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Guest Essay

By Kat Tenbarge

Ms. Tenbarge writes Spitfire News, a newsletter about internet culture, politics and media.

Last month, a judge threw out the actor Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against his former co-star Blake Lively. From the way many online spectators have treated her, you’d think she was the one who was losing.

The ruling was part of a legal saga that began when, just after the release of Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni’s film, “It Ends With Us,” in 2024, something odd happened: The typical junket interviews and online chatter about the film turned against Ms. Lively, casting her as bossy, flippant and difficult.........

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