Betrayals, Backpedals, and Broadcast Blowups: This Week in Reputation Damage

This week delivered a crash course in reputational damage. From a celebrity divorce to a DOGE(Y) dodge, and newsroom blowback, this episode highlights five real-time PR failures that exposed deeper internal fractures.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Hugh Jackman & Deborra-Lee Furness: When a “conscious uncoupling” narrative veers into betrayal
• Jeff Bezos & Lauren Sánchez: The media quote provided about their pre-wedding press tour. Previous episode for context: (Houston, Gayle King and Crew Have a Problem: Blue Origins PR Free Fall)
• Elon Musk: His pivot away from Trump raises eyebrows.
• Jake Tapper: CNN’s anchor (and one crisis communicator) faces the heat from the release of Original Sin.
• Delta Airlines: A viral in-flight moment that struck the wrong chord.

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