Molly McPhersonCrisis and Reputation Strategist | Creator of Mollyfi | Host of The PR Breakdown

PR Breakdown: Justin Baldoni + wife Emily’s response video.

11 Jul 2026 · 3 min

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2:31

In this conversational segment recorded in New England after a lobster‑roll, Molly McPherson and Greg dissect the recent response video released by actor Justin Baldoni and his wife Emily. Molly, who was featured in an NBCNews article about the video, highlights a key “money quote” that initially seemed unstrategic but was actually a deliberate PR move. She explains that the video shifts the ongoing celebrity PR narrative—previously framed as Justin Baldoni versus Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds—by bringing Emily into the conversation, thereby changing the “math” of the debate. The couple’s discussion focuses on health and healing, with only a brief reference to Blake Lively’s support‑for‑women angle. Molly argues that the real story is the PR industry’s machinations: the video was released on the Baldonis’ owned channel, without a publicist or People magazine placement, signaling a new model for 2026 PR. She advises her clients to prioritize owned platforms (even though Instagram is owned by Meta) and announces an upcoming podcast where she will present detailed evidence. The dialogue mixes informal banter about cocktails with analytical commentary on strategic communication during a viral crisis.

Chapters

Friday, New England, post-lobster roll, current cocktail discussion about Justin Baldoni and his wife Emily's response video. I was featured in an article by NBCNews.com about the video showing that PR people were divided, and we were. Greg, first of all, what was the money quote in the article?
Your money quote, what appeared very unstrategic, was actually very strategic.
Very good. You nailed it. Quote to quote, immediately after what happened in the article.
The next person disagreed totally, completely disagreed.
That person— I loved that the reporter, uh, David, added that they worked for Harvey Weinstein. Whatever. That's why I think it's a win and why it was unstrategic strategic. One, his wife Emily was by his side. The entirety of this case has been Justin Baldoni v. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Now his wife Emily is there for the first time, for the most part. That changes the math, and that math matters. The two of them are talking about the health journey, the recovery of it all. She does take one ding— how Blake made it about supporting women. That was the only hit that they took in the entire video, but most of it was about healing. Also, Greg, are you still paying attention? I am. This is what was so strategic about it. I feel that the, the crime scene was PR. It wasn't about Justin and Blake. It was about the PR industry and the machinations. Did you know that?
I do now.
Now you do right now. Exactly. But that's what's on trial is the PR of it all. He didn't use a publicist. This video didn't come out via People magazine. It's on their owned channel. And that sets the mark, Gregory, for PR 2026 and beyond. I'm telling my clients, go to your owned channels, which technically they don't own Instagram. Meta owns Instagram. But they didn't go via a publicist. I plan to do a podcast about it next week where I bring the receipts, but I I want to look at it not from the celebrity Reddit version of it all, but there is a strategic communication lesson when you are in the middle of a viral cyclone. How can you sidestep it? And that's what I think Justin Baldoni did along with his wife Emily. Okay, Greg, back to cocktails, please. New England cocktails.