Blake Lively has hired Nick Shapiro, the CIA’s former deputy chief of staff, to serve as her PR crisis manager amid her escalating legal battle with Justin Baldoni.
The actress, 37, is suing her former It Ends with Us costar, 41, for sexual harassment and retaliation.
In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including improvising ‘unwanted touching’ and body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Baldoni has since counter-sued the Gossip Girl star and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400 million for allegedly trying to ‘destroy’ his reputation and sued the New York Times for defamation for $250 million.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Willkie Farr & Gallagher, confirmed to Variety that the litigation team representing 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.’
Shapiro has more than two decades of crisis management and was the CIA’s Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Director.
Blake Lively has hired Nick Shapiro, the CIA’s former deputy chief of staff, to serve as her PR crisis manager amid her escalating legal battle with Justin Baldoni; seen earlier this month
He has also worked in the White House as a Senior Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Aide on the National Security Council and was a National Security Spokesperson for President Obama.
While working for the federal government, Shapiro helped lead the Obama Administration’s response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Boston Marathon bombing, numerous cyber attacks and various natural disasters.
Shapiro launched his crisis PR firm 10th Avenue Consulting in 2015.
In 2020, Shapiro faced criticism after signing an open letter, alongside a group of 51 former senior intelligence officials, stating Hunter Biden’s laptop ‘has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.’
Back in August, Baldoni hired his own crisis public relations firm to represent him, four months before Lively filed her lawsuit against him.
He hired PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan, best known for representing Johnny Depp during his defamation trial against his ex-wife Amber Heard, for help.
Nathan launched her firm The Agency Group in June, and her initial clients included Depp, Drake, The Chainsmokers, Logan Paul and more.
The Agency Group is based in Los Angeles and New York, with a satellite office in Washington, DC.
Nathan had previously worked for the crisis management leader Matthew Hiltzik at his Hiltzik Strategies agency.
It was there that she represented Depp during his defamation trial against Heard, but the controversial actor jumped ship to join her once her new firm was announced.
