Music

Jian Ghomeshi dropped by two PR firms as abuse allegations continue to surface

by Mark Teo

As the Jian Ghomeshi scandal continues to spiral out of control, his public relations teams have left him. As of yesterday, the high-powered Navigator and Rock-it PR issued statements that they would no longer be handling media requests for the former Q star. This, of course, comes in the wake of ever-increasing public scrutiny: Yesterday, the Star published a report that had eight women alleging abuse at the hand of Ghomeshi, while two women—Trailer Park Boys actress Lucy Decoutere and author Reva Seth—took their stories public. A Twitter account, meanwhile, detailed abuse as far back as April even name-dropping Ghomeshi’s now-famous stuffed toy, Big Ears Teddy.

It’s a story that even the savviest PR firms would have trouble snuffing. Navigator, for their part, were largely credited for crafting Ghomeshi’s initial Facebook statement—and likely, they saw success, considering the vocabulary from that statement—see: “jilted ex”—is still heavily referenced in the media. And they’re accustomed to cleaning high-profile messes: They’re credited for turning the public in favour of politician Michael Bryant, after an altercation led to the death of a bicycle messenger in Toronto; they helped craft ex-Alberta premier Alison Redford’s response to the Calgary floods of 2013; they advised Maple Leaf foods after the company caused a listeria outbreak. According to The Globe and Mail, the firm’s motto is “When You Can’t Afford to Lose.” They charge $600 per hour, likely because they win most of their battles.

Yet they might have decided that they couldn’t control Ghomeshi’s fire.

“In response to numerous media requests, Navigator confirms it does not advise Jian Ghomeshi,” the agency said in a statement. “Regrettably, the circumstances of our engagement have changed and we are no longer able to continue. No further comment will be issued.”

This morning, The Star reported that Ghomeshi, according to a source, was dropped for lying to the firm. Navigator, the newspaper reports, believed that the ex-CBC broadcaster only had one allegation against him—and weren’t expecting to see so many accusations against Ghomeshi.

After Navigator stepped down, media inquiries were briefly being sent to Rock-it Promotions, a public relations agency who counts the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Stage, and Open Book Toronto amongst its clients. They’d been working with Ghomeshi for a number of years, but yesterday, tweeted that they would not be representing him any more.

It’s unclear if Ghomeshi will employ another PR firm as his story—and the public perception of his actions—continues to shift. He took to his Facebook page to issue another statement, saying that he’ll meet the allegations against him, but that he doesn’t plan to speak to the media.

“I want to thank you for your support and assure you that I intend to meet these allegations directly,” Ghomeshi wrote on Facebook. “I don’t intend to discuss this matter any further with the media.”

So, what’s the next step in the unfolding Ghomeshi scandal? Jesse Brown, the media critic largely responsible for breaking the news, says he’s taking the story to his Canadaland podcast, even if much of his work has appeared in the Toronto Star, co-authored with investigative reporter Kevin Donovan.

We’ll keep you posted on any developments.

UPDATE: Amanda Palmer, who had previously booked Jian Ghomeshi for an engagement in Toronto—and defended her decision to do so—has since removed him from the date. “I have spent the last few days, doing my best amidst all-day rehearsals for a musical that opens on Wednesday, to read and follow all of the stories that are coming out,” she wrote on Facebook. “Thank you to everyone for sharing forward all of the articles and content, you’ve helped me. The story is incredibly, incredibly sad.

“Given everything I’ve learned, and especially given how upsetting it would be to so many, Jian will not be coming to the show in Toronto.”