A potentialโฃ smear campaign targeting actress Blake Lively may be connected to Rebel Wilson‘s ongoing legalโฃ dispute with The Daily Telegraph publisher Nationwide News, according to โreports surfacingโ September 5, 2024. Allegations suggest a coordinated effort to damage Lively’s reputation arose following Wilson’s accomplishedโฃ defamation lawsuitโ against the Australian media outlet, stemming from articles published in 2015. The controversy centers on claims that Lively was privately disparaging Wilson, potentially as part of a broader attempt to undermine the comedian’s credibility.
The โconnection arises from accusations leveled by publicist Skye Pethick,who alleges Lively madeโค negative comments about Wilson while pitching a film idea. Pethick’s claims, initially made in a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) on August 31, 2024, ignited a firestorm of speculation and prompted Livelyโ to publicly address the situation. โThe timing of these allegations, following Wilson’s AUDโ $600,000 โคvictory againstโข Nationwide News in May 2024-a ruling that established a precedent for defamation claims in Australia-has fueled suspicions of a retaliatory effort. The stakes involve โขnot โขonly the reputations of the involved celebrities but also broader questions about media ethics and the potential for coordinated disinformation campaigns.
Wilson won her case against Nationwide News, publisher of The Daily Telegraph, after the court found the publication had portrayed her as a liar and had damaged her reputation. The lawsuit focused โon articles publishedโ inโฃ 2015 that revealed Wilson had fabricated aspects of her childhood story to advance her acting career. The court determined these articles were motivated by malice and caused โWilson significant harm.
Following Pethick’s initialโฃ post, Lively responded via Instagram on September 2, 2024, vehemently denying the allegations and stating she had “never” met Pethick. Lively โfurther asserted thatโ she had only exchanged emails with โคa growth executive and that any claims of disparaging remarks were fabricated. “this is a complete and fabricated attempt to โdiscredit me,” Lively โขwrote.
Pethick, who represents Webi-Desktop-Verizon,โข has since โdoubled down on her โคclaims, providing โscreenshots โof email correspondence that she allegesโข support her account. However, the authenticity of โthese screenshots remains unverified.The situation is currently unfolding on social media platforms โincluding Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where users are actively debating the veracity of โคthe โclaims and the potential motivationsโข behind them.
