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Publicist Denies Blake Lively's "Smear" Accusation; Joseph Petito's "Faces of the Missing"; Netflix's Foray into Live NFL Games. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired December 24, 2024 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN ANCHOR: -- do you think Lively will formally sue her former co-star? And is Justin Baldoni preparing for that?

DOMINIC PATTEN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, DEADLINE: Oh, I think absolutely. Look, this filing with the California Civil Rights Department is, as you said, it's a prelude to a lawsuit. The lawsuit, which you can actually directly find on deadline.com. We actually -- as you look at it, it's formatted to be filed in L.A. superior court, whether or not that's going to happen over the holiday or later, this is a process in that.

And Baldoni who -- and others have come out and said, this is all false, none of this is true, it's all taken out of context, those texts were jokes, as you mentioned with publicist Jennifer Abel and her now deleted Facebook response, you know, they are preparing a defense for this. In fact, you might even see them take the offense, which sometimes we've seen in these cases, and maybe Baldoni follow defamation suit. Though, at this point, I don't think that's going to happen. As the wall is celebrity Jericho have been collapsing the past 48 hours.

SOLOMON: Yes. I mean, I want to sort of circle back to something you touched on a moment ago, but that got our attention that you wrote about. And one of the things that I think has really been just enlightening, perhaps is the word about just sort of how the whole celebrity PR machine works. And I want to read for you. You said -- you wrote about how Justin Baldoni's publicist revealed, quote, "A slice of how the celebrity PR machine sausage is actually made in the era of influencers and online media." Talk to us a little bit more about what you mean expand on that and whether you think these changes anything.

PATTEN: Well, I'm in terms of what it changes, I'm not sure because, of course, you know, we all like to be prophets, but often we're just paupers But I will say in this case, what we're looking at here is, as I mentioned before, and as you mentioned, the power of online media, the power of perception has been amplified in this social media era we have.

So, whether or not these stories about Lively's past behavior are true or not, were organic, as the crisis PR people have said, and in fact, Jennifer Abel in her deleted Facebook post said, we didn't even have to do anything, this all happened naturally. That seems a little bit dubious for someone like Lively, who had such a great reputation before this dispute and her and the Baldonis worry that she would go public with sexual harassment allegations.

What we do see is though is how stories are planted, how relationships, sometimes family relationships between PR people and members of the media are amplified and how they put a spotlight on certain things. And as with anything in the political theater, in the sporting world and in Hollywood, if you put a big enough spotlight on something and you amplify a chorus around you, especially digitally, people are going to pay attention.

It's interesting to note, out of the rumors that we all heard around "It Ends with Us" and how the two stars were not getting along, they never appeared together in any PR, which was part of a deal they made, actually. But, interestingly enough, Baldoni came out looking great. Lively, who was once incredibly loved, came out looking terrible.

So, in many ways for her, with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, very closely involved in this, this is a reputation reclamation for her. It's success. I think the proof is in the pudding, as you mentioned in the lead in. Sony are backing her, SAG-AFTRA, her union are backing her. Baldoni's podcast co-host has quit on him. Awards that he's been given for being an ally to feminism have been rescinded. This is happening very quickly.

SOLOMON: Yes. So, stay tuned and watch this space. Dominic Patten, great to have you today. Thank you.

PATTEN: Merry Christmas to you.

SOLOMON: Merry Christmas.

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SOLOMON: Can you hear her? Coming up next, she is no stranger to halftime shows, but Beyonce's latest midgame performance will be part of Netflix history as the streaming service aims for a glitch free, that is the operative word here, a glitch free live broadcast.

Also coming up, a Santa sighting.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: NORAD spotted Santa over Sydney, Australia and the majestic Sydney Opera House. The Opera House, which is located in Sydney Harbour, is one of the most famous performing arts centers in the world. The building is shaped like --

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SOLOMON: Santa Claus already making moves across Australia as he continues his journey around the world. And here he is at the world- famous Sydney Opera House. And right now, the big guy is making his way to Christmas Island. He's already crossed over 1 billion presents delivered. He's been busy. We're going to check back in with NORAD to see where Santa is off to next. We'll be right back.

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[10:35:00]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. The father of Gabby Petito was turning his family's tragedy into purpose and shining a light on the missing persons cases that are often ignored. When Joseph Petito's daughter went missing, he learned about the term missing white woman syndrome. That's when white crime victims receive more public attention than other demographics.

Gabby's disappearance sparked a media frenzy in the summer of 2021. The 22-year-old was later found dead, killed by her fiance. Well, now Joseph Petito is working on a TV series featuring those cases that don't get the same attention as his daughter's. It's called "Faces of the Missing."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A woman from Long Island who disappeared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why is it so difficult to find her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of people that go missing that we never look for.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Her case sparked a call to action to bring others home.

JOSEPH PETITO, FATHER OF GABBY PETITO AND HOST, FACES OF THE MISSING": I'm Joseph Petito. My beautiful daughter Gabby was killed by her boyfriend on a van life trip across country. In a senseless act of domestic violence.

