LOS ANGELES, CA – Pop superstar Taylor Swift has fiercely criticized the legal maneuver that has dragged her into the acrimonious court battle between actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni. Swift’s spokesperson, in a strongly worded statement released Friday, condemned the subpoena served to the singer as a blatant attempt to generate “tabloid clickbait” rather than a legitimate pursuit of evidence.
The legal feud between Lively and Baldoni, co-stars and director of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s “It Ends With Us,” has been escalating since Lively filed a lawsuit in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign by Baldoni. Baldoni has vehemently denied these accusations, filing a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation, extortion, and invasion of privacy.
Swift, a longtime friend of Lively and Reynolds, found herself embroiled in the controversy when Baldoni’s legal team issued a subpoena for her testimony. This move came after text messages included in Baldoni’s legal filings referenced Swift by her first name in discussions about script changes for “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni’s legal team has suggested that Lively leveraged her friendship with influential figures like Swift and Reynolds to exert pressure during the film’s production.
However, Swift’s representative unequivocally refuted any significant involvement in the movie beyond licensing her song “My Tears Ricochet” for the soundtrack. The statement emphasized that 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,” and that she didn’t even watch the film until weeks after its release due to her global “Eras Tour.”
The spokesperson for the Grammy-winning artist did not hold back in their criticism of the subpoena’s motives. “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,” the statement asserted.
Blake Lively’s camp echoed Swift’s sentiments, with a spokesperson for the actress denouncing what they described as a “circus-like approach” to a serious legal matter. They accused Baldoni and his legal team of attempting to “turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids” and of seeking to “publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations.”
The subpoena of Swift, a global icon and influential voice for millions, has undeniably amplified the public attention surrounding the already high-profile legal battle. However, Swift’s forceful response underscores her determination to distance herself from a dispute in which she claims minimal involvement, labeling the legal maneuver as a cynical attempt to exploit her fame for publicity.
As the legal proceedings between Lively and Baldoni continue towards a trial slated for March 2026, Swift’s sharp critique of the subpoena highlights the collateral damage that can occur when high-profile figures are drawn into legal battles, even tangentially. It remains to be seen whether Swift will ultimately be required to testify, but her strong statement has already added another layer of complexity and public scrutiny to this Hollywood legal drama.