Who is Justin Baldoni’s ex-publicist Stephanie Jones – and why is he suing her? Her other clients have included Jeff Bezos, Tom Brady and The Rock, and the actor claims she was relying on a psychic

Mar 24 , 2025

Justin Baldoni is suing his former publicist Stephanie Jones. Photos: Stephanie J./LinkedIn, AP

Justin Baldoni is suing his former publicist Stephanie Jones for leaking the texts that sparked the war with his co-star Blake Lively – so just who is the controversial boss of Jonesworks PR?

Justin Baldoni and one of his crisis PR team Jennifer Abel are both suing his former publicist Stephanie Jones, claiming she “maliciously” leaked the text messages that sparked the legal battle with his It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively, according to Variety.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are in the middle of a bruising legal battle. Photo: Invision/AP

“It is undeniable that Stephanie Jones initiated this catastrophic sequence of events by violating the most basic of privacy rights, as well as any remaining trust her clients held,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman explained in a statement to Variety. “No stranger to stirring up crisis scenarios for departing clients, Ms Jones maliciously turned over communications from the phone she wrongfully took from her own partner [Abel] to her cohort, [Lively’s personal publicist] Leslie Sloane, immediately after Jones was terminated for cause by Wayfarer due to her own wrongful behaviour.”

Jones represented Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, last summer. Abel worked as Jones’ partner at Jonesworks PR. In December, Jones reportedly sued Baldoni and a number of others over defamation and breach of contract, per Forbes.

The Rock with Stephanie Jones and others. Photo: Stephanie J./LinkedIn

The news comes amid Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s bruising and complex ongoing legal battles following the release of their controversial film, It Ends with Us. In December, Lively sued Baldoni, his PR team and Wayfarer Studios, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, which Baldoni denies. The following month, Baldoni responded with a lawsuit of his own suing Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times over defamation and extortion.

Here’s what we know about Stephanie Jones.

Stephanie Jones is the president of PR company Jonesworks

Stephanie Jones celebrating National Boss Day with her team in 2019. Photo: Jonesworks/Facebook

Jones is the president of PR firm Jonesworks – an “an award-winning, full-service communications, marketing and management agency representing an elite roster of talent lifestyle and consumer brands,” as seen on LinkedIn.

Jones has previously held roles as the vice-president of public relations at ad agency Deutsch, and producer and PR for NBC Universal, according to her Facebook page.