Taylor Swift and Blake Lively’s friendship reportedly hit by ‘Permanent Damage,’ sources say

Swift and Lively’s Friendship

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively first met in Australia in December 2015 during Swift’s 1989 World Tour. They shared photos on Instagram together after visiting Warner Bros. Movie World theme park. In 2017, Swift used the names of Lively’s daughters James and Inez in her song “Gorgeous” without any public dispute.

Lively and Swift attended several parties together, including Swift’s 2016 Fourth of July bash. They also attended New York events in 2018, appearing close and smiling for photos.

Filming of It Ends With Us

It Ends With Us started filming in New Jersey in May 2023, paused due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in July 2023, and resumed in January 2024. Blake Lively starred as Lily Bloom, and Justin Baldoni directed and played Ryle Kincaid. Colleen Hoover, the book’s author, joined as executive producer.

Multiple crew members told Variety there were disagreements between Lively and Baldoni about script rewrites. No official statement confirmed these disputes publicly from either star.

Swift Subpoenaed as Witness

In February 2025, Justin Baldoni’s legal team initially subpoenaed Taylor Swift to provide testimony about conversations with Blake Lively. Swift’s team confirmed receiving the subpoena but stated she had never visited the set or spoken to Baldoni. A court filing showed the subpoena was later withdrawn in March 2025.

Legal analysts explained that subpoenas can be issued to non-parties if they might know workplace behavior or conversations related to a lawsuit.

Court Grants Access to Texts

A New Jersey superior court judge ruled in April 2025 that Baldoni’s team could review text messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift from January 2023 to May 2024. The ruling cited Lively naming Swift as someone with knowledge about work environment complaints.

Court records showed more than 200 messages were handed to Baldoni’s lawyers. Swift’s legal team objected, arguing the texts contained unrelated personal conversations, but the judge dismissed their motion.

Leaked ‘Dragon’ Text Message

A text from Blake Lively to Justin Baldoni, dated July 14, 2024, stated, “I have dragons who protect me, and you will see that soon.” Baldoni’s legal team submitted the text as evidence, claiming it showed threats using outside influence. Media reports said Lively referred to Taylor Swift as one of these “dragons.”

Paparazzi photos published by TMZ showed Baldoni meeting his lawyers the same day the text was leaked, sparking speculation about coordination with media outlets.

Swift’s Denial of Creative Input

On May 3, 2025, Swift’s spokesperson told People magazine Taylor had “no creative involvement or financial stake” in It Ends With Us. They confirmed Swift was not consulted on casting, script, filming decisions, or marketing plans.

Colleen Hoover’s representatives also said Swift did not participate in the book-to-film adaptation process. Hoover only met Swift once in 2019 during a backstage visit at a concert, according to Hoover’s 2020 interview with USA Today.

Swift and Lively’s Public Silence

Since April 2025, neither Taylor Swift nor Blake Lively has posted photos or comments about each other on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. Previously, they frequently tagged each other and liked posts. Entertainment reporters noted this silence marked a stark change in their online interactions.

Analysis of Swift’s social media accounts showed the last like on Lively’s posts happened March 28, 2025, before the text messages became public in legal filings.

Blake’s Past Film Conflicts

In 2011, Blake Lively worked on Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds, who later admitted tensions on set in a 2016 Entertainment Weekly interview. In 2018, while shooting A Simple Favor, Lively’s team refuted rumors of conflict with co-star Anna Kendrick, but the director Paul Feig described “complicated dynamics” in a 2020 Variety interview.

Lively has not faced any lawsuits from co-stars before the current dispute with Justin Baldoni related to It Ends With Us production.

Industry Reactions to Drama

Variety reported on April 29, 2025, that three Hollywood producers stated the Lively-Baldoni lawsuit was among the most public celebrity legal battles since Scarlett Johansson’s 2021 Disney lawsuit. Entertainment lawyer Lisa Bloom told Entertainment Tonight that subpoenas issued to friends like Swift were rare in such disputes.

Hollywood unions, including SAG-AFTRA, did not comment officially, but one union representative anonymously told The Wrap that cases like this draw unwanted negative attention.

Swift’s Pattern of Defending Privacy

In 2017, Swift won a groping lawsuit against DJ David Mueller, demonstrating her history of taking legal action to protect her privacy. In 2019, she publicly criticized Scooter Braun for acquiring her master recordings without direct negotiation, calling it a “gross manipulation.”

Swift’s long track record shows efforts to control her personal information and who accesses it, aligning with her frustration over Lively’s legal team sharing private texts.

Lively’s Comments on Friendship

In a November 2021 Vogue interview, Blake Lively said Taylor Swift was “like family” and praised her creativity. In a December 2022 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Lively described Swift as “one of the most loyal people I know.”

These public statements about loyalty contrasted sharply with reports of Swift’s anger over being pulled into the legal fight, highlighting the breakdown in trust revealed in 2025.

Baldoni’s Legal Strategy

Court documents from Baldoni’s lawsuit, filed January 12, 2025, showed his attorneys arguing that Lively defamed him by spreading false stories about his on-set behavior. Their filings included witness statements from two assistant directors claiming Lively made repeated complaints about Baldoni to crew members.

Baldoni’s team also cited emails where Lively allegedly threatened to walk off the film unless certain script changes were reversed, which they said showed unprofessional conduct.

SAG-AFTRA Strike’s Impact

The SAG-AFTRA strike in 2023 caused major delays for many film projects, including It Ends With Us. Filming paused for six months, according to Variety’s August 2023 report, as union actors could not work on set. The strike ended in November 2023 after new contracts were signed with major studios.

Filming on It Ends With Us restarted in January 2024, causing budget overruns estimated at $3 million and compressing the post-production timeline before the film’s summer 2024 release.

Financial Stakes for Both Stars

Blake Lively’s contract for It Ends With Us guaranteed her $8 million base salary plus potential box office bonuses. Justin Baldoni’s contract included a $5 million directing fee, according to leaked production budget details shared by Deadline in August 2024.

Court documents revealed both stars lost potential backend bonuses because legal disputes delayed international distribution deals with Lionsgate.

Swift’s Net Worth vs. Legal Threats

Forbes estimated Taylor Swift’s net worth at $1.1 billion in December 2024. Financial analysts noted a legal fight involving Swift would expose substantial assets to potential subpoenas or damages if she became a defendant, which did not happen here.

Swift’s legal team spent over $500,000 in fees fighting to keep her texts private, according to court records and billing statements leaked to Page Six in May 2025.

Looking to see Taylor Swift’s heartwarming gesture? See Taylor Swift brings smiles to children’s hospital with surprise visit.

Copyright Details on the Film

The U.S. Copyright Office lists It Ends With Us as registered under Lionsgate Entertainment on March 15, 2024, with registration number PA0002358476. The film adaptation’s screenplay was registered under the same entry, crediting Keith Bunin as a screenwriter.

Colleen Hoover retained 20% of adaptation royalties through her publishing contract with Atria Books, which was confirmed by a March 2024 SEC filing from Lionsgate outlining adaptation rights costs totaling $6 million.

Want to know how “It Ends With Us” became a surprise phenomenon? Read the unlikely success of “It Ends With Us.”

What do you think, can their friendship bounce back? Drop your thoughts below!

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This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.