The latest round of legal drama between actress Blake Lively and her \u201cIt Ends with Us\u201d director Justin Baldoni offers incredible insight into the support network Lively relied on during and after the movie\u2019s production \u2014 including one of her good friends, Taylor Swift.<\/p>\n
According to unsealed documents filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Tuesday and obtained by CNN, Lively spoke openly with friends about the trouble she allegedly experienced on the set of the 2024 movie, which she costarred in alongside Baldoni.<\/p>\n
Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and coordinating a \u201cplan\u201d to \u201cdestroy\u201d her reputation, according to a suit filed against him and his production company, Wayfarer Studios.<\/p>\n
In one exchange with Swift, with whom she has had a longstanding friendship, Lively referred to Baldoni as her \u201cdoofus director,\u201d according to the new filing. A year later, the two women texted about Baldoni again, according to the new filing, this time ahead of a New York Times story that burst open the drama on set for all the public to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this bitch knows something is coming because he\u2019s gotten out his tiny violin,\u201d Swift texted Lively, along with a screenshot of an Instagram post from People Magazine, highlighting comments from Baldoni about being \u201csexually traumatized\u201d in his past, according to the legal documents. Swift likened the Lively\/Baldoni situation to \u201ca horror film no one knows is taking place,\u201d the documents show.<\/p>\n
CNN has reached out to Swift\u2019s representative for comment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe newly unsealed evidence shows the concerns of Ms. Lively and others were documented in real-time as early as Spring 2023, and Wayfarer understood them as \u2018sexual harassment\u2019 concerns,\u201d Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively\u2019s legal team, said in a statement to CNN. \u201cThe evidence also documents how Wayfarer refused to investigate, but instead attempted to \u2018bury\u2019 Ms. Lively and others who spoke up through retaliation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Asked to comment on McCawley\u2019s statement, Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni and Wayfarer, said \u201cthe evidence does not support the claims as a matter of law. A simple read of the newly released message exchanges make the truth abundantly clear. We remain confident in the legal process and clearing the names of all of the Justin Baldoni parties.\u201d<\/p>\n
After the New York Times published its article<\/a>, \u201c\u2019We Can Bury Anyone\u2019: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,\u201d Baldoni filed suit<\/a> against the newspaper, alleging that the story was \u201crife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions\u201d and relied on Lively\u2019s \u201cself-serving narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n The story included contents from a Civil Rights Department complaint, typically kept confidential, that Lively had filed against Baldoni in December 2024 accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation against her.<\/p>\n Lively then filed a suit against Baldoni. Baldoni followed with a $400 million suit against Lively and her superstar husband, Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and that they both \u201chijacked<\/a>\u201d his film and were attempting to \u201cdestroy\u201d his career.<\/p>\n A judge dismissed Baldoni\u2019s suits against Lively and Reynolds, as well as against the New York Times,<\/a> in June 2025.<\/p>\n Two months later, the New York Times filed suit against Wayfarer in an effort to recoup legal fees.<\/p>\n In December 2025, Lively\u2019s suit against Baldoni was postponed from a trial date of March 9 to May 18, 2026.<\/p>\n Swift\u2019s star power first entered the case in May 2025, when it was revealed that she had been subpoenaed <\/a>after text exchanges were revealed to include the name \u201cTaylor\u201d as part of Baldoni\u2019s suit.<\/p>\n Baldoni had sought to depose Swift, and requested more time to make that happen, but a judge ruled against it in September 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n Swift and Lively are known to have had a close friendship and reference is made in the newly unsealed legal documents to the song \u201cMy Tears Ricochet\u201d from Swift\u2019s \u201cFolklore\u201d album being used in the \u201cIt Ends with Us\u201d trailer.<\/p>\n Lively directed the music video for Swift\u2019s song \u201cI Bet You Think About Me (Taylor\u2019s Version) (From The Vault)\u201d and the actress and her husband Reynolds frequently socialized with the singer and her now fianc\u00e9, NFL player Travis Kelce, including attending his games playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.<\/p>\n