Blake Lively And Taylor Swift Texts Ignite Hollywood Legal Firestorm

It’s a Hollywood drama that rivals any blockbuster script: A-list friendships, a high-profile lawsuit, and bitter allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. At the center of it all? Blake Lively, Taylor Swift, and Justin Baldoni—the director and co-star of the film adaptation of It Ends With Us. What began as a behind-the-scenes dispute has erupted into a sprawling legal battle, with text messages, lawsuits, and public statements fueling an ever-intensifying media frenzy.

On January 21, 2026, the saga reached a new crescendo when Lively’s personal text messages with Swift were made public, as reported by Billboard. These messages, now part of the official court record, have become a key piece of evidence in Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims against Baldoni. The texts, some of which date back to December 2024, paint a picture of a fraught working environment and a friendship tested by crisis.

In one particularly biting exchange, Swift quipped about a favorable news story on Baldoni, saying, “I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.” She went on to liken the broader situation to “a horror film no one knows is taking place.” Lively, for her part, described the emotional toll the experience had taken: “This f—ing guy and what he did to me gave me an identity crisis. Legitimately. F— that guy and his whole gaggle of supervillains.” According to Billboard, Swift responded with empathy, admitting she was “exhausted in every avenue of my life and in recent months had been feeling a little bit of a shift in the way you talk to me.”

The messages weren’t just about venting. Lively also leaned on Swift for creative support, asking her to look over a revised script for It Ends With Us. In court documents obtained by E! News, Lively called Baldoni her “doofus director” and a “clown,” and thanked Swift for being “epically heroic.” She later told Swift, “You are the world’s absolute greatest friend ever.” Lively even recounted these moments to her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, underscoring how the ordeal had become a family affair.

But the drama extends well beyond private texts. In December 2024, four months after the film’s release, Lively filed a California Civil Rights Department (CRD) complaint against Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and several associates, alleging a range of misconduct including sexual harassment, retaliation, and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. According to The New York Times, Lively claimed that she and others on set “experienced invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath. She further alleged that, after raising concerns, Baldoni and his team “embarked on a sophisticated press and digital plan in retaliation,” causing her “substantial harm.”

The next day, The New York Times published a detailed report on the alleged retaliatory campaign, quoting messages from Baldoni’s team included in Lively’s complaint. “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct,” Lively told the paper, “and helps protect others who may be targeted.”

Baldoni and his representatives have consistently denied all allegations. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, slammed Lively’s claims as “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.” Freedman also defended Wayfarer’s crisis management efforts as standard industry practice, insisting, “What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal scenario planning and private correspondence to strategize.”

The fallout was swift. On December 21, 2024, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) dropped Baldoni as a client, a move confirmed by Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel to The New York Times. Speculation swirled about whether Reynolds had pressured the agency, but WME denied any such involvement by Reynolds or Lively.

The controversy also rippled through the cast and crew. Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s on-screen sister, voiced her support for Lively, calling her “a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support.” Author Colleen Hoover, whose book inspired the film, praised Lively’s honesty and patience. Meanwhile, Baldoni’s podcast cohost Liz Plank announced her departure from The Man Enough Podcast, citing a commitment to the values built with the show’s community.

The legal maneuvering has been relentless. Baldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, sued him and others for allegedly coordinating a media smear campaign and breaching contracts. Lively subpoenaed music mogul Scooter Braun, seeking information about a supposed PR takedown orchestrated by The Agency Group PR, partly owned by Braun’s company HYBE America. As the web of lawsuits grew, Baldoni and his team countersued Lively, Reynolds, and others for defamation and civil extortion, only to have those claims dismissed in June 2025 after a judge found insufficient evidence.

Throughout, Taylor Swift’s involvement has been a point of contention. Baldoni initially tried to subpoena Swift directly, suspecting her influence in Lively’s attempts to gain creative control over the film. However, his legal team later withdrew the request. Swift’s spokesperson was unequivocal: “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie. She was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film.” Her only contribution, they clarified, was licensing her song “My Tears Ricochet” for the soundtrack—just one of 19 artists to do so.

As the legal battles raged, both sides released statements seeking to sway public opinion. Lively’s lawyers argued that the case was about “serious claims of sexual harassment and retaliation, backed by concrete facts,” and warned against classic victim-blaming tactics. Baldoni’s camp countered that Lively’s team was orchestrating a media attack, promising to release “all of the evidence which will show a pattern of bullying and threats.”

By early 2025, the dispute had ballooned into a $400 million lawsuit, with The New York Times itself drawn into the fray. Judge Lewis J. Liman eventually paused discovery in the case, recognizing the significant First Amendment issues at stake and suggesting that the newspaper’s motion to dismiss was likely to succeed.

In a striking move, Lively hired a former CIA Deputy Chief of Staff, Nick Shapiro, to advise on her legal communications strategy. The move signaled just how high the stakes had become—not just for the individuals involved, but for the broader conversation about workplace misconduct, retaliation, and the power of the press in Hollywood.

With a trial set for later in 2025 and both sides digging in, the story shows no signs of fading. The legal wrangling, celebrity alliances, and public statements have transformed a workplace dispute into a cultural flashpoint—one that’s being watched far beyond the entertainment industry.