Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have been close friends for almost a decade, and now Taylor’s name has appeared in a lawsuit Blake filed against her It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
Blake, 37, is suing Baldoni, 40, and others, including his public relations team, claiming they tried to ruin her reputation during the film’s promotion... Continue reading here ▶
She also accused Baldoni, who directed the movie, of sexual harassment, alleging he showed her explicit images and videos, asked about her personal life, tried to add intimate scenes she hadn’t agreed to, and made inappropriate comments about her weight.
In the complaint, Taylor Swift is mentioned twice. According to Blake, Baldoni’s PR team at TAG PR, led by crisis expert Melissa Nathan, created a “scenario planning document” to harm Blake’s public image.
This document allegedly suggested planting stories about how Blake and people in her circle, like Taylor Swift, might “weaponize feminism” to manipulate situations.
TAG PR’s majority stakeholder is a company owned by Scooter Braun, who famously clashed with Taylor in 2019 when he bought the rights to her early music without her knowledge, prompting her to re-record her albums.
Although Baldoni reportedly didn’t fully agree with the PR plan, Swift’s name came up again in another alleged message from Nathan. She discussed how Blake’s friendship with Taylor could influence social media campaigns, noting that Swift’s fanbase might support Blake.
Blake and Taylor have been close since 2015, with Taylor even using Blake’s daughters’ names—Betty, James, and Inez—in her Folklore album lyrics. Blake’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, recently confirmed that Taylor is their daughters’ godmother.
Rumors of tension between Baldoni and Blake began during the promotion of It Ends with Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s popular novel. Fans noticed Baldoni mostly promoted the movie alone, and many lead actors didn’t follow him on Instagram.
Blake’s complaint accuses Baldoni of creating a “hostile work environment” that nearly disrupted production and caused her emotional distress, affecting her husband and their four children.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, denied the accusations, calling them “false and outrageous,” claiming Blake filed the lawsuit to fix her own reputation. He also accused her of being difficult on set, threatening not to show up or promote the film, which he says hurt its success.
Blake, however, said in a statement to The New York Times, “I hope my legal action sheds light on these harmful tactics and protects others who speak up about misconduct.”
