Why Blake Lively and Taylor Swift’s Friendship Has ‘Halted’ According to Insiders
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle remains ongoing, with the It Ends With Us producer and director, both co-stars, suing each other following their film release.
Lively, 37, took legal action against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and for allegedly coordinating a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni, 41, has denied the allegations, and filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the couple's publicist Leslie Sloane.
And with a trial for Lively v Wayfarer Studios officially set for March 2026, details around the case have been made public.
It is Taylor Swift's implication in the ongoing legal battle that has made the most headlines, with the 35-year-old singer referenced in Baldoni's legal complaint as Lively's "mega celebrity friend" and one of her "most trusted partners."
And as of this month, Swift has been subpoenaed as a witness in the case, with the singer summoned to a US court due to Baldoni's alleged claims.
Swift's representatives have criticised her subpoena, denying her involvement and calling out Baldoni's team for pulling her name in for "tabloid clickbait".
"Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie," representatives for the singer announced in a statement, obtained by PEOPLE. "She was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history."
The statement continued: "The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, 'My Tears Ricochet.' Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case."
This week, Baldoni's legal team alleged that Lively had "coerced" Swift to publicly take her side in the ongoing dispute and demanded that she "release a statement of support for Ms. Lively". And while Lively's legal team has "unequivocally" denied the claims as "categorically false", sources have reported that the intense media storm has had an impact on their friendship.
"Their friendship has halted," a source reported to PEOPLE. "Taylor wants no part in this drama."
"[They are] taking some space," another insider explained to the publication, but making sure to emphasises that they are "not no longer friends."
We will continue to update this story.
