Blake Lively has hired a former CIA powerhouse to be her PR crisis manager as her legal drama with Justin Baldoni continues to rage on.
The “Gossip Girl” alum has tapped Nick Shapiro — the CIA’s former deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to former director John Brennan — to help with legal strategy, Page Six confirmed Friday.
“The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” Lively’s legal team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher confirmed in a statement to us.
Variety was the first to report the news.
Shapiro reportedly has powerful government ties and has more than 15 years of crisis management, national security and strategic communications experience in the White House, according to the website for his charity All Hands and Hearts.
The former fed also served in the White House as a Senior Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Aide on the National Security Council and he was former President Obama’s National Security Spokesperson.
Lively, 37, hired Shapiro ahead of her trial against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, which is scheduled to begin in March 2026.
Reps for Baldoni did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.
Last December, Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and accused him of waging a PR smear campaign against her.
The New York Times broke the news, extensively covering Lively’s accusations against Baldoni.
The “Jane the Virgin” alum denied her claims and sued the New York Times for libel. He then filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and extortion.
Baldoni, 41, accused Lively of pressuring him into letting her take the reigns on the directorial duties of the 2024 film, which is based off Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name. He also alleged that Lively used her close friend Taylor Swift to pressure him into using her version of the script.
Baldoni admitted earlier this month that he was struggling emotionally and experiencing anxiety after a very stressful year. His attorney claimed the legal battle has left his client financially and emotionally “devastated.”
Ahead of the movie’s premiere last August, rumors swirled that Lively and Baldoni, who portrayed each other’s love interests in the drama, had been butting heads on set over their differing opinions about the final cut of the film.
Lively famously caught flack for hawking her haircare line and encouraging fans to wear their florals while promoting the film, which involves themes of domestic violence, prompting her to defend herself.
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