Taylor Swift 'Feels Like a Pawn' in Blake Lively's Feud with Justin Baldoni; Source Says She Needs a 'Break' From Friendship

Taylor Swift is keeping her distance from Blake Lively as tensions grow between the longtime friends, with sources saying the singer needs space after feeling caught in a difficult situation.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Feb 19, 2025 | 06:26 PM IST | 32.9K

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively (via Getty Images)

Taylor Swift is taking a break from her close friendship with Blake Lively after being pulled into the ongoing legal dispute involving Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

A source told Page Six that Swift “needs space” and “is taking a break from their friendship right now.” The insider added, “Taylor is really hurt by this whole situation and feels like a pawn.”

The Grammy-winning singer is reportedly keeping her distance from Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. The source said, “Taylor wants nothing to do with this whole ordeal. She has always been a loyal friend to Blake and doesn’t appreciate being thrown into this at all.”

The situation escalated when Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively last month, which included texts referring to a meeting at Lively’s New York penthouse. In the texts, Baldoni claimed that “two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world” pressured him to accept changes to a rooftop scene in It Ends With Us.

Many believe the celebrities mentioned were Swift and Reynolds. After the meeting, Baldoni sent Lively a message saying, “I really love what you did. It really does help a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor.)”

Swift was said to have felt used by the situation, with a source stating that she was unhappy about being described as one of Lively’s “dragons” in the alleged texts.

Swift and Lively have been friends since 2015. Their friendship began when Lively posted a photo from a L’Oréal campaign that referenced Swift’s Bad Blood music video. Swift noticed the post, and the two became close.

Over the years, they have often been seen together, and Swift has mentioned Lively and Reynolds in her music. The couple’s children’s names were even included in some of Swift’s songs. Despite their close history, the recent legal issues have put a strain on their relationship.