NEW YORK — The sprawling legal dispute between actress Blake Lively and filmmaker Justin Baldoni has taken an unexpected turn, with newly unsealed court documents revealing that pop icon Taylor Swift has been drawn into the evidentiary record.
On Wednesday, filings in the New York State Supreme Court made public a series of private text messages between Lively and Swift, dating back to the chaotic production of the 2024 film It Ends With Us. While Swift is not a party to the lawsuit, her correspondence is being used by Lively’s legal team to corroborate claims of a “hostile work environment.”
The controversy, which began as internet speculation two years ago, has since metastasized into a multi-million dollar lawsuit involving allegations of defamation and breach of contract between Lively and Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios.
Watch Video News
According to the unsealed exhibits, Lively texted Swift in real-time from the set, describing the production atmosphere as “psychologically fractured.” In one exchange cited in the filing, Swift reportedly replied to Lively’s concerns by comparing the on-set dynamic to “a horror film no one knows is taking place.”
Legal analysts suggest the inclusion of Swift’s texts is a calculated move by Lively’s defense.
“By introducing these texts, Lively’s team is trying to establish a ‘contemporaneous record,'” explained legal analyst Dan Abrams. “They are arguing that Lively isn’t inventing these complaints now to win a lawsuit; she was expressing them privately to her closest friends, like Taylor Swift, while they were happening.”
However, the revelation has sparked a fresh wave of controversy regarding privacy. Swift, who famously guards her private communications, has not commented on her messages becoming public record. Sources close to the singer indicate frustration that her private support for a friend has been weaponized in a public litigation battle.
This development comes just weeks before the case is scheduled for a pre-trial hearing in Manhattan. For Swift, it is a reminder that despite her carefully curated public image, her proximity to Hollywood’s inner circles makes total immunity from its legal dramas impossible.
