Blake Lively's case shows that social media loves to hate women

Hollywood has given birth to a new drama. Starring: an acclaimed actress who is declared Mean Girl, a supposedly feminist director who is accused of sexual harassment and a counselor who is willing to destroy women's lives for her clients. Also: a horde of influencers who immediately jump on the hate bandwagon because misogyny sells well on the Internet.

But unfortunately this isn't a film, but possibly the latest #MeToo case. And this time actress Blake Lively is believed to be the victim.

There were already rumors in the summer that there were arguments behind the scenes during the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel “Just One More Time” (English original title: “It Ends with Us”). After all, the leading actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni were neither seen together on the red carpet nor at promotional dates.

It quickly seemed clear to the internet that it was the woman's fault. She bullied the sensitive Baldoni on set. Suddenly Instagram and TikTok were full of interview excerpts - some ten years old - that put Blake Lively in an unflattering light. More and more content creators joined the chorus of Lively opponents until the actress was ultimately one of the most hated women of 2024.

Now Blake Lively has filed criminal charges against Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and several other people. She accuses them of a “coordinated action to destroy their reputation”. She has no choice but to go to court. Baldoni started this character assassination campaign out of fear that she would tell the public what really happened on the film set: cases of sexual harassment.

There was no physical violence, but the atmosphere on set was so toxic that she was only prepared to finish filming after a crisis meeting and a written agreement. Baldoni, as well as producer Jamey Heath, repeatedly came into her dressing room unannounced while she was changing. Without being asked, Baldoni talked about a previous porn addiction and sexual conquests and showed nude videos of his wife.

The agreement also required Baldoni to agree to: “No further mentions of cast and crew genitals, no further inquiries about Blake’s weight, no further mentions of Blake’s dead father, no addition of sex scenes, oral sex or on-camera climaxes by BL outside the scope of the script that BL agreed to when signing the project”.

Sony Pictures, which distributed the film, is also said to have approved Lively's applications. But a short time later, a campaign of “social manipulation” began with the aim of “destroying” her reputation.

Baldoni has not yet commented on the allegations. For many it is difficult to imagine that he, of all people, was said to have sexually harassed women. For a long time, the actor was considered a model feminist and fighter against toxic masculinity. He wrote a book whose title translates to “Man Enough: My Indeterminate Masculinity”. His lawyer also sees Lively's lawsuit as "another desperate attempt to restore her reputation, which was tarnished by word and deed during the advertising campaign for the film."

What is suspicious, however, is that Baldoni hired Melissa Nathan as his PR crisis expert shortly after the shooting. She was also behind the smear campaign with which Johnny Depp successfully destroyed Amber Heard's reputation. Meanwhile, her sister, Sara Nathan, is behind intrigues against Angelina Jolie, Florence Pugh and Olivia Wilde. Many chat histories and emails were attached to the criminal complaint, which show a precise plan of this PR team.

A PR consultant from Sony Studios asked in a chat: “Did we survive?” To which Nathan replied: “We survived. So much press - it's overwhelming. We confused people. It's really funny when you think about it. He doesn't know how lucky he is right now." Then she added: "Social networks are in full swing. To his credit, she must be angry. It's actually sad because it shows that there are people who really want to hate women."

The whole thing became public through a report in the New York Times shortly before Christmas. The lead investigative journalist was Megan Twohey, who helped trigger the MeToo scandal against Weinstein in 2017. In the documentary she states: “There are a variety of methods that have long been used to shape public opinion about a star. Blasphemy columns, newspaper articles, interviews. But this story uncovers a whole new set of rules for what a widespread and largely undetected smear campaign can look like in the digital age.”

If the allegations are true, it would probably be another chapter in the history of #MeToo. It would show that a new generation of filmmakers is pushing boundaries in much the same way as the film moguls that brought down the movement. And that the public hasn't learned anything either. The only thing that has changed are the methods used to destroy women. All it takes is a few rumors and fake news to start an online hunt. Because people on the internet are particularly easy to manipulate and love to hate women.

In her lawsuit, Blake Lively writes that Justin Baldoni's behavior caused her "severe emotional distress." She also states, "I hope my lawsuit will help lift the veil on these sinister retaliatory tactics designed to harm people and protect others who may be targeted."