Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively Used Taylor Swift As Leverage

The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has taken another dramatic turn, with Baldoni alleging that Lively leveraged her friendship with Taylor Swift to get her way behind the scenes of “It Ends with Us.”

In an effort to defend himself against Lively’s sexual harassment allegations, Baldoni recently launched a website containing his amended legal complaint and a timeline of key events related to the case.

The timeline included an explosive claim that Blake Lively made a “veiled threat” regarding Taylor Swift to pressure him into granting her additional control over the film’s editing process.

According to Baldoni’s new website, Lively threatened to withhold her approval of the “It Ends with Us” trailer unless she was granted extra time to work on a cut of the movie with her personal editor.

He further claimed that Lively implied she would “change her mind” about securing Swift’s hit song “My Tears Ricochet” for the trailer if her demands were not met.

The track, which was featured on Swift’s 2020 album “folklore,” ultimately was used in the trailer, but Baldoni alleges that Lively used her close friendship with the pop superstar as a bargaining chip.

To support his claims, Baldoni included an alleged text exchange with a Sony executive, which reportedly took place in May 2024. The message reads:

“Blake is calling Taylor to approve the song. She of course just reached out saying she is asking for time with [REDACTED] her editor. We know it was conditional on signing contract, but asking if you will reconsider so [REDACTED] can release this trailer and Blake does not change her mind re calling Taylor Swift.”

According to Baldoni, Lively’s demands were ultimately met to ensure the trailer could be released as planned.

The launch of Baldoni’s website and new legal documents comes just days after reports surfaced that Swift has taken a step back from her friendship with Lively.

As The Blast reported, the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has reportedly driven a wedge between Lively and her longtime friend, Swift. Sources close to the situation claim that Swift has “politely backed away” from Lively, after feeling unnecessarily dragged into the dispute surrounding “It Ends with Us.”

According to an insider who spoke to Daily Mail, Swift never planned to be involved in the feud between Lively and Baldoni. However, she reportedly walked into an active meeting at Lively’s New York penthouse, unaware that discussions were still ongoing.

“For the time being, she is taking a step back from Blake because she doesn’t want to get tangled in this more than she already has – which is far more than she ever needed to be,” the source explained.

One of the most controversial revelations from Baldoni’s website was a text allegedly sent by Lively, in which she referred to herself as Khaleesi, the iconic “Game of Thrones” character, and said, “Like her, I happen to have dragons,” seemingly referring to Swift and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

According to Swift’s friends, this message was “uncool and unnecessary” and made Swift feel used as an intimidation tactic. “She was referred to as some kind of pet or possession. Taylor shouldn’t even be involved in this at all. She was only going over to visit Blake and Ryan with the understanding that the meeting would be over,” the insider added.

Another source close to Swift confirmed that she has quietly distanced herself from the drama, stating, “Taylor has politely backed away from it all. She is conscious of her own image and hates that she was even mentioned.”

Swift’s sudden retreat from Lively’s inner circle raises questions about the impact this legal battle will have on their friendship. While neither has publicly addressed the situation, it’s clear that Lively’s feud with Baldoni has now affected more than just their working relationship.

As tensions between Baldoni and Lively continue to escalate, it remains to be seen whether Swift will reconcile with Lively or whether this marks a permanent shift in their friendship.