Baldoni, Depp's PR Specialist 'Melissa Nathan' Caught Activating Bots to Bury Her Apperance in Epstein Files

There's a quiet sort of chaos online, and this week it landed on Melissa Nathan.

She's a crisis PR specialist — worked with Justin Baldoni, Johnny Depp, Drake. Suddenly, her name started appearing in conversations about the Epstein Files.

Then, just after her lawyer said she never met Epstein, a flood of new Twitter accounts all shared the same line:

'This is blatant misinformation. Nathan never met Epstein.'

One after the other. All identical.

How Nathan's Name Appeared in the Epstein Files

Nathan has worked with figures like Justin Baldoni, Johnny Depp, Drake, and Tiffany Trump. She's represented clients through Hiltzik Strategies and her own venture, The Agency Group (TAG).

In the Epstein Files, Nathan is mentioned because she was present at discussions around a May 2017 breakfast with Matthew Hiltzik — her boss at the time — when the firm billed Epstein $25,000 for PR services. The documents don't show her interacting directly with Epstein, but her name appears in the context of the breakfast and billing records.

That detail alone didn't spark headlines. But once her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, called the suggestion that she attended 'false and defamatory,' the online response escalated.

Within minutes, new accounts — many with cryptic names or crypto references — repeated the exact same line defending Nathan:

'This is blatant misinformation. Nathan never met Epstein.'

Accounts like @CryptoV40117, @Enigma1015811, and @IvesTrevel77984 all posted the same message, creating the impression of widespread agreement.

Online Backlash Begins

Reddit users quickly picked up on the pattern.

One wrote:
'Why are a handful of assholes seemingly in charge of making it so it's harder for people to understand what's real and not? It's so fucking tiring.'

Another said:
'Rich people with no morals will burn the world to the ground before going down for the reprehensible creep shit they have done.'

Others highlighted family ties. 'Melissa's sister Sara Nathan is a Page 6 and Daily Mail reporter — just to add to the sense that these people have zero morals or integrity.'

Some focused solely on the messaging itself:
'I'm not nervous. I just have some taste. Good god, she's not even trying to make it not obvious,' wrote u/heartbylines.

And a few drew connections to patterns they've seen in PR campaigns targeting women linked to high-profile men:
'So the common denominator employing the same misogynistic strategy against the women involved with those male celebs also works with the Trumps and had ties to Epstein??? Shocker! Also, these bot campaigns are how the truth is altered these days. And how division is spread among Democratic voters so people feel dejected and stay home.'

How Melissa Nathan's Name Became Popular

Nathan is also named as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni. She's accused of orchestrating online campaigns to discredit Lively amid sexual harassment allegations.

Observers note the similarities between these tactics and what is now appearing around her name in the Epstein Files.

Bots, PR, and Reputation

What's striking here isn't just that Nathan's name appeared in the Epstein Files. It's how quickly identical messages were amplified online — a clear illustration of the bot-driven tactics some PR teams can deploy.

Instead of relying on conventional statements or press coverage alone, Nathan's defence moved in 280-character bursts, amplified by accounts likely set up to create the illusion of consensus. The sheer speed and repetition make it difficult for ordinary users to parse what's real, what's scripted, and what's coordinated.

In other words, this shows exactly how modern reputation management can operate. Not through careful articles or press releases, but through orchestrated bot activity designed to dominate timelines and influence perception within minutes. Commenters on Reddit sum up the whole situation by saying they weren't surprised that 'seemingly guilty' defendants are hiring Nathan to defame their accusers.