn’t know he existed’ before this movie.
Baldoni’s lawyer has slammed Lively’s lawsuit, telling Variety it is full of 'categorically false accusations’.
Lively told the NYT in a statement: “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.”
LADbible contacted Sony Pictures and Baldoni and Lively’s reps for comment.
Topics: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Celebrity, TV and Film, Viral
Jess Battison