We’ve all seen the spectacle Tiger Woods’s life has become since all his mistresses came out of hiding. He was at the top of his game. Now he’s the butt of most jokes. But another actor may soon be joining his ranks.
Josh Duhamel, also known as Mr. Fergie, may be facing some serious trouble. Last year, Nicole Forrester, an exotic dancer from Atlanta, claimed to that she and Duhamel had sexual relations. Duhamel denied this claim, and Fergie stood by her man. The couple renewed their wedding vows this January.
Soon the Tiger Woods scandal took over and Duhamel’s mess was put on the back burner. Now, Forrester is back with an even bigger claim. She’s pregnant and the baby is Duhamel’s!
Or at least she’s 95 percent sure it is.
So did he do it? I’m not sure, but I do know that a public relations professional would address this issue immediately, before it becomes too big to handle.
Duhamel can deny the claim all he wants, but with the public already wary about celebrity fidelity (thank you Tiger Woods), Duhamel may not be believed. The public needs objective proof. What better proof than a paternity test?
Forrester claims to be 3 1/2 pregnant. She is just entering her second trimester, which is an ideal time for a prenatal paternity test. If the results say that Duhamel is not the father of the child, this proof can be presented to the public. With this factual evidence, no one can deny Duhamel’s claim that the baby is not his.
The only problem with this solution is that the public may perceive Duhamel’s push for a paternity test as a sign that there is a possibility that the baby may be his. This would mean that Duhamel did cheat on Fergie, even though his vehemently denied it. Being thought of as a liar is sometimes even worse than being seen as unfaithful and can be really damaging to Duhamel’s reputation. To keep this from happening, or at least to minimize this kind of perception, Duhamel should stress that he and Fergie know he did nothing wrong, and that he is taking the paternity test just to put to rest the rumors so that he and Fergie may go back to their happy, married lives.
If the results say that Duhamel is indeed the father of the child, then Duhamel should make a public apology right away and share what he plans to do with the baby. This public speech should be drafted with a public relations professional to make sure it won’t cause any public backlash.
Duhamel’s career is just beginning to take off, so he is extremely vulnerable to public opinion right now. Any issued involving him must be dealt with immediately to avoid long-term negative effects on his career. His relationship with his publicist is more important now than ever before.
