The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Taylor Swift's PR Strategy: Distancing from Blake Lively

• www.mollymcpherson.com • Episode 299

Share episode

In this episode of 'The PR Breakdown,' Molly delves into the intricate PR maneuvers and power plays behind the rift between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively. Taylor Swift reportedly feels used in the ongoing legal tussle between Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Justin Baldoni. The episode covers the strategic leak by Swift's team to distance her from the drama, involving lawsuits over defamation, sexual harassment, and privacy invasion. McPherson explains why timing and reputation management are crucial in such high-profile disputes, and predicts the impact of this crisis on the careers and personal lives of those involved.

Want More Behind the Breakdown?
Follow The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson on Substack for early access to podcast episodes, exclusive member chats, weekly lives, and monthly workshops that go deeper than the mic. It's the insider’s hub for communicators who want strategy with spine—and a little side-eye where it counts.

Follow me on Substack → Molly McPherson
Subscribe to PR Breakdown on Substack → prbreakdown.media

Need a Keynote Speaker? Drawing from real-world PR battles, Molly delivers the same engaging stories and hard-won crisis insights from the podcast to your live audience. Click here to book Molly for your next meeting.

Want more PR + Crisis Management insights?


Follow & Connect with Molly:

Harvey Levin - TMZ:

We just broke a shocking story. There is a rift and I think that is an understatement of a word a rift between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively. Taylor feels like she's been used.

Harvey Levin - TMZ:

Yeah, used in the middle of Blake Lively's war with Justin Baldoni, and there's certain things that we know Blake has said about Taylor in reference to that battle that do not sit well with Taylor at all.

Molly McPherson:

TMZ's Harvey Levin with a very bold statement. Why would he feel free to make such a huge claim about a private friendship Okay, one that's been shoved into the public eye, but still, how on earth are they supposed to know how Taylor really feels? The answer, my friends, is pretty simple Because Taylor let that slip, or her team did. Hey there, welcome back to the PR Breakdown, where I break down the biggest PR moments and crises in the news this week and figure out what's really going on behind the headlines. In this episode, the Taylor Swift, blake Lively, justin, yada, yada, yada crisis Again. Yes, why? Because it won't go away and, after all, come on, that's why you're here right.

Molly McPherson:

And that's why I'm still here. Last Friday I was doing my internet rounds checking in on the headlines of the week, breaking news, but also what gets fed to me by the algorithm. Naturally they decided to serve me a headline from TMZ about Blake Lively in her war with Justin Baldoni. I've spent weeks looking at this case. Is it because I'm interested in it? Not necessarily, but I'm interested in the power moves and the power plays behind the scenes. It's not for the celebrity aspect, but naturally it's for the power moves behind the scenes, but naturally it's for the power moves behind the scenes. But it was the story about Taylor Swift being re-injected into the Blake and Justin and Ryan story last Thursday that got me thinking. There's more to this story. Last Friday I quickly wrote an article and published it to Substack Wait, did I say Substack, yes, please become a subscriber today. Just download the app, it's free. Look for the PR breakdown with Molly McPherson. But it was a quick article. The title was Taylor Swift's PR dragon slaying how Blake Lively's in parens former PR weapon is orchestrating her exit from the it Ends With Us drama.

Molly McPherson:

I get itchy focusing on celebrity crises too long. I get itchy talking about celebrities at all, because more and more people come up to me to discuss these cases with their caveat I don't follow pop culture, yet that's what they want to talk about, and it's like they're ashamed to admit that they're following it. And I get it. Don't you think that talking about celebrities online on TikTok and Instagram and social media is a challenge for me, while I'm trying to retain some credibility as a strategic thinker in the art of communication credibility as a strategic thinker in the art of communication? But I am drawn into them because one I know that my followers like to discuss it, but also I know what drives people to this conversation it's the human drama. Now, apart from the super fans the stans like the Swifties, fans, the stans like the Swifties no one really, really cares about these celebrities. We all have our celebrities who we love like we get that right, but we're not a society of sycophants who need to connect with these celebrities on a daily basis about every single thing that they do. It's part curiosity, part schadenfreude and also just genuine curiosity about human behavior, and that's what brought me to this case and that's what keeps me here. This ends with us. Fiasco is similar to other deeper dives that I've done with celebrities lizzo, joe jonas it's the human flaws hidden behind the bulldog legal tactics and slick PR moves that draws me in. Like Joe Jonas is not my vibe, but following his Friday afternoon news dump announcing his divorce from Sophie Turner to the public, and apparently Sophie Turner herself, over the US holiday weekend of Labor Day, that's strategic PR and that's the carrot dangling in front of all of us. With every new celebrity crisis, people are becoming more media literate, more PR literate, to spot the deceptive and manipulative tactics and the sneaky power grabs that lack integrity that they see from people in the headlines. Which brings us back to this case.

