Blake Lively
Blake Lively at 2018 VMA Wikimedia Commons

Blake Lively is allegedly being targeted in a smear campaign orchestrated by TAG PR, a firm linked to South Korean entertainment powerhouse HYBE and music executive Scooter Braun. Reports suggest the campaign follows a pattern, as HYBE and related companies have previously been involved in disputes surrounding the K‑pop group NewJeans and its former management. Posts on X claim that a website linked to TAG PR encouraged attacks on Lively while attempting to involve fan communities. The firm is also accused of targeting sensitive cultural and religious groups, including supporters of Israel.

What TAG PR Is and Why It Matters

TAG PR, also known as The Agency Group, is a US‑based crisis management firm led by Melissa Nathan. HYBE America, the US branch of the South Korean entertainment conglomerate behind global acts such as BTS, acquired a controlling stake in TAG PR for about £20 million ($25 million) in 2024. The move drew attention from fans and industry watchers given the firm's controversial client list.

Scooter Braun, CEO of HYBE America and widely known for managing stars including Justin Bieber and representing Johnny Depp during his 2022 defamation trial, is indirectly connected to TAG PR through the company's ownership structure. Braun's role has drawn particular attention because he has previously been involved in highly divisive public battles, most notably with Taylor Swift over the ownership of her early master recordings.

In Lively's case, her legal complaint includes texts and internal discussions among PR insiders that she says show an 'organised takedown' of her reputation. According to her team, Baldoni's camp and their PR team are allegedly preparing narratives designed to undermine her credibility before and during sexual harassment proceedings. Baldoni's representatives have denied the claims, calling them false and defamatory.

The PR Behind the Smear Campaign in K-pop

TAG PR's alleged smear campaigns are said to extend beyond Lively and Baldoni. Legal complaints and public allegations have also focused on the firm's role in other efforts linked to HYBE's interests overseas.

One case involves Min Hee‑jin, the former CEO of HYBE sub‑label ADOR, who is pursuing her own legal battles and has accused TAG PR of running malicious websites and media content to discredit her and her work with the K‑pop group NewJeans. The complaint claims that a website allegedly associated with TAG PR once published negative material about Min Hee‑jin, including comments about the group's fans on social media. The PR firm has denied these allegations.

Comparing Lively and Hee-jin's Smear Campaigns

For Hee‑jin, the controversy began as an internal corporate dispute. HYBE, the parent company, accused Hee‑jin, the group's original creative director, of overstepping her authority at ADOR, the label managing NewJeans. The conflict became public when Min and the group openly criticised HYBE, alleging mismanagement, mistreatment and attempts to control the group's creative direction.

Lively's case involves an alleged external smear campaign orchestrated by TAG PR and potentially Baldoni's team. The campaign reportedly aimed to discredit her publicly before a sexual harassment trial, targeting her reputation through social media and PR tactics. The alleged TAG PR campaign reportedly manipulated fan communities, using them to attack Lively and Hee‑jin online and attempting to weaponise sensitive cultural and religious identities to amplify the smear.

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