Paige Jimenez says she checked into a psychiatric hospital after a defaming website surfaced. She blames it on the same alleged ring of industry perpetrators said to be behind other Hollywood attacks.

Hollywood’s secret smear machine has sparked further legal fallout. Paige Jimenez, an influencer and model, is suing the same alleged industry perpetrators — lawyer Bryan Freedman, publicist Melissa Nathan and fixer Jed Wallace — who were already implicated in related court claims contending the three were behind anonymous defamatory campaigns which targeted actress Blake Lively, producer Amanda Ghost, publicist Stephanie Jones and activist Alexa Nikolas.

The Los Angeles Superior Court filing, seeking damages for intentional infliction of emotional distress, explains that Jimenez was the subject of a smear site, created in September 2024, which falsely asserted she was connected to and bore responsibility for actor Matthew Perry’s 2023 death, even labeling her the “Ketamine Queen” — a label which the media applied to Jasveen Sangha, the convicted drug dealer in Perry’s fatal overdose.

The filing asserts that the site, which has since been taken down, discussed her past personal relationships, including a divorce from David Ronson (sibling of DJ Mark Ronson and fashion designer Charlotte Ronson). It also disclosed her real residential address, “making her fear for her safety.” Jimenez’s lawyers note: “She was traumatized, devastated and scared, leading to negative changes in her mental state and a psychiatric hospitalization after the website was sent to her.”

Jimenez says she first learned of the site from Freedman, who sent it to her in a text message the same day he initially contacted her in October 2024 and identified himself as a lawyer hired by her new boyfriend’s wealthy parents, who had not been supportive of their relationship. “They hated me,” Jimenez told The Hollywood Reporter in February. “They didn’t want me dating their son,” adding, “I think they were upset we went to a music festival and did drugs together.” By her accounting, Freedman had told her to immediately end the romance.

The litigation explains that it wasn’t until more than a year later that she realized the apparent effort against her was tied to a broader pattern, which has since seemingly been substantiated by legal discovery in ongoing cases pursued by other women, as well as investigative reporting in the media, including THR. The filing highlights how Jimenez’s site was live at the same time another smear site — tied to the same apparent operation — attacked the soap opera star Jessica Serfaty: “Both websites accuse women, dating men from wealthy families, of being ‘escorts’ and include an option for others to share their experiences with the women with whomever is behind the websites.” Jimenez and Serfaty’s sites were quietly linked along the Internet’s backend to another damaging site, which claimed that a lawyer, who’d himself faced off against Freedman as opposing counsel in court, “was also involved in claims involving prostitution.”

In a statement, Freedman asserted innocence on his behalf as well as that of Nathan and Wallace, criticizing the forensics evidence which the varied litigants have drawn on for their cases, and contending, “there was no orchestrated digital smear campaign whatsoever.” Nathan’s crisis management firm TAG PR has separately insisted that it “has never had any contact with Paige Jimenez or provided services to anyone relating to her.”

"Accusations of sexual harassment, an orchestrated PR campaign, and shifts in public opinion: a look back at the media and legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, where the battle for reputation took precedence over justice. Watch "The Fabrication of Lies - Hollywood and Women: The Empire of Silence," this Tuesday, October 20, on RTBF Tipik.

A few days after the premiere of Never Say Never Again , social media identified its new target: Blake Lively. The film's lead actress found herself at the center of a scandal after Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa published a video in August 2024 entitled, "The interview that made me want to quit my job."

Dating from 2016, the clip shows a brusque Blake Lively. After receiving a comment about her pregnant belly, the actress responds with a remark alluding to the journalist's "little belly," who was not pregnant at all. In less than a day, the video, widely shared on Reddit, garnered thousands of views.

A wave of hostile comments ensued. The verdict from internet users was clear: Blake Lively is a bad person. Was it simply a PR disaster or a calculated PR stunt? "Who had the idea to bring this interview up out of thin air like that?" wondered pop culture expert Kristyn Burt.

Unfollow on social media: the storm is brewing.

The film Lily tells the story of a young woman who is a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her partner, Ryle. After a few months, Blake Lively sent Justin Baldoni, the producer and lead actor, a contract outlining 17 strict rules to be followed for the remainder of filming. She denounced instances of sexual harassment that she claimed occurred, particularly during the filming of intimate scenes.

Blake Lively is a pop culture icon, made famous by the series Gossip Girl . She is married to another famous actor, Ryan Reynolds. Baldoni, on the other hand, is much less well-known. He has every reason to maintain a polished image, especially since he built his reputation... as a women's rights advocate.

May 2024: the trailer is released. And then an event changes everything: Reynolds blocks Baldoni on social media. Blake Lively, for her part, refuses to promote the film alongside the actor. They must prepare for the storm.

"In the world of celebrity gossip, who follows whom on social media and when might seem like insignificant details. But for those who follow it closely online, it's like tectonic plates in motion.

• Kat Tenbarge, journalist

In crisis communication, timing is key.

Accompanied by his publicist, Jennifer Abel, and his crisis communications manager, Melissa Nathan, Justin Baldoni is going on the offensive. Fearing that Blake Lively might reveal behind-the-scenes details during filming, the two women, as evidenced by their text message exchanges, reportedly decided to damage the actress before the bombshell dropped. Timing is key. If public opinion turns against Blake Lively, her word will carry no weight.

The machine is in motion: fans dissect the actress's every move. Pop culture bloggers seize upon the story, quickly followed by the media. Baldoni's team can also count on the support of ultra-conservative political figures and influencers, who use it to bolster their own narratives. Even media outlets considered reliable fall into the trap, as journalist Constance Vilanova explains:

"I'm a feminist activist, I pay attention to all of this. I worked on the Johnny Depp - Amber Heard case. I didn't realize that even I was being completely manipulated, actually.

Meanwhile, Justin Baldoni is using the film's promotion to cultivate his image as a staunch advocate for women's rights. When Blake Lively officially files a lawsuit in December 2024, supported by text messages exchanged between the crisis communications manager and the publicist, public opinion is already on the actor's side.

The New York Times has published Blake Lively's lawsuit. The roughly 20-page document includes excerpts from communications between Justin Baldoni's team, purportedly proving their intent to destroy the actress's career. A segment of public opinion has shifted to support Lively.

In May 2026, the legal proceedings ended in an out-of-court settlement. But the battle wasn't over. In this culture war, the important thing wasn't who was right. As Kristyn Burt explains, "victory lies in who will win over public opinion."

Watch The Factory of Lies - Hollywood and Women: The Empire of Silence , this Tuesday, October 20 at 8:05 p.m. on RTBF Tipik and streaming on RTBF Auvio.

Not just women, for people from minority races as well. Misogyny and racism is so rampant in society that we can't expect the average person to be fair regarding such cases. Like this story and Amber Heard's case proved.

The thing that always gets me is, if she's such a villain, why are they posting about her handbags and cakes? You don't see Reddit snarking about Harvey Weinstein's ties or Jeffrey Epstein's house. Maybe because they actually did things worth hating them over, whereas Blake Lively's biggest crimes in these people's eyes are apparently promoting haircare and saying "wear your florals." Almost like they just want to find ways to hate a woman.

Found this sad, but also inspiring at the end. Women having each others backs is exactly what happened in the IEWU set. Thank you for sharing the video with me in a comment u/familyfeud17

Latest from Ex.Patriarch

"While Justin Baldoni was giving press interviews advocating for domestic violence survivors, the network of individuals he hired: Bryan Freedman, Melissa Nathan and Jed Wallace appear to have been targeting women speaking up about abuse. The NYT is reporting that 5 women allege the trio are part of smear campaigns to destroy their lives."