Previously, Justin Baldoni had accused his co-star, Hollywood actress Blake Lively, of sexual harassment, leading him to gain public support as Blake suffered criticism.
However, it was recently revealed that Justin’s accusations were false and he actually worked with a company called “TAG PR” to orchestrate a smear campaign against Blake Lively.
As it turns out, TAG PR was actually acquired by HYBE earlier this year with an investment of $25 million. Additionally, HYBE has hired Melissa, TAG’s PR manager, known for being a major contributor to the Justin Baldoni and Johnny Depp case, to run the company.
Furthermore, Jeff Benjamin, a famous K-pop journalist, had previously claimed that TAG PR, on behalf of HYBE, had once contacted him with “biased” and “misleading” articles against NewJeans and Min Hee-jin. He then double-checked the claims with the victims themselves, only to learn that no one at ADOR (at the time) was aware of HYBE’s smear campaign.
Now that the TAG PR issue with Justin Baldoni has been reported, Jeff Benjamin appears to have referenced his previous statement regarding HYBE with a Tweet saying: “I have never lied.”
On the other hand, in the case of Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, in a document revealed by the New York Times media it was highlighted that TAG PR (and Melissa) would have intentionally spread negative theories and narratives regarding their goals via Internet platforms such as Reddit .
This could also apply to NewJeans and Min Hee-jin, raising concerns about the agency’s alleged “dirty tactics.” As a result, fans are using the hashtag #HybeOUT, hoping to spread the word and show their disagreement against the company.
