Newly unsealed court documents have revealed private text messages exchanged between It Ends With Us star Blake Lively and her close friend Taylor Swift, shedding light on a conversation they allegedly had with the film’s director, Justin Baldoni. The documents were obtained by E! News on 20 January.
According to the messages included in the filing, Lively criticised Baldoni after he allegedly told Swift that he was unfamiliar with her music. “The most bonkers part to me is him saying to you he doesn’t know pop culture made me more mad than anything he’s done to me,” Lively wrote to Swift.
Lively, 38, who is suing Baldoni over allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of the Colleen Hoover adaptation, questioned the director’s claim, noting that his public persona centres on challenging toxic masculinity. “His entire brand is disassembling toxic masculinity. He monetises it. He does TED talks,” she wrote, adding that the comment was “rude” and “untrue”.
In the messages, Lively praised Swift’s cultural impact, describing her as “both the most popular artist alive and one of all time”, as well as “one of the most respected and awarded”. She compared Swift’s stature to that of filmmaker Steven Spielberg, suggesting Baldoni would not have made similar remarks to someone of Spielberg’s standing.
Lively also referenced Swift’s honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 2022, telling her friend she “deserve[s] to be studied” and calling her “a human masterclass”.
Despite her frustration, Lively said she would stop “digging up hatchets”, adding that she feels “more protective” of Swift than herself. “I’m so much less forgiving when it comes to someone messing with someone I love than when someone messes with me,” she wrote, before expressing her affection and gratitude for Swift.
Swift, in turn, responded warmly to an earlier message from Lively in which the actress said she had “won the lottery” by having her as a friend. “I WON THE LOTTERY,” Swift replied, according to the court documents. “You are the COOLEST PERSON IN THE WORLD and you like me !!”
Lively also thanked Swift for her support during the conversation with Baldoni, telling her she had recounted the exchange to her husband, Ryan Reynolds. “You were so epically heroic today,” Lively wrote, adding that Swift was “the world’s absolute greatest friend ever”.
As outlined in Lively’s July deposition, she had sent Swift the It Ends With Us script but told her she did not need to read it. In a filing dated 20 January, Lively clarified that the message was intended to ensure Swift did not feel pressured.
Baldoni has denied all allegations made against him. His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement to E! News on 21 January that the evidence does not support Lively’s claims. “A simple read of the newly released message exchanges make the truth abundantly clear,” Freedman said, adding that they remain confident in the legal process and in clearing the names of all parties involved.