The ongoing discord between actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni has significantly impacted their social media follower counts, with fans seemingly taking sides on Instagram.
According to a report by Daily Mail on the 25th (local time), their dispute began in August last year with rumors of discord on the set following the release of the film 'It Ends With Us' and escalated in December of that year when Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni. Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against her and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, last January.
Data indicate that Lively lost 864,085 followers since September last year, while Baldoni gained 230,896.
The most significant change occurred in January when Baldoni filed his lawsuit. Lively lost 329,577 followers, marking her biggest drop in five years, while Baldoni gained 159,644.
This trend continued into February, during which Lively lost 363,930 followers, and Baldoni gained 196,230.
Experts noted, "It's interesting to see how quickly the internet shifts sides in such public fights. You can see opinions change with every new development."
They added, "In December last year, the month the New York Times published the article 'Lively's Sexual Harassment Lawsuit,' Lively lost her fewest followers since September, exactly 32,664. Our past analysis shows that between Dec. 21 and Jan. 3, she actually gained 46,624 followers. However, Baldoni's lawsuit turned everything upside down, causing Lively to experience her most significant follower drop in five years. On the other hand, Baldoni seems to have gained the favor of public opinion."
"As new evidence comes to light, the situation could flip again, and Lively and Reynolds may face more serious repercussions," they added.
Reynolds and Lively claimed that Baldoni created uncomfortable situations on set due to sexual harassment and then attempted to 'bury' them through negative viral content. Initially, public opinion heavily favored Lively, but Baldoni refuted this by revealing text messages and various pieces of evidence, reversing the situation.
[Photo] Film still