Molly McPherson:

Let's talk about where we are with the court case as of the time of this recording. The legal disputes involving Blake Lively, ryan Reynolds, justin Baldoni are ongoing and have escalated significantly. Here is the current status at the time of recording. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have formally notified the court earlier allegations of sexual harassment against Baldoni during the filming of it Ends With Us. Their legal team has yet to file the official motion for dismissal but has indicated that it is forthcoming. Their publicist, leslie Sloan, is also named in the Baldoni lawsuit. She has filed for a similar notice. On February 3rd, a New York judge declined Lively and Reynolds' request to issue a gag order against Baldoni's attorney, brian Friedman, who has been accused of making prejudicial public statements. The judge warned both parties against litigating the case in the media, in other words, using PR as a retaliatory tactic, which is the case that Blake Lively is putting against Justin Baldoni, the meta of this crisis. That's why I'm drawn in the timeline for the trial. Both lawsuits Lively's sexual harassment claims against Baldoni and his $400 million countersuit is scheduled for March 9th 2026. Both parties have agreed to consolidate their federal cases into a single proceeding.

Molly McPherson:

The key allegations again lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, inappropriate workplace conduct and launching a retaliatory smear campaign. Baldoni is saying that he's denied these claims and he alleges that Lively misrepresented their interactions and used her influence to harm his career by pressuring his agency to drop him. And that's where it intersects with Taylor Swift. It's all about that word pressuring. Pressuring, I believe, is going to come into this case throughout and touch a lot of the different players. For example, colleen Hoover, the author of it, ends With Us. She's dropped out of sight, dropped Instagram. I think it's going to be interesting to see if she felt pressure from Blake and Ryan as well.

Molly McPherson:

Now let's move on to the Taylor Swift piece. When I saw the headline from TMZ about the Taylor Swift bad blood, I immediately knew that this was a public relations strategic play. In that article TMZ again exclusive source they heard from a well-connected source close to Taylor. That is language that means it's from Taylor Swift's side, likely at the behest, or directly from Tree Payne. She is the mega uber publicist who's managed Taylor Swift's reputation.

Molly McPherson:

We're going to talk about dragons. Tree Payne is the dragon in this scenario, but in the article discussing how Taylor came to Blake's apartment at the time because Blake told her to she is stating that she didn't know anyone else would be there. In other words, taylor had no idea there was going to be a meeting going on with Justin. We don't know if this is true or not, even though it's being stated. We don't know if it's true or not, but strategically it should be stated. It would be very hard to prove that Taylor did not know unless there were text messages from Blake or Ryan indicating that Justin was going to be there and it said hey, tay-tay, I need your help. We're going to ambush Justin per Ryan's recommendation. The source said that Taylor believed that Blake timed her meeting with Justin so Taylor would arrive before he left, and is baffled by Blake later characterizing her as a quote dragon in our Game of Thrones reference. The source adds, quote it's weird to say that about a friend. End quote. Yeah, it kind of is weird to say that the Taylor Swift source is really painting Blake as someone who strategically used her quote good friend, taylor Swift, in whatever interaction or power play she was having with Justin Baldoni.

Molly McPherson:

I think was all prompted by Ryan Reynolds, which I think this is just one big ploy to cover for Ryan Reynolds' jealousy. This is a huge falling out. Taylor is the godmother to one of Blake and Ryan's kids and many, many people mentioned that on my live On Friday, I put together a live on YouTube opening it up to everyone, just so you know. If you want to check out my YouTube weeklies about whatever the top headline story is of the week, go over to my YouTube channel right now. Just look for at Molly McPherson and you'll get notifications when these lives happen. But on that chat there were a number of Swifties on there defending Taylor, which I can understand why they would want to do that.

