A potential smear campaign targeting actress Blake Lively may be connected to Rebel Wilson‘s ongoing legal dispute with The Daily Telegraph publisher Nationwide News, according to reports surfacing September 5, 2024. Allegations suggest a coordinated effort to damage Lively’s reputation arose following Wilson’s accomplished defamation lawsuit 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 connection arises from accusations leveled by publicist Skye Pethick,who alleges Lively made 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 Lively to publicly address the situation. The timing of these allegations, following Wilson’s AUD $600,000 victory against 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 not only 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 on articles published in 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 Wilson significant harm.
Following Pethick’s initial post, Lively responded via Instagram on September 2, 2024, vehemently denying the allegations and stating she had “never” met Pethick. Lively further asserted that she had only exchanged emails with a growth executive and that any claims of disparaging remarks were fabricated. “this is a complete and fabricated attempt to discredit me,” Lively wrote.
Pethick, who represents Webi-Desktop-Verizon, has since doubled down on her claims, providing screenshots of email correspondence that she alleges support her account. However, the authenticity of these screenshots remains unverified.The situation is currently unfolding on social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where users are actively debating the veracity of the claims and the potential motivations behind them.