Use of the media by celebrities to cultivate an image has been in existence since the creation of Hollywood. In their early days, it would be studios in charge of creating a “perfect image” for their stars to embody to promote whatever project they featured in. In recent years, Hollywood actors have been able to take charge of their own narrative with the public. Not all celebrities, of course, can retain a perfectly cultivated image, but how far is too far for these celebrities to use PR on the public?
What is PR?
PR, which stands for public relations, is defined according to Adam Hayes in “Public Relations (PR) Meaning, Types, and Practical Examples for Investopedia:”
“Public relations (PR) refers to managing how others see and feel about a person, brand or company,” said Hayes.
The leaked media that sites receive from “a source” is not random. Celebrities use tabloid and news media to gain public support, especially when the tide of public opinion turns against them. But what happens when a celebrity goes into PR overdrive that the public second-guess what they’re hearing?
The use of TMZ
TMZ is an infamous tabloid known for being exploitative and intrusive. From telling the public of Kobe Bryants death before family was informed by LAPD, to being used by celebrities to “leak” their stories, TMZ’s MO is to credit “sources” that are close to the celebrity when they get their stories. However, the public believe that these “sources” are the celebrities themselves. This narrative causes a distrust between celebrities and the public.
An example of TMZ use by a celebrity came just recently as an alleged PR stunt from Disgraced MCU star Jonathan Majors. Majors is in a video where he interferes in a fight between two high school students. TMZ gained footage of this and uploaded it to their website as an “exclusive.” Charmaine Patterson unpacks the incident in an article for TheMessenger:
“Though the fight happened on Monday, the footage was released by TMZ on Thursday, one day before Majors’ domestic violence trial is set to begin,” said Patterson.
Though Majors would deny personally using TMZ, it wasn’t enough to convince the public of anything else. The timing of the footage can’t be denied, especially since Majors is a celebrity whose current image has been falling. It is mainly the celebrities who find themselves embroiled in hot water who tend to rely on TMZ headlines. The controversy can be detrimental to the star’s reputation, and can lead to a law suit.
Heard v Depp
Heard v Depp was a landmark case both for law and the public alike. Never before had audiences seen two celebrities battle serious allegations in a court of law, live-streamed for the masses. The public split into either “Team Amber” or “Team Johnny.” Everywhere people turned, they received an update on the case.
But how did TMZ become involved?
Depp’s legal team accused Heard of leaking footage of their arguments to TMZ. For Johnny to prove this claim, his team subpoenaed an ex-employee. TMZ nearly blocked the information themselves. Gene Maddaus touched on the subject in an article for Variety:
“In the motion, TMZ said it was seeking to protect a confidential source who had provided the outlet with a video of Depp yelling at ex-wife Amber Heard and slamming cabinets,” said Maddaus.
Morgan Tremaine is an ex-employee of TMZ, and he testified against Heard on their behalf. Tremaine said the footage released by Heard was malicious and not purely used for public narrative. The motion was denied.
Tabloids like TMZ are not only used to portray a catered narrative to the public but can also be used by a celebrity against one of their own. The recent bad blood between Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas acts as a prime example.
Turner v Jonas
Turner is a successful actress known for her leading role in the hit show, “Game of Thrones.” Jonas is part of the boyband, The Jonas Brothers, who reunited recently to mega success. They married back in 2020 and proceeded to have two children.
Jonas recently filed for divorce and asked for joint custody of their children. The reason these developments garnered public attention was because of the way tabloids became their battleground.
Sept. 5, Jonas filed for divorce from Turner. Christi Carras explores the news in an article for Los Angeles Times:
“The pop musician submitted paperwork Tuesday in Florida’s Miami-Dade County stating that his relationship with the actor is “irretrievably broke,” said Carras.
Jonas had been touring with his band and children when the news broke. Turner was in England filming a TV show. Soon after the news broke, multiple articles portraying Jonas in a positive light, with comments from inside “sources” about the divorce, came out. It looked as though Jonas had the public on his side.
Until he didn’t. It wasn’t long till Turner’s PR fought back against his “leaked” narrative. Sept. 21, it came out that Turner filed a lawsuit against Jonas. She is currently suing him for custody of their children’s passports. Amanda Holpuch writes about this newest lawsuit in an article for The New York Times.
“Turner has said that Jonas had refused to give her the children’s passports, preventing them from returning to their “habitual residence” in England, ” said Holpuch.
It created a media storm surrounding this narrative that Jonas’s camp has been spinning and the one that Turner is now countering. This divorce hasn’t come to fruition, but lines are visible with the most important court: the court of public opinion.
Public opinion
Two high-profile celebrities battling it out through the court of public opinion is not common, especially when it’s between two celebrities with their own, separate fame. So, when it does happen, it sends the media into a reporting frenzy. Use of PR has never been stronger, especially when it involves serious allegations and the weaponization of child custody.
Heavy use of PR influences the court of public opinion; it creates “sides” that the public feels they need to take and enforce on others. Often, the spectacle of these highly public celebrity disputes lead to outsiders forgetting about the real people at the heart of the issue.