Molly McPherson:

Now here are the reasons why I think this TMZ article is part of a bigger but short strategic play to distance Taylor Swift from Blake Lively. Here are a number of reasons why One the timing. If you follow me, you know I always mention timing is something that's never discussed, but timing always, always is a factor in a crisis, always, always is a factor in a crisis. This is not what I think. This is what I know because I do crisis management full time. I am always looking for what happened, when and why does that matter. In this case, the timing tells me everything.

Molly McPherson:

The Sunday before last, the 2025 Grammys. This past Sunday, the Super Bowl. Taylor Swift had two key events on her calendar where it would be high profile events. Publicity from both events was going to bleed into the week, which meant it was a perfect time to drop a story that Taylor's team really did not want to talk about. It wasn't a Friday afternoon news dump. This was dumped on Thursday. Then subsequent stories followed. Overall, this still counts as a Friday afternoon news dump.

Molly McPherson:

Two, taylor wants to distance herself from Blake for reputation and legal reasons. The reputation risk being associated with a high profile legal dispute, even as a witness can lead to negative publicity and unwanted media scrutiny. Taylor Swift and her team have spent years making sure her icon status prevents her from getting swallowed up in these little PR squirmishes that happen With any public perception that may link the celebrity to a controversy. It potentially harms a reputation or a brand. That means money. Regardless of their actual involvement, they don't want to be involved.

Molly McPherson:

Three there's privacy concerns. Legal proceedings often expose personal details or professional interactions that the celebrity likely prefers to keep private. For instance, lawsuits can lead to the disclosure of communications, taxed behaviors on set of communications, taxed behaviors on set, behind the scenes, backstage, or reveal other sensitive information. Taylor has a highly curated reputation, almost to the point of perfection. She does not want this messy court case to involve any type of messiness from her background as well.

Molly McPherson:

Number four professional relationships. Mentioning a celebrity in a lawsuit can strain the relationships within the industry. For example, being listed as a witness in disputes involving colleagues or collaborators could create tension or affect future opportunities. What if Colleen Hoover wanted to use a Taylor Swift song? Not likely. If Taylor Swift is involved in some other movie or has an affiliation with some other actress, what if it calls to mind her relationship with Blake Lively and the whole ends with us fiasco. There could be people right now saying should we ask Taylor Swift about this? Like she's a little tainted at the moment, let's just wait. Next there's the legal and financial implications. Being named in legal documents might require the celebrity to hire their own legal representation and dedicate time to depositions and court appearances. It could be costly, it could be disruptive. Costly to Taylor Swift drop in a bucket, but it is disruptive to her schedule. Every Swifty knows this, and even the casual Swifty fan. She's coming off her Erez tour. She's now going to lie low and take it easy. Being involved in a court case next March is not going to be something that Taylor Swift wants to be a part of right now. So that's why she's saying right now, don't get me involved.

Molly McPherson:

Six avoiding polarization. Associating with one side in a contentious lawsuit could alienate fans or colleagues or business partners who sympathize with the opposing party. This is particularly relevant in cases involving sensitive issues like harassment and defamation. Look at what Taylor Swift did. Regarding politics. It's easy for Travis Kelsey at a press conference to say he is going to respect President Trump. Coming to the game. Travis Kelsey can address it in the context of a football game. Taylor Swift can address it in the context of a football game.

Molly McPherson:

Taylor Swift, with legions of fans in her Swifties. She doesn't know how people feel politically. She doesn't know their beliefs, their bias politically, how they affiliate, what their ideology is. She has to walk that line and it's a gray line constantly. It's not easy. The same applies to who you buddy up with. If Justin Baldoni comes out whole with a brand that he tried to buttress before all this happened that he is a supporter, and a vocal supporter, of women, he puts his name and his money and his efforts behind supporting women. This court case with Blake Lively is trying to blow that out of the water, but let's say in the end he's redeemed. Does Taylor Swift really want to be on the opposite side of a guy who himself was bullied and abused? She doesn't want anything to do with that. Next, the Travis factor. Last Sunday's Super Bowl was another key milestone for publicity for Taylor Swift, though not fabulous publicity.

Priya Sridhar - NBC News:

Global pop star Taylor Swift receiving a not-so-warm welcome at last night's Super Bowl. Swift, trying to shake it off as many in a crowd of 65,000 people in the Superdome booed when she was put on the Jumbotron.

