Blake Lively exchanged a series of private messages with Taylor Swift about It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni, according to court documents obtained by E! News on 20 January.
The documents form part of Lively’s ongoing legal case against Baldoni, whom she is suing over allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, claims he has denied. In the messages referenced in the filing, Lively allegedly referred to Baldoni as her “doofus director” and a “clown” while asking Swift to review a revised version of the film’s script, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel.
According to the documents, Swift responded supportively, replying: “I’ll do anything for you!!”
Lively later thanked the Grammy-winning singer for her support and said she had shared details of the situation with her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
“You were so epically heroic today,” Lively reportedly texted Swift. “I recapped every moment to Ryan… This clown falling for all of it. But also resisting it.” She concluded by calling Swift “the world’s absolute greatest friend ever”.
In a transcript of Lively’s July deposition, also obtained by E! News, the actress explained that she had sent Swift the script while the singer was en route to her apartment, where Baldoni was still present for a meeting. Lively said she made it clear that Swift was under no obligation to read the material.
“I sent Taylor the script on her way to my apartment because Justin was still there,” Lively said in the deposition. “I told her she didn’t have to, I didn’t want her to feel pressured, but I hoped that she would.”
In the 20 January filing, Lively further argued that her wording was intended purely to ensure her friend did not feel pressured to get involved.
This is not the first time Swift’s name has surfaced in the legal dispute. Baldoni previously accused Lively of leveraging her friendship with Swift to gain greater creative control over It Ends With Us. In a countersuit, which has since been dismissed, Baldoni included text messages in which Lively compared herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi and referred to Swift and Reynolds as her “dragons”.
“For better or worse, but usually for better,” Lively wrote, according to the 2025 filing. “Because my dragons also protect those I fight for.”
In response, a spokesperson for Swift denied any involvement in the film’s creative process, aside from contributing her song My Tears Ricochet to the soundtrack.
“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie,” her representative told E! News in a statement issued in May. “She was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, did not score the film, and never saw an edit or made any notes on the film.”
E! News reports that representatives for Lively and Baldoni were contacted for comment but did not respond. Swift’s representative also declined to comment further.