When Gabby went missing, her story received a storm of media attention. Many called it Missing White Woman Syndrome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why not the same media attention when people of color go missing?

PETITO: That didn't sit well with me. Now, I'm advocating for all the faces of the missing. Together, let's create awareness and serve justice.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How has your life changed since the day Gabby went missing?

PETITO: Other than that void that we can never fill anymore, my life has changed in a way that I didn't think was possible.

MARA SCHIAVOCAMPO, HOST, RUN TELL THIS" PODCAST: We all know who gets attention? We all know who gets coverage.

[10:40:00]

PETITO: I'd like to see all missing people get the same attention. The Overwhelming support that people have given us, empowers us to help as many people as we can. We're not the type of people to just sit and do nothing.

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SOLOMON: And Joseph Petito joins us now Joseph great to have you today. Thank you.

PETITO: Thank you for having me. I appreciate your time.

SOLOMON: So, talk to us a little bit about first how you felt when you even first heard the term white woman -- missing white woman syndrome? What were your thoughts?

PETITO: It was -- I was taken aback by it. I didn't like hearing it. I guess, the way it was worded just didn't sit well with me. But that being said, I looked into it, you know, and it's a real thing, you know, but when it comes to missing people, a lot of stories don't get shared and the ones that do always tend to look the same. So, we're trying to fix that with "Faces of the Missing."

SOLOMON: And then, at what point did you decide that not only is it a real issue, but that you personally want to get involved in trying to address it? I mean, how did you get involved with the new series and what are you hoping it now achieves?

PETITO: We had a bunch of production companies come to us and stuff like that, but only Backlot Productions and Boundless Films came to us and they said, listen, we partnered with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and we really want to do this the right way and focus on the statistics of a missing person list, just the way it looks. The way that stories get shared seems to be one sided and we're going to make sure that this goes the right way.

And it really -- it brought to me and to the family that, listen, we're trying to do this the correct way and help everybody, because we got help from everyone. So, we're just trying to repay that.

SOLOMON: And to that point, I just wanted to go over just a few statistics to really drive home the point that you're trying to make with the show. This is from FBI data from 2022, and it shows that black people make up 31 percent of missing persons reports, but only make up 13 percent of the population. Meanwhile, white people account for 54 percent of missing persons reports, but 75 percent of the population.

Joseph, based on your time now really understanding the issue, why do you think there's such a disparity when it comes to news coverage around missing people of color?

PETITO: You know, I get asked that question a lot. And to be honest, the way I answer it is the blame doesn't really matter because we know there's the issue. Now, how do we overcome that issue? And that's by making sure we share stories that not only touch us, but also, you know, they don't look like us. Just, you know, the more that we can do that and the more that we can help, you know, all the people when it comes to missing, the better off we will.

I mean, people can sit at a table over there and really figure out what -- where the problem was lying, but we're all about solutions, and that's what we're trying to do here. So, we think this is going to be a great platform to not only show a lot of missing people the way it's, you know, shown on the missing person list, but also hopefully inspire others to do the same.

SOLOMON: Yes. And what about law enforcement? How can they help break this missing white woman syndrome? What role do they play?

PETITO: Oh, it's -- they play a significant role, you know, but it's not only, you know, on a negative, it's actually, you know, the whole point of what we're trying to do is show best practices, things that maybe one area does, you know, where they're very efficient, where another one might not.

So, if we can really, you know, find out the best ways to help missing people, not only on the law enforcement side, but also on the cyber side, that's really where, you know, this show is really going to take, you know, to the next level. We want to engage with the cyber sleuths or the at home, you know, sleuths to really share stories, dive into them. I mean, we're going to have, you know, not only a social media, but a tip line for all the information, for all these stories because that's what helped us.

You know, a lot of people don't remember when Gabby went missing the day after she was found it snowed. Where if we didn't have the online help that we did, we might not have found her, you know, because we would have to wait for that thought to happen because it was in Wyoming. We might not have found her. So, it really is important to get the cyber community and the true crime community behind this. And we're excited because we know it will.

SOLOMON: Yes. And you've said that you want this series to also combat the police classification of runaway. What do you mean?

PETITO: Runaway -- see, you can't classify someone a runaway unless you spoke to them and said, hey, listen, why are you not with your family anymore? And they're like, well, I just didn't want to be. Well, then you can classify them as a runaway.

[10:45:00]

Unless you spoke to that individual, you're only guessing, and that's not something you should do with an investigation when you're looking for somebody.

So, the term runaway should never be put on anybody unless you've spoken with that individual. And that's the best practice. Because a lot of the times it's my understanding the classification happens when the pigment of someone's skin is darker than mine, and that's just not OK. So, again, sharing best practices and moving forward and finding out the best way to help everybody, that's what our goal is.