Molly McPherson:

We all saw the clip where she was booed by Eagle fans and she gave everyone the side eye. She actually looked a little surprised to hear the booing, but she was there as a girlfriend, as a fan. She was dressed a little down. That was smart on her part. She was in the Kelsey suite. But if you notice, the broadcast was not as focused on Taylor Swift. Big reason, likely too, is that the Chiefs got whomped by the Eagles, particularly in the beginning. So cutting to Taylor Swift was not going to benefit anyone in that broadcast. Namely, taylor Swift Next 2025 Grammys.

Molly McPherson:

She was nominated in six categories Album of the Year, record of the Year, song of the Year Best Pop Vocal Album, best music video, best pop duo group performance. Six nominations she won zero, nothing. Had she won one, six, three, her publicity could have been focused on the win. Instead she had to draw the publicity to her red dress. A nod to Travis Kelsey and the Chiefs. She also had a little charm, a tea charm on her legs. She was posing with her legs sticking out. Is the tea for Taylor? Is the tea for Travis? We don't know. That's not the point. The point is we're supposed to notice it and talk about it. So that arc about the Grammys, even though she lost it, couldn't be about Taylor being a loser. No, no, no, no, no. It had to be that Taylor was looking forward to the Super Bowl and if you looked at the press, there was not a lot of Taylor's a loser press. So once again, kudos to Taylor's side.

Molly McPherson:

Those are the reasons why I believe this quote quote well-connected source and quote from Taylor Swift's side is behind these TMZ drops, because, you'll notice, no one else has the exclusive. It's not from people, it's from TMZ, because TMZ not only has the website, it also has syndicated programming, has primetime programming as well, but it has their lives. I've interviewed with Harvey Levin. I have been on TMZ multiple times, primetime and on these lives. I know how they get their information. I speak to producers at a time I know when they have dropped information in their hands. They don't speculate and talk to me. No, they bring information to me. Tmz has this information and it's solid, all right.

Molly McPherson:

What happens next? In the next few weeks and months, we are going to see this court case take twists and turns, but ultimately, personally, I think Blake and Ryan are going to retreat. They have to. There's no way they can go to trial with this. There is no way. If they go to trial one, I don't think they could ever win with the evidence against them and also the damage to their reputation will be massive of their careers.

Molly McPherson:

I don't think it's the end of anyone's career at all. Anyone in Hollywood, particularly if you're A-list. You will always live another day to do something else, but I think it's going to hurt them. Where it hurts you is in the pocketbook For money. Ryan Reynolds makes a lot of money, not just as an actor, but also as an investor, as a corporate speaker. Someone asked on the live will Mint Mobile drop Ryan Reynolds? You'll see him in all the ads. No, because Ryan Reynolds is a co-owner of Mint Mobile and it's funny. On the live a number of people said they had to watch a Mint Mobile ad before they could come on my live. Talk about the algorithm at play. Ryan will continue, blake will continue, but it will be difficult for Ryan to be this quippy, funny, clever type of actor who we know and love.

Molly McPherson:

It's not going to work anymore. Deadpool, that whole vibe is going to fall flat, particularly now in the last movie, justin Baldoni is alleging that a lot of it was poking fun at him because it was filmed during the time that Justin and Blake were working together. For Blake Lively. Will she still act? Yeah, but she's still a mom of four young kids and growing kids. We might not see her act as much, and I also predict that the Ryan-Blake union may be shaky for a bit. It may survive or it may not. Like union may be shaky for a bit. It may survive or it may not.

Molly McPherson:

All I know is this will continue, and these types of crises do a lot of damage when there's power behind it and when people don't want to relinquish that power, and they will do anything, anything to retain that power. In the end, it's to their own detriment. So we shall see, but I would love to know how you feel as well. If you found this episode insightful, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share with anyone who's as obsessed about these PR strategies and crisis communication tactics as we are. As I mentioned earlier, you can now follow me on Substack. Just go to the website prbreakdownmedia. That will bring you directly to my Substack publication, where you will find weekly articles as well as the podcast Articles with audio drops in them as well, links to my live and a new feature. Ask Molly, where I answer all of your PR questions and PR for people questions.

Molly McPherson:

You'll find it at prbreakdownmedia.

Molly McPherson:

It's a great app, but I hope to see you there. Thanks for listening. Come back for next week's big story. Bye for now.

People on this episode

Head Shot

Molly McPherson

Host

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.