Travis Scott is one of the biggest rappers in the world, so his massive brand needs a few chefs in the kitchen. One of those is his manager David Stromberg, who helps with Cactus Jack as well. But the manager is now in a big entertainment whirlwind due to his alleged connection to Hollywood smear campaigns and the ensuing (and ongoing) scandal around them.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, these rumors emerged due to an evidence exhibit in a court case from publicist Stephanie Jones. That lawsuit is over Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle over the film It Ends With Us and its production.
The exhibit reportedly shows Travis Scott's manager in a redacted 2024 group chat with crisis adviser Melissa Nathan and digital fixer Jed Wallace. In the group chat, David Stromberg allegedly coordinated with these industry peers to seek out and post disparaging information about an enemy onto a "ghost platform."
In addition, these are the same individuals who allegedly coordinated smear campaigns against opposition to Rebel Wilson, Scooter Braun, and wellness influencer Andrew Huberman. Wilson denied these accusations, whereas the other two reportedly haven't addressed them at press time.
What's more is that this alleged group chat exchange reportedly had redacted messages that allegedly obfuscated references to Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival, at which a crowd crush killed multiple concert-goers in 2021. The redacted messages also allegedly referred to an unspecified group dropping unspecified charges.
David Stromberg's Alleged Group Chat
Stromberg allegedly referred to his group chat peers as "the dream team" and his "favorite" one, whereas Jed Wallace reportedly said he had an "infrastructure" plan but "needed the most absolute secure process." The manager reportedly requested a statement of work for "him," and it's unclear if that "him" is the Odyssey actor. He also allegedly referenced Bryan Freedman, a Hollywood litigator who's facing a defamation lawsuit over these alleged smear campaigns against celebrities' enemies.
None of the folks involved here responded to THR's requests for comments. Freedman, however, had reportedly denied any misconduct in the past. Melissa Nathan has reportedly represented Travis Scott for years, and she allegedly detailed a "multipart strategy" for "Legal/Crisis PR/Media/Digital" to fight against alleged extortion schemes.
The plan allegedly included stipulations for forensics team to gather evidence, build an external anonymous campaign to undercut the opposition's credibility, and "point friendly reporters towards this ghost platform we create."
