Text messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift have emerged in the escalating legal battle surrounding the film It Ends With Us, revealing a behind-the-scenes clash that’s far more dramatic than anything on screen.
The partially unsealed messages show Lively venting about director Justin Baldoni in language that’s both blunt and biting.
But what’s missing from these texts—according to Lively’s legal team—is crucial context that completely changes their meaning.
At the center of this controversy is whether Swift improperly influenced script decisions, or whether she was simply being a supportive friend.
What the Unsealed Messages Actually Say
In messages unsealed on January 20, 2025, Lively didn’t hold back about her frustrations with Baldoni. She referred to him as “this doofus director of my movie” and called him “a clown” who apparently fancied himself a writer.
According to Baldoni’s legal team, Lively asked Swift—who was allegedly already heading to visit her friend while Baldoni was present at Lively’s home—to endorse a revised script version “even without having read it.”
I’ll do anything for you !!
That was Swift’s alleged reply, setting in motion what Baldoni’s team characterizes as improper outside influence on production decisions.
After Swift’s visit, Lively reportedly gushed about her friend’s performance in another message, saying she was “so epically heroic today” and that she recapped every moment to husband Ryan Reynolds.
I kept remembering stuff- You making s— up about me and lenses. And referring to yourself as my doll. This clown falling for all of it. But also resisting it. You are the worlds absolute greatest friend ever.
Lively’s Team Says Context Is Everything
Lively’s attorneys fired back immediately, arguing these excerpts paint an incomplete and misleading picture. In refiled exhibits submitted on January 20, her legal team pointed to testimony that tells a different story entirely.
According to Lively’s sworn statement, she sent Swift the script while her friend was already on her way to visit, specifically because Baldoni was still at her apartment. She asked Swift to read the pages but emphasized her friend shouldn’t feel pressured.
I sent Taylor the script on her way to my apartment because Justin was still there, and I asked her to read them. I told her she didn’t have to, I didn’t want her to feel pressured to do that, but I hoped that she would.
Lively’s team also highlighted subsequent messages where the actress told Baldoni that “we all benefit” from her relationships with Reynolds and Swift, adding “you will too, I can promise you.”
These follow-up texts, her attorneys argue, show collaboration rather than manipulation.
Taylor Swift as a “Dragon”
In a complaint filed in January 2025, Baldoni claimed Lively referred to Swift as one of her “dragons” during text exchanges—a term suggesting the pop superstar was deployed as a weapon in creative disputes.
Baldoni’s team alleged that Swift pressured him to accept script rewrites, leveraging her fame and friendship to influence production decisions she had no formal role in making.
Lively’s legal team didn’t deny the “dragons” language appeared in texts. However, they again pointed to missing context, directing the court to review complete text exchanges rather than cherry-picked excerpts.
Swift’s Camp Pushes Back Hard
Swift herself is not party to this lawsuit, but her name keeps surfacing. She’s listed as a potential witness by Lively’s legal team, and Baldoni’s attorneys attempted to subpoena her in May 2025.
Swift’s representatives responded forcefully to that subpoena, issuing a statement that methodically dismantled any suggestion of substantial involvement.
- Swift never set foot on set
- She had zero involvement in casting or creative decisions
- She didn’t score the film or provide notes
- She didn’t even watch It Ends With Us until weeks after public release
- During 2023 and 2024, she was headlining the biggest tour in history
The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’
Swift’s team accused Baldoni’s side of exploiting her name to “draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait” rather than focusing on actual case facts.
How This Legal Battle Started
This entire drama kicked off in December 2024 when Lively sued Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni denied everything and countered with a staggering $400 million lawsuit of his own.
That countersuit was dismissed in June by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, but clearly this fight is far from over.
A summary judgment hearing in Lively’s ongoing lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, is scheduled for January 22—just days after these text messages became public.
What These Texts Actually Reveal
Strip away legal maneuvering, and what emerges is a portrait of production tensions boiling over. Lively clearly felt frustrated with Baldoni’s directorial choices and turned to trusted advisors—including her superstar friend—for support.
Whether that constitutes inappropriate influence or simply normal collaboration between producer and actress depends entirely on perspective and, crucially, on context that both sides claim the other is omitting.
What’s undeniable is that It Ends With Us was troubled long before cameras stopped rolling. These texts offer a rare glimpse into Hollywood power dynamics, creative control battles, and what happens when friendships intersect with multimillion-dollar productions.
As January 22 approaches, expect both legal teams to argue fiercely over whether Swift’s involvement was benign support or calculated pressure—and whether those withheld contexts actually matter.