Blake Lively’s Publicist Under Oath as Deposition Reveals How Harmful Claims About Justin Baldoni Were Shared

The name Leslie Sloan has moved quietly through Hollywood for years, rarely drawing attention. That changed when court filings, text messages, and sworn testimony placed Blake Lively’s long-time publicist at the centre of a media storm involving actor Justin Baldoni. For those new to the case, it centres on claims of workplace misconduct, counterclaims of reputational harm, and a dispute over who shaped the public narrative. What emerges from the record is not a sudden crisis response, but a familiar pattern of press control that stretches back more than a decade.

How Leslie Sloan Fed Negative Narratives to the Press

Court records and sworn testimony show Leslie Sloan was in direct contact with reporters at US Weekly, the New York Post’s Page Six, and the Daily Mail as Blake Lively faced growing criticism during the dispute with Justin Baldoni. The exchanges did not involve general background briefings. They focused on specific claims about Baldoni that, if published, would shift public perception.

Under oath, Sloan acknowledged sharing negative information with journalists while repeatedly describing her role as neutral. She told the court she wanted reporters to “have the information” in order to “balance the story.” When pressed on whether she expected that information to appear in print, Sloan avoided a direct answer, stressing that publication decisions belonged to the journalists.

The material she supplied included claims that Baldoni had become isolated from the cast and that tensions on set stemmed from his behaviour. These details emerged at a moment when online backlash against Lively intensified, placing her public image under strain. Sloan’s testimony confirms she understood how such claims would land, even as she denied directing coverage.

For readers unfamiliar with how modern celebrity coverage works, this distinction matters. Providing damaging narratives during an active controversy often shapes reporting regardless of whether explicit instructions follow. The court record shows Sloan operating within that reality while maintaining distance from the final headlines.

The Animal Comment and the Collapse of Justification

The most striking moment in Sloan’s deposition came when attorneys questioned a private message in which she referred to Baldoni as “an animal.” Under oath, Sloan confirmed she wrote it and confirmed she meant Baldoni. When asked why, her answer was blunt. She said she “felt like it.”

Notably, Sloan did not cite sexual harassment, threats, or safety concerns as her reason. She did not point to misconduct. She did not reference an incident. Her explanation rested entirely on personal feeling. When questioned again, she repeated the same response.

This matters because later public messaging around the dispute leaned heavily on the language of workplace protection. The sworn testimony strips that framing away. It shows emotion driving language, not evidence. For a publicist tasked with shaping narratives, that admission carries weight.

A Reputation Managed Long Before Baldoni

The Baldoni dispute did not arise out of nowhere. In 2014, Blake Lively’s lifestyle venture Preserve collapsed amid public ridicule and harsh media criticism. At the time, coverage focused on elitism and tone, but later reporting described a darker internal picture. Former employees alleged chaos, burnout, substance use at work, and inappropriate relationships involving management. Several reportedly received large settlements and signed non-disclosure agreements.

According to those accounts, none of this reached the press while Preserve operated. Former staff said the lack of coverage was due in part to intervention by Leslie Sloan. The same publicist now appears in court records tied to another effort to control reputational fallout.

Seen together, the timeline complicates current claims of victimhood. Lively’s image has faced sustained resistance for years. The strategy used to manage it has remained consistent. When criticism mounts, negative narratives about others surface. When risk rises, stories stall or disappear.

Final Thoughts

By the definition used repeatedly in this case, feeding harmful narratives to the press to influence public perception constitutes a smear campaign. The sworn testimony shows Leslie Sloan doing exactly that while Blake Lively faced criticism unrelated to Justin Baldoni. The record suggests this approach did not begin with him, nor does it end there. What the court documents reveal is not a single lapse in judgment, but a long-running method of damage control finally exposed to daylight.