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(NewsNation) — As more allegations — and receipts — trickle out of the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni “It Ends with Us” fight, Lively, who has said she is the victim of sexual harassment, is now finding herself on uncomfortable footing as Baldoni’s lawyer is releasing tapes that cast doubt on her claims.

Blake Lively made all the wrong moves: crisis manager

Lively, who has incurred organic wrath for her odd interviews, uncomfortable jokes, and shilling hair products during the premiere of the movie about domestic abuse, is now on the defensive and making all the wrong moves, according to one crisis manager.

“She filed because she believed legal action would signal strength and control over the narrative. The problem? It did the exact opposite,” Ulysses Osuna, the owner of Influencer Press told me.

”In today’s media landscape, legal threats in PR crisis almost always backfire.”

Osuna went on to say: “The public isn’t stupid. In an age where everything is documented, trying to shift blame when video evidence exists is not a smart move. Even if the story was ‘planted,’ the actions were still Blake’s. She was still rude in those interviews, she was still promoting her companies when the movie was about domestic violence. Justin Baldoni didn’t do these things.”

As for her claiming the backlash was “planted,” Osuna said: “This is the worst possible move in a crisis because it insults the audience. People saw the interviews. They reacted naturally. Suggesting they were manipulated only made them more invested in proving her wrong. Instead of course-correcting, she doubled down with the ‘planted story’ defense, which was essentially a slap in the face to the audience, implying they were too gullible to form their own opinions.”

And now it has snowballed.

The PR crisis for Blake Lively

”What started as a simple PR hiccup turned into a full-blown credibility and career crisis, all because she chose deflection over ownership.” Osuana said. “From the beginning, she should’ve owned up to her mistakes. I don’t know if she’s listening to her PR team but if this is the route her PR team wants her to go then I’m afraid they’re only making it worse for her. 

When video footage comes out of the exact scene she’s talking about in the legal document, her PR team says, “The footage fully corroborates her account,” but then requests the gag order after she made it public… or when her PR team says: “This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim, “This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.”

They are making so many crucial mistakes. Two things can co-exist. There could’ve been sexual harassment and she could also own up to her mistakes.

If she continues to deny pretty much any wrongdoing, it’s going to be hard for people to have her back. 

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni should not go to trial: Osuna

Osuna warned Lively against going to trial.

”If this goes to trial this will likely cement into something irreversible. The smartest move is to publicly acknowledge the situation, not with a defensive or overly polished PR statement, but with a direct and human response that shows self-awareness. The longer she waits, the harder the recovery, but if she moves now, with authenticity and controlled visibility, she still has a shot at rewriting this story. What we’ve seen so far, is a lack of accountability and lack of awareness. Ownership over deflection. Some battles can’t be fought by her team. “