Audio leak: Hollywood Fixer informs client of intention to defame his fiancee

New audio recordings obtained by The Hollywood Reporter offer a rare, unvarnished view of modern crisis public relations, providing an inside look at how and why covert campaigns have been waged across the entertainment industry and beyond in recent years, amid myriad high-stakes feuds. Personalities like Justin Baldoni, Andrew Huberman, Scooter Braun and Travis Scott have been victims of revelations about this practice.

The recordings are a series of voice memos made by Jed Wallace, a digital fixer, and shared with his partners at the communications company TAG PR, as well as a client, Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio. He is the heir to Milan-based EssilorLuxottica, the world’s largest eyewear company. Its brands include Ray-Ban, Oliver Peoples and Persol. Forbes lists his net worth as $5.5 billion.

Audio Leak #1: Wallace assures Del Vecchio that he understands “exactly what you’re going through.”

Audio Leak #2: Wallace says of Serfaty: “wow, is it going to get really nasty for this girl.” »

TAG PR Director Melissa Nathan was recently charged in a civil trial with perjury over her ties to defamation sites. She denied any involvement.

Neither Wallace, Nathan nor Del Vecchio responded THRrequests for information.

Wallace has faced several lawsuits for his work, including from Blake Lively during her legal fight with Baldoni. In court, she claimed he had “armed a digital army” to “create, sow, manipulate and promote derogatory content that appeared authentic on social media platforms and internet chat rooms” by “running confidential and ‘untraceable’ campaigns.” (He later unsuccessfully sued Lively for defamation.) His own lawyer described his business as a “crisis mitigation company hired by clients to help them deal with real human crises, threats, trauma, and mental health issues,” saying it “primarily helps families and individuals when they find themselves unfairly attacked, extorted, doxxed, run over, scammed, or need help navigating the most frightening situations.”

Besides Baldoni, Wallace’s other clients include actress Rebel Wilson, who is now embroiled in her own defamation dispute with Amanda Ghost, producer of his film. The Deb. THR previously released leaked audio of Wallace asking top Hollywood publicist Melissa Nathan to claim without evidence that Ghost is a “madam.” He explained on this recording: “We can’t just go, like, oh, she’s a bitch, she sucks,” Wallace says in the recording. “It feels like it should be really, really heavy and connected to something that heavy.” (Wilson has denied any involvement in the smear campaign against Ghost, although new evidence submitted in the case appears to show her communicating with Nathan about the site.)

The recordings appear to show Wallace speaking to Del Vecchio in August 2024, a month after the billionaire’s fiancée Jessica Serfaty, a model and actress who ran for several years on The days of our livespublicly accused him of abuse, then quickly recanted. That same August, Los Angeles law enforcement reportedly investigated a hidden tracking device placed in Serfaty’s Range Rover.

Prominent Hollywood lawyer Bryan Freedman, another figure accused of a key role in the smear site scandal, described Wallace, with whom he has long worked, as a well-resourced operator. In a voice memo, Wallace discusses the tracking device incident, stating that he will “call my guy who is a detective at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department” to assess the situation. He also claims, “we know they didn’t find an AirTag, my guys were there,” apparently referring to his relationship with sheriff’s deputies.

The audio messages appear to depict Wallace explaining his digital process, which involves combining an anonymous smear site with search engine optimization techniques to boost it. “It’s an exquisite thing that’s not just about creating this fake bullshit story for her, it’s about creating a lifetime of understanding so that when people see stories about her, they know that she’s a fucking whore and a liar and a prostitute,” he says. “That’s the point.”

The defamation site about Serfaty went online on August 15, 2024. It has since been closed. Serfaty did not respond THR.

On the audio, Wallace appears to provide context on the plan’s broader technical implementation, detailing how he’s paying for advertising to drive search traffic “back to our site, which is awesome.” He also shares how other related online work is already showing results against Serfaty, exulting: “wow, is it going to get fucking nasty for this girl.” »

Elsewhere in the recordings, Wallace — who notes, as a professional qualification, “I’ve dealt with world leaders accused of rape” — asserts that exculpatory evidence or even a retraction doesn’t matter in the court of public opinion. “No one cares, because people want tragedy.” This is why, he explains, “we must construct a credible story that makes (Serfaty) a liar.”

Part of Wallace’s job is to manage his ego. In one recording, he tells Del Vecchio that his client list includes “world leaders, celebrities, diplomats, high-profile people” – “I get to choose who I work with. » He assures Del Vecchio that he understands “exactly what you’re going through,” listing the pressures of “legacy, family, your father’s name… your whole world. I understand.” Wallace explains that Del Vecchio’s problem is “our priority” and “we know what we’re doing,” ending with: “You are loved, brother.”