Justin Baldoni hires Johnny Depp's crisis PR team amid tensions with It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively

Amid ongoing rumours about his rift with ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star, Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni has hired veteran crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan to manage the situation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Melissa Nathan, who previously managed Johnny Depp’s high-profile legal battle with Amber Heard, is now handling Baldoni's crisis. While Justin’s situation is not as severe, it has been growing daily.

The buzz intensified when fans observed Baldoni’s absence from joint press events and noted the lack of group photos with Lively at the film’s New York premiere on August 6.

Additionally, it was pointed out that neither Lively, Hoover, nor other cast members follow Baldoni on Instagram, though he follows them.

Nathan, who recently launched The Agency Group after nearly a decade with crisis strategist Matthew Hiltzik, now manages high-profile clients like Johnny Depp, whom she represented during the Amber Heard trial. Her firm specializes in communications, crisis management, reputation management, personal publicity, and digital team services across the entertainment industry.

Sources indicate that tensions arose between Baldoni and Lively during post-production, with two different cuts of the film emerging.

The reported rift between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni emerged during post-production when Blake enlisted her husband Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool and Wolverine editor, Shane Reid, to create a different cut of It Ends With Us than the one Justin had commissioned. Rumours have since suggested that Justin made Blake uncomfortable on set.

The hiring of The Agency Group comes as Baldoni faces negative press over allegations that he made Lively uncomfortable on set. Despite this, Baldoni has praised Lively’s creative contributions in recent promos and interviews. He has emphasized that he stepped back during filming to allow women to lead, given the film’s focus on domestic violence from a female perspective.

‘It Ends With Us’, produced by Baldoni and Jamey Heath’s Wayfarer Studios and released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, grossed an impressive $50 million domestically and $80 million worldwide against a $25 million budget. Wayfarer Studios, backed by billionaire Steve Sarowitz, also has ties to Baldoni and Sarowitz's shared Baha’i Faith.

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