Into It: A Vulture Podcast with Sam Sanders · Vulture & New York Magazine

Why Are Celebrities So Bad at PR?

October 10, 2023·48 min·4 clips

A crisis communications expert explains why celebrity PR teams are still running a playbook from the era when they could kill stories -- and TikTok destroyed that power.

Sam Sanders interviews crisis communications strategist Molly McPherson, known as TikToks PR Lady, about why celebrities seem worse than ever at handling public crises. McPherson, who started her career at FEMA in 2007, argues that the core problem is celebrity handlers still operating from a legacy media playbook where they could kill stories and broker coverage. TikTok fundamentally changed this by giving the public video-based opinion power that celebrities cannot control. The conversation examines several case studies from 2023. Lizzos response to dancer abuse allegations used attorney Marty Singers standard deny-diminish-rebuild playbook, which McPherson says is the opposite of effective modern crisis response. Singers approach, used for decades for clients including Charlie Sheen and Bill Cosby, puts the celebrity in a corner with no path forward. McPhersons alternative framework is own it, explain it, promise it, starting with honesty rather than denial. Lizzo could have acknowledged that the line between artist and employer sometimes blurs without admitting legal guilt. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kuniss apology video for writing a character letter for convicted rapist Danny Masterson failed because it was an explainer disguised as an apology, filmed in front of distressed wood meant to look humble but actually shot at their mansion. McPherson says Kutcher should have done a real media interview and stepped down from his anti-trafficking organization Thorn immediately. Drew Barrymores writers strike controversy was complicated by an undisclosed production deal with CBS through Flower Films, leaving her unable to fully explain her decision to bring her show back. McPherson suggests Barrymore should have pushed back against CBS and stood in solidarity, which would have generated even more goodwill. Joe Jonass divorce from Sophie Turner demonstrated the failure of using TMZ as a mouthpiece when TikTok has essentially democratized tabloid journalism. His teams months-long campaign of blind gossip items backfired because Sophie Turners silence proved more powerful than Jonass aggressive narrative management. McPherson identifies Jamie Foxx as a positive example: after an Instagram post was perceived as anti-Semitic, he could have defended himself but instead issued a clean, concise apology. Taylor Swift is named PR MVP for her strategic use of SEO, particularly attending Jets games to bury search results about her private jet emissions under football coverage. The episode concludes with McPhersons advice that the easy way out in PR is always the most damaging, and that treating the public with respect and honesty is the only sustainable strategy in the TikTok era.

As heard by us

A sharp celebrity-PR conversation that turns familiar scandals into a clear look at how apologies and damage control fall apart.

The episode frames celebrity crisis communication as a pattern rather than a parade of scandals. Sam Sanders and Molly McPherson move from Drew Barrymore's kitchen video to the backlash around Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, then to Jimmy Fallon and a Rolling Stone expose,…

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Why you'd press play

When celebrity apologies look staged and you want the PR logic behind the mess.

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