SOLOMON: Yes, and I can't help but wonder on this Christmas Eve, you know, I know the holidays tend to be difficult when you've lost someone close to you. What do you think Gabby would say about this TV series and your efforts to bring attention to those often ignored?

PETITO: She'd laugh. She'd say I had a face that's meant more for radio, not for TV. So -- and I would agree. But with that being said, you know, Gabby always tried to make people feel happy and better, you know. So, I think she would be proud that this is going to be part of her legacy.

Listen, you know, it's a shame because there's only so many stories we're probably going to be allowed to tell. We haven't found a home for this yet. There's been a lot of interest and I think they're just trying to finalize some stuff. But that being said, it's not -- hasn't found a home. You know, the family would love to do this 52 weeks a year, you know, every week and just help as many people as possible. But we know that's probably not going to be the case.

That being said, we want to share so many and then hopefully, we'll inspire others to do the same. And the more other stories can get shared that's -- you're going to see a huge impact, and that's going to be lovely to see, man. These families deserve it. Everybody deserves the same attention.

SOLOMON: Absolutely. Well said. And it's a great place to leave it. Joseph Petito, it's a really important issue. We certainly appreciate you bringing it to us here at CNN and we wish you a Merry Christmas.

PETITO: Merry Christmas. Appreciate everyone. And I thank you all. Please remember your loved ones that you can't be with tonight and bless you all.

SOLOMON: Yes. And thank you for joining us. As we go to break, we want to now take this time to spotlight just a few people from around the country who are missing right now and who won't be with their loved ones this holiday season. We're back in a moment.

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[10:50:00]

SOLOMON: Welcome back. Let's check back in with Santa as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds around the world. Let's see. Right now, his sleigh is on the way to Thailand. And so far, he has delivered more than 1.7 billion gifts. He has a lot of land to cover before he gets to us here in the U.S., but we'll check back in throughout the next hour or so. So, stay with us.

Meantime, Christmas Day is getting the NFL treatment with the help of Netflix. The popular streaming service will air two football games to its more than 280 million subscribers worldwide. And that's not all, the games will also feature performances by Mariah Carey and Beyonce. CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister has the details.

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ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (VOICE-OVER): With star power so big --

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WAGMEISTER (voice-over): -- on a holiday so beloved, Netflix's first foray into the NFL might just be called the second Super Bowl.

CARYON MANNO, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Anytime a game is on in our household, we're around the TV and I think a lot of people feel the same way. So, it's a very interesting proposition that Netflix is bringing to the table.

MARIAH CAREY, SINGER: This Christmas we all get our wish.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Mariah Carey opens each of the two Netflix Christmas games.

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WAGMEISTER (voice-over): With the recorded version of her holiday mega hit, "All I want for Christmas is You."

Then a touchdown for Netflix as Beyonce performs a live halftime show during the second game between the Texans and Ravens in her hometown of Houston.

MATT BELLONI, FOUNDING PARTNER, PUCK: Netflix did a really smart thing and getting arguably a bigger name for the than Kendrick Lamar, who is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show, to headline the Netflix Christmas Day halftime show.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): And what about that other star in the stands? With the Chiefs and Steelers kicking off the day, Taylor Swift may just be the gift that keeps on giving. Possibly back to cheer on Travis Kelce, just as she did last Christmas. Great for the NFL and Netflix, maybe not for the NBA, which traditionally owns the Christmas audience.

MANNO: The NFL is king, you know, and if they find a way to become easy to find on Christmas Day, you could not blame NBA executives for being a little bit concerned about what that might mean for the ratings of their holiday slate.

WAGMEISTER (voice-over): But as Netflix continues its push into live programming, the streaming giant has something to prove. "The Love is Blind" reunion had major technical glitches, as did the recent Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight.

BELLONI: The NFL is not going to be as forgiving as Mike Tyson and Jake Paul if there are technical glitches. WAGMEISTER (voice-over): Netflix has one key advantage, it's global. Both Christmas games will be available worldwide, streaming in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and German. And the NFL has made clear it wants to expand overseas.

[10:55:00]

MANNO: More than 250 million subscribers globally, 80 of those in the United States and Canada. So, if it goes well for Netflix, I'd imagine that they would continue to be interested in upcoming live sports rights, and that'll continue to shift how and where people watch.

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WAGMEISTER (on camera): Now, Netflix appears to continue getting into the sports game just over the last week, announcing that they have acquired the rights to the FIFA Women's World Cup for the year 2027 in 2031, which is a huge deal in the sporting world, and it's really no surprise that Netflix wants to continue with live sporting events because in this TikTok age where viewers are everywhere, sports remains one of the few things that families get together, and it always delivers a good rating. Back to you.

SOLOMON: A lot to watch. I mean, certainly with the music and with the football too. Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you. All right. We're going to take a quick break, and we'll be right back.

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SOLOMON: Chaotic morning for American Airlines passengers after the company briefly grounded all of its flights on Christmas Eve. We'll have the details ahead.

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