Blake Lively’s Legal Battle Exposes Hollywood’s Crisis Management Machine and Celebrity Power Networks

“We should have a plan for IF she does the same when [the] movie comes out,” Baldoni wrote, revealing a mindset focused on potential retaliation rather than resolution.

In a particularly telling development, Baldoni’s since-dismissed countersuit against Reynolds painted the “Deadpool” star as becoming “unhinged” during a meeting at the couple’s home, where he allegedly “berated” and “aggressively” accused Baldoni of various offenses, including “fat-shaming” Lively. This narrative construction appears designed to portray Reynolds as an irrational, overprotective husband rather than someone responding to legitimate workplace concerns.

The Hailey Bieber Diversion Tactic

Among the most revealing aspects of the crisis management strategy was the apparent plan to deflect attention using Hailey Bieber’s public controversies. Text messages show Baldoni sending screenshots of social media threads discussing “Hailey Bieber’s history of bullying women,” with the accompanying message: “This is what we would need.”