Full Breakdown
Travis Scott’s Manager Linked to Alleged Hollywood Smear Campaign
5/29/2026, 11:58:27 PM
Alleged Smear Campaign Coordinated by Travis Scott’s Manager
A redacted June 2024 group chat shows David Stromberg, manager of Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack, coordinating with crisis adviser Melissa Nathan, digital fixer Jed Wallace, and litigator Bryan Freedman. They discussed a multipart legal-crisis-media-digital strategy to gather discrediting material on an unnamed adversary and post it on a “ghost platform.” The chat was entered as an exhibit in a defamation suit filed by publicist Stephanie Jones, linked to a separate Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni dispute.
Background: Prior Smear Operations
The same team has been linked to anonymous attacks on Rebel Wilson, Scooter Braun and Andrew Huberman, using fabricated websites and social-media accounts. In 2021, Scott’s Astroworld Festival crowd crush killed ten; Nathan and Wallace later managed related PR fallout and settlement talks.
Key Participants
- David Stromberg – Scott’s manager, Cactus Jack.
- Melissa Nathan – crisis adviser.
- Jed Wallace – digital fixer.
- Bryan Freedman – litigator, defendant in a related defamation suit.
Timeline of the June 2024 Coordination
June 2024 – group chat outlines the smear plan. June 20 – text thread resumes; Stromberg writes “the band is [back] together.” The same day the New York Post runs a headline about Scott’s alleged Miami arrest, and Nathan notes “I had Astroworld removed from TMZ.”
Operational Tactics
The plan called for a forensic team to “mine and harvest all intelligence” on the target, then launch an external campaign exposing the target’s “agenda” and “credibility.” Nathan said the team would build digital messaging across Reddit, X, 4 Chan, Discord and other platforms to dominate the narrative.
Official Statements
Bryan Freedman denied any wrongdoing, describing the claims as unfounded. Stromberg and Scott declined to comment. No response has been recorded from the unnamed target.
Criticism & Opposition
Stephanie Jones’s attorneys describe Nathan and Wallace’s methods as “a clandestine cottage industry of creating false smear websites and social media accounts targeting their adversaries and those of their clients,” labeling the approach a “playbook.” They note that parties seeking out-of-court settlements are often branded extortionists.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I’ve got the plan for infrastructure” — Jed Wallace, digital fixer
- “we never disbanded.” — Melissa Nathan, crisis adviser
- “I had Astroworld removed from TMZ,” — Melissa Nathan
- “speculation presented as fact.” — Bryan Freedman, litigator
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The chat mentions “unspecified charges” that were “actually dropped,” but provides no details on the nature of those charges or the identity of the target. Stromberg and Scott have not commented, leaving key facts unverified.
What’s Next
The excerpts remain part of the Stephanie Jones defamation case. Ongoing discovery may identify additional participants or clarify the operation’s scope, potentially leading to further civil suits.
