The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Outrage isn’t random anymore, it’s a playbook. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, what started as shock turned into a communication crisis that exposed how words can either shape narratives or ignite division.

Here’s the problem: in 2025, speech doesn’t live in a vacuum. Every comment, post, and soundbite ricochets through algorithms, institutions, and public opinion. And when words turn into weapons, the fallout is swift—...

Outrage isn’t new, but the way it plays out in 2025 feels like a full-time industry. This week, it’s Phillies fans brawling over a foul ball, a CEO swiping a signed hat at the US Open, Bruce Willis’ family facing judgment in a Diane Sawyer interview, and American Eagle cashing in on controversy with its headline-grabbing campaign.

Here’s the problem: every headline slaps the same word on these stories—backlash. But backlash and blow...

A shooting inside a Minneapolis church during a back-to-school Mass left two children dead and several others injured. The Annunciation Catholic School community was shattered. The country watched. And almost immediately, public officials and school leaders stood in front of microphones, tasked with speaking into heartbreak.

In this episode, examining what was said—and how it was said—during the press conferences that followed.

Joini...

The Breakdown:

The first move most people make in a crisis is often the one that causes the most damage. It happens when emotion outruns strategy, and the brain mistakes public pressure for personal danger. The result is impulsive action, usually in the form of a rushed post, a scrambled statement, or a desperate attempt to make the backlash go away. But the real problem isn’t public. It’s neurological.

This episode explains why the ...

Taylor Swift didn’t just pop onto her boyfriend’s New Heights podcast for fun. She executed a masterclass in brand strategy. With over 16 million views and endless headlines, her first-ever appearance alongside Travis and Jason Kelce wasn’t casual. It was calculated.

In this episode of The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson, a look at the strategy behind the appearance. Why it mattered, what Swift accomplished, and how it ties into h...

This week’s PR Breakdown isn’t about a corporate crisis or a press release gone wrong. It’s about satire — and the way it forces a reaction.

In the latest season of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker have turned their aim on the Trump administration, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, and the culture of punditry. It’s not subtle. It’s not sanitized. And it’s definitely not for the thin-skinned.

The second episode, “Got a Nut,” skewers bo...

Justin Timberlake ended his tour and dropped a bombshell on Instagram—he’s been battling Lyme disease. The post was emotional, reflective, and full of gratitude. But was it also a PR move?

In this episode of The PR Breakdown, examining the timing, language, and strategy behind Timberlake’s statement and why it dropped when it did. This isn’t about questioning the diagnosis. It’s about asking the right questions, like why fans were l...

After NPR called me to weigh in on the Coldplay concert scandal and Astronomer’s new viral ad starring Gwyneth Paltrow, a listener to the time to email to call me a “fussbucket.”

You know what? I’ll take it.

Because here’s the thing: clever marketing isn’t a substitute for accountability. In this epsiode ofThe PR Breakdown, I explain why Astronomer’s ad (produced by Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort and fronted by Gwyneth Paltrow) is a c...

Seventy thousand five hundred twenty-one. 

That’s how many news stories included Andy Byron’s name after one juicy Jumbotron moment at a Coldplay concert. In this episode of The PR Breakdown, dissecting how a viral moment spiraled into a corporate PR disaster that exposed a CEO, an HR chief, and a total breakdown in communication control.

What made this story explode? Not just the video, but the silence that followed a hoax. 

Molly br...

When the flood came, the warnings didn’t. In this episode, a deadly cascade of communication breakdowns and the consequences of delay. At least 129 people are dead, with dozens still missing, after historic flash flooding swept through central Texas. The timeline reveals a gap between federal alerts and local action. Lives were lost in those hours.

We examine what went wrong, why the local warning system never materialized despite y...

July appears quiet. It isn’t.

This episode outlines why summer is a high-risk period for reputation management. With newsroom staffing reduced and audience attention low, deeper stories start brewing. Reporters have more time. Leadership is often distracted. That’s when reputational cracks start to widen.

The timing is rarely accidental. Many of the biggest PR crises in recent years—from Lizzo’s lawsuit to Drew Barrymore’s strike bac...

In this live edition of The PR Breakdown, Molly McPherson is joined by Warren Weeks and John Perenak, the hosts of the Reputation Town podcast, to explore the widening gap between journalism and public trust. The conversation centers on CNN’s Jake Tapper and his new book with Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. 

Is this book a mea culpa? A caree...

Tyler Perry is facing a $260 million sexual harassment lawsuit from actor Derek Dixon—and his legal team wasted no time calling it a “scam” and “shakedown.” That move may work in court. It won’t hold up in the court of public opinion.

In this episode, I break down:

• How aggressive legal statements create reputational damage
• Why pattern recognition is the biggest risk to Perry’s brand
• The Christian Keyes video circulating online and ...

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A $400 million defamation lawsuit, a full dismissal from a federal judge, and reputations still in question. This week, we’re breaking down the legal loss—and PR fallout—of It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni’s case against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their team. Spoiler: no one comes out clean.

This episode goes beyond the legal headline to unpack what really happens when public figures weaponize defamation law to manage b...

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 t...

Jake Tapper’s new book Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again is making headlines; not just for what’s in it. The backlash, the omissions, the PR fallout—it’s all part of a larger failure in messaging that started long before the first leak.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the five communication sins at the core of the Biden cover-up. It’s not about politics. It’s about ...

This episode examines the sharp edge of celebrity scandal and why some reputations teeter over the cliff while others, against the odds, manage a comeback. With Sean Combs (Diddy) serving as the case study, this episode reveals PR moves public figure make when they are close to the edge of the “reputation cliff.”

Comparing a trio of notorious comebacks and collapses—Robert Downey Jr., Tiger Woods, Ellen DeGeneres—the episode shares ...

Last week, my daughter graduated from Loyola University Chicago. After years of watching her build a life—on the field, on the sidelines, in the center of the action—she’s stepping into the real world. And like so many graduates right now, she’s walking in with drive, uncertainty, and a digital footprint that started long before her first job offer.

This episode is a message to her—and to every graduate who needs a little direction ...