Taylor Swift has seemingly suffered a drop in popularity, according to a YouGov poll.
The news comes in the wake of the singer’s text messages with her former best friend, Blake Lively, coming to light amid Lively’s ongoing feud with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
The situation reportedly forced the pop star to change her phone number in an effort to “set boundaries” and “protect her peace.”
The Singer’s Popularity Ratings Have Fallen Below 50%
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For years, Taylor Swift dominated pop culture with near-universal adoration, but the tide may finally be turning.
According to YouGov (via NewsNation), her popularity rating stood at 46.7% as of January 5, the date the site released its latest poll. That marks a notable drop from 55.4% at this time last year and represents an overall decline of nearly nine percentage points.
Meanwhile, the share of people who view the pop star unfavorably has risen from 23.5% to 29.2% over the same period. Interestingly, this marks the highest level of disapproval the singer has recorded since October 2020, when the site began tracking her fame and popularity.
There is also a strong possibility that the figure could climb even higher in the next quarter when new data is released, as Swift is currently facing increased backlash following the emergence of her text messages with former close friend Blake Lively amid the actress’s ongoing trial with Justin Baldoni.
Taylor Swift Has Faced Backlash After Leaked Texts Emerged
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Some critics now say the leaked messages paint the singer as a “mean girl” figure and suggest she may have been complicit in an alleged plan by Lively to take Baldoni down.
“Looks like Taylor Swift and Blake Lively were just nasty mean girls conspiring to take Justin Baldoni’s movie from him,” one user said on X. “The text messages show that Taylor Swift straight up lied about her involvement.”
“This text exchange between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift, after Taylor met Justin Baldoni at Blake’s Penthouse, might be the most cringe and narcissistic thing I’ve ever read,” a second netizen commented.
“Texts between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift show them relentlessly making fun of Baldoni,” a third user said. “Mean girl brats, high off their own supply.”
“Reading these text messages from Taylor Swift in the Blake Lively and Baldoni lawsuit confirms what I’ve long suspected. Taylor Swift is another evil white woman, one more person wrote.
Taylor Swift Called Justin Baldoni’ A B-tch’ In One Of Her Text Messages To Blake Lively
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In one instance, Swift is seen texting Lively, saying, “I think this b‑tch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.”
The message was sent alongside a screenshot of a People Magazine article in which Baldoni recounted being traumatized by a former girlfriend.
In a separate text, Swift and Lively discuss the inclusion of the pop star’s song in the trailer for “It Ends With Us.”
“If Justin was strategic,/He would be like no Taylor Swift in the trailer,/Because that gives you more power over the film, that’s your ally, not his,” Swift wrote.
Lively responded, “You are so right. And so wickedly smart to call it. He should’ve run from your music. I never thought about that. But holy sh-t. How stupid. This was his only shot at having the appearance of an upper hand.”
Taylor Swift Reportedly Changed Her Phone Number To Set Boundaries
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Previously, it was reported that the emergence of her private messages had forced Swift to change her phone number.
“Taylor needed to set boundaries and protect her peace,” one insider told journalist Rob Shuter’s #ShuterScoop about the decision. “She’s very private and doesn’t take kindly to people overstepping.”
According to a different insider, the decision wasn’t “petty or dramatic” but was about Swift “reclaiming control over her life” amid her name being dragged into Lively’s legal feud with Baldoni.
For now, only her small circle of tight friends has access to the new number, as she “values her personal space, and when things get messy, she shuts it down fast.”
“This was a full reset,” another insider also added. “She’s in charge of who can reach her and when —, and that’s how she keeps her sanity in Hollywood.”
The Pop Star Felt ‘Exposed’ And ‘Violated’ Over The Release Of The Text Messages
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The unsealing of the private text messages between Swift and Lively has allegedly left her feeling displeased.
“It’s honestly been really hard for Taylor,” a source told Us Weekly. “Having her texts out there made her feel exposed and kind of violated, like, something private suddenly wasn’t hers anymore. That doesn’t sit well with her.”
The insider further claimed that Swift didn’t want any part in the on-set drama between Lively and Baldoni, and only wanted to support her friend.
“She wasn’t trying to get involved or make anything bigger; she was just supporting Blake as a friend, in what she thought was a private moment,” the source noted. “Now, it’s turned into this whole thing that she didn’t ask for.”