An email trail connects former Hochul press secretary Avi Small to Paris Jackson’s PR team following his controversial exit from politics. The Paris Jackson’s PR Team Includes Ex-Hochul Press Secretary Who Resigned Amid Harassment Allegation first appeared on The Blast

People love to say your vibe attracts your tribe. However, when the tribe is a celebrity PR team, the optics get a little more complicated, especially when the person shaping the headlines has a headline of his own. Emails reviewed by The Blast show Avi Small repeatedly distributing press materials about Paris Jackson’s legal battle with the executors of her late father Michael Jackson’s estate. The correspondence spans at least March through July 2026.

Avi Small’s Political Past Complicates His New Crisis PR Role

On paper, the assignment fits Avi Small’s new résumé. He currently serves as a vice president specializing in crisis communications at HELLER, which advises companies and high-profile individuals dealing with litigation, public controversy and reputational harm.

According to the firm’s current biography, Small joined in 2025 after nearly a decade working at the “highest levels of New York politics and government.” His previous job is where the story takes a turn for the worse.

Avi Small Resigned From Hochul’s Office Following Harassment Allegation

Before entering private-sector PR, Avi Small served as press secretary to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. The New York Times first reported in July 2025 that a male colleague had accused him of inappropriate touching. Times Union later placed the alleged incident at McGeary’s in Albany following a June 16 softball game involving current and former staffers from the governor’s office.

Hochul’s office placed Small on administrative leave June 25, and he resigned July 4. In a brief resignation letter obtained by Politico, Small said he was “grateful for the opportunity” to serve the administration but didn’t address the allegation.

Previous Investigation Examined Additional Allegations Against Avi Small

On July 7, 2025, Times Union reported that WilmerHale conducted the outside investigation and finished its work during the week of Small’s resignation. The governor’s office said the inquiry was “substantively complete” by Friday afternoon, but its findings haven’t been released publicly.

The June complaint wasn’t the first time Small’s workplace conduct had come under scrutiny. Politico reported that a separate 2024 investigation examined allegations that he berated junior employees and discussed his sex life at work.

Multiple sources also told the outlet that human resources had received information alleging Small cornered a subordinate in a supply closet while questioning them. A person familiar with the confidential outcome said the review didn’t result in a finding of a human resources violation.

Kathy Hochul Defended Her Administration’s Handling Of The Allegations

After the investigation ended, around 10 staffers met with human resources seeking more information about its outcome, according to Politico. A person who attended the meeting said an HR representative encouraged the group not to discuss the accusations and explained that the findings would remain private to protect witnesses from retaliation.

One week after Small resigned amid the separate 2025 allegation, Hochul defended both her decision to keep him following the earlier investigation and her administration’s response to the new complaint. “The environment was changed where people felt comfortable to come forward,” she said, adding that there was “no tolerance for misconduct.”

Questions Linger As Paris Jackson’s Estate Battle Moves Forward

Erica Vladimer, founding director of Harassment-Free New York, wasn’t convinced. She argued that Small’s resignation shouldn’t end the investigation and said the administration needed to examine whether it had responded appropriately to the complaints about his conduct in 2024. “It’s very clear that Avi had an opportunity to harass someone after he was already investigated in the first place. Why?” she said.

Meanwhile, the estate fight at the center of his outreach continues. An unnamed spokesperson for Paris Jackson called her May court victory over $625,000 in disputed legal bonuses from an estate worth $3 billion a “massive win.”

In July, the 28-year-old musician was opposing executor John Branca’s attempt to seal records related to objections to bonuses to other attorneys. Branca stated that disclosure could hurt future business deals and accused her of using “inflammatory rhetoric” unrelated to the sealing dispute.

Away from the filings, Paris Jackson has been focused on music. She’s currently on tour and preparing to release her second album, “Happiest Day of My Life,” on August 21.

The Paris Jackson’s PR Team Includes Ex-Hochul Press Secretary Who Resigned Amid Harassment Allegation first appeared on The Blast