The hits keep coming for Justin Baldoni, as it’s been revealed that the disgraced actor’s own publicist couldn’t “stand” him and found him to be “unlikable,” even as she still allegedly agreed to help him wage a “smear campaign” against his co-star Blake Lively.

The Daily Beast reported Wednesday that publicist Jennifer Abel’s apparent animosity towards Baldoni was revealed in text messages she exchanged with colleagues as she prepared to help him boost his public image and his work on the film, “It Ends With Us,” according to a new lawsuit filed against Baldoni and the publicist. Baldoni directed the dramatic film about domestic violence, based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel, and starred as an attractive doctor who becomes abusive to his wife, played by Blake Lively.

“I can’t stand (Baldoni),” Abel allegedly wrote in a Jan. 14, 2024, text message, the Daily Beast reported. “He’s so pompous.”

In another message sent on the same day, Abel also wrote: “He needs to be humbled. When this movie flops, he’s going to try to blame every person around him for it.”

“He may fire us because even if we put together an amazing campaign, it’s not going to change the fact that he’s so unlikable and unrealistic as a leading man,” Abel allegedly wrote in yet another text message, according to the Daily Beast.

Abel is being sued by her former boss, Hollywood power publicist Stephanie Jones, for breach of contract and defamation, according to the Daily Beast and other outlets. The CEO alleged in the lawsuit filed Tuesday that Baldoni originally hired her PR company, Joneswork, to represent him, with Abel assigned to be the company’s point person for Baldoni and his studio, Wayfarer. Jones said that Baldoni signed a one-year contract with Joneswork for $25,000 a month, The Hollywood Reporter said. But in August, just as “It Ends With Us” was released theatrically, Baldoni dropped Jones’ firm and followed Abel to her newly launched PR firm.

Jones alleges that she fired Abel after learning that Abel had been stealing documents from her firm as she prepared to start her own business, the New York Times also reported. When Abel left the company, she handed over her phone, which allowed Jones and her legal team to uncover a trove of messages that revealed that Abel had been working with Melissa Nathan, a crisis communications manager, on a retaliation campaign against Lively to boost Baldoni’s image, according to the Times and the Daily Beast.

Jones’ lawsuit alleges that Abel and Nathan “secretly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to implement an aggressive media smear campaign” against Lively behind Jones’ back.

Jones’ lawsuit was filed three days after Lively filed her own blockbuster complaint against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment on the set of the film. In her complaint, filed with the California Civil Rights Department, Lively also alleged that Baldoni, Wayfarer and their public relationships representatives — Abel and Nathan — engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” her reputation, as The Hollywood Reporter explained.

With the release of “It Ends With Us,” Baldoni allegedly feared that Lively’s allegations about his on-set behavior would be revealed, according to the New York Times. In response, Abel and Nathan began “to formulate a no-holds-barred strategy to discredit and suppress any potential revelations about Baldoni’s on-set behavior” to boost the actor’s profile.

But even as Abel and Nathan sought to glorify Baldoni, Abel privately showed her disdain for him, according to the Daily Beast. Jones alleges that Abel and Nathan were motivated to carry out the alleged smear campaign by “avarice” and not because of “any sincere appreciation for Baldoni.”

In the text exchange in which Abel called Baldoni “pompous,” she also complained that the actor wanted to go off on a “men’s retreat” over the summer, just as the film was being released. Over the past few years, Baldoni has built a personal brand around positioning himself as a #MeToo ally, who writes and speaks about the harm caused by toxic masculinity and men’s failure to embrace their vulnerability.

In another series of text messages exchanged between Abel and an anonymous person on Jan. 13, 2024, the publicist described a kissing scene between Baldwin and Lively in the film as “so cringey,” the Daily Beast reported. When the recipient replied by saying, “Blake was probably grossed out too,” Abel allegedly responded: “Yeah and filed a cease and desist.”

Abel appears to be referring to the sexual harassment allegations Lively raised against Baldoni. In her complaint, Lively said she detailed her concerns about Baldoni during an “all-hands” meeting with him and producers in early January 2024. With her husband, Ryan Reynolds, also present, Lively alleged that Baldoni improvised unwanted kissing and intimate touching while filming scenes. She also claimed that he discussed his own sex life and porn addiction and that both he and Heath repeatedly entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed, including when she was breastfeeding.

The Daily Beast said that Abel’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Jones’ lawsuit. Earlier in the week, Freedman categorically denied the allegations in Lively’s suit, writing in a statement that the suit is “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.” He also described it as “yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ (Lively’s) negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film.”

Since news of Lively’s allegations against Baldoni broke over the weekend, the “Jane the Virgin” alum has faced cascading consequences, according to the New York Times. The powerhouse talent agency, William Morris Endeavor, dropped him as a client, while author Hoover and “It Ends With Us” cast members Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar voiced public support for Lively.

Earlier this week, Liz Plank, who has co-hosted the “Man Enough” podcast with Baldoni and Heath, announced she would no longer be appearing on the show. Moreover, Vital Voices, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women, rescinded an “ally” award it had presented to Baldoni earlier this month for “advocating on behalf of women and girls.”