As if all that isn’t enough, Taylor Swift has now found herself at the center of an unrelated legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Our girl T-Swift was served a subpoena as an unwilling witness in the ugly spat, which has since grown into dueling lawsuits. The ongoing controversy thus lays bare an abyss between celebrity influence and legal accountability in Hollywood.
The flame war started when Justin Baldoni, known for his role in “Jane the Virgin,” sued fellow actor Blake Lively. Heretofore little-known, this surprise lawsuit has garnered lots of media attention. In his complaint, Baldoni alleges that Lively leveraged her relationships with high-profile individuals, including Swift, to exert undue influence over a film project involving him. This claim has gained plenty of media attention, partly because of Swift’s position as a longstanding pal of Lively’s.
On February 2, 2025 swift attended the Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Her ongoing legal battle was the talk of the event. A spokesperson for Swift denounced the incident. They explained further that she only had anything to do with the movie at all by licensing one song for its soundtrack.
“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, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.” – Spokesperson for Taylor Swift
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, wants you to know where he stands on that. He has hinted at wanting to depose Swift as part of the legal proceedings. He stated on TMZ’s “2 Angry Men” podcast that anyone who may provide evidence related to the case could be called to testify.
“Anyone that reasonably has information that can provide evidence in this case is gonna be deposed.” – Bryan Freedman
The legal drama escalated further when Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, was also named in Baldoni’s lawsuit. Reynolds filed to dismiss the complaint against him, which he filed in mid-March. In the interim, Lively has engaged attorney Michael Gottlieb to defend her in this action.
Lively and Baldoni have both filed lawsuits against the other, each claiming questionable conduct by the other party. Baldoni’s camp has accused Lively of shameful actions, while Lively’s spokesperson has condemned Baldoni’s tactics as an attempt to capitalize on a serious issue for entertainment purposes.
“Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids…to subpoena Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions the world over.” – Spokesperson for Blake Lively
In turn, Baldoni’s representatives have defended the director against these allegations with their own accusations. They argue that Lively’s approach is a desperate attempt to repair her public image following her remarks and actions surrounding the film campaign.
In a statement regarding Swift’s subpoena, her spokesperson said that this appears to be more of an effort to seize the public spotlight. They would rather the focus be on the real merits of the case.
“Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.” – Spokesperson for Taylor Swift
As this legal battle unfolds, both Lively and Baldoni are likely to continue their public statements and strategies as they seek resolution. With all of this as context, the addition of high-profile figures like Taylor Swift only complicates matters even further.
