Blake Lively has signed with a new PR rep. GC Images Blake Lively is turning the page on her PR.
The “It Ends With Us” actress has signed with Kelly Bush Novak — the CEO and founder of publicity powerhouse ID — Page Six Hollywood has learned.
The move comes on the heels of Lively parting ways with Leslie Sloane, her publicist of more than two decades, a shocker that Page Six reported exclusively yesterday.
Novak represents a stable of heavy hitting Hollywood clients, including “The Odyssey” filmmaker Christopher Nolan, Javier Bardem, Seth Rogen and Lady Gaga. Those familiar with Lively’s PR switch say it provides an embattled A-lister an opportunity to reset following a bruising legal battle with “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni.
Sources say Lively only met with Novak, and began the process to jump ship earlier this month.
We hear that Novak’s pitch was to put the focus back on Lively’s acting career.
The publicist swap appears to be the only change Lively is making to her team: She remains with her agents at WME, which famously proved loyal to Lively by dumping Baldoni as a client at the height of their dueling disputes. The “Gossip Girl” star is also sticking with Management 360 and attorneys Lindsey Strasberg and David Weber.
It’s a no-brainer that Lively would jettison her longtime PR rep given that both women became deeply entangled — and were co-defendants — in the Baldoni legal drama. The story surrounding the Lively and Baldoni lawsuits quickly morphed into an 18-month bare-knuckled brawl that eclipsed any normal news cycle.
As the case headed to court this past spring, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement with no money changing hands.
We previously reported that the high-profile battle was costly for both sides, with a combined $60 million in legal fees.
ID turned 33 this year and reps further clients including Jake Gyllenhaal, Ethan Hawke, Alicia Keys, Tobey Maguire, Denis Villeneuve and Andrew Garfield, among others.
