Taylor Swift ‘feels terrible’ that her close friend Blake Lively has had to deal with the explosive allegations the actress has now publicly made against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, sources have revealed.
The 37-year-old actress starred opposite the 40-year-old actor in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name.
This weekend, the Gossip Girl star made headlines around the world when she claimed in legal paperwork that Baldoni sexually harassed her during the making of the film, then launched a smear campaign against her.
As the world reacted to Lively’s shocking claims in the 80-page lawsuit, insiders have revealed to DailyMail.com that the star’s close friend Swift ‘encouraged’ her to get to the bottom of the situation.
“Taylor is shocked by the revelations surrounding Blake Lively’s firing and is encouraging Blake to get to the bottom of it,” the source explains.
The insider confirmed that the singer has been left saddened by the situation her friend has found herself in, adding, “She supports Blake and feels terrible that she had to go through all of this.”
Taylor Swift ‘feels terrible’ that her close friend Blake Lively has had to deal with the explosive allegations against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, sources say
The Gossip Girl star made headlines around the world when she claimed in legal paperwork that Baldoni sexually harassed her during the making of the film.
For nearly a decade, Lively and Swift have had a close friendship, which led to the singer being named meters from the Savages star’s children.
The Bad Blood hitmaker even included the names of Lively and Reynolds’ three eldest children in her song, Betty, from her 2020 album Folklore.
While accepting her third Album of the Year win in 2021, she gave Lively’s children a shoutout during her speech.
“I want to thank James, Inez and Betty and their parents, who are the second and third people I play on every new song I write,” she said.
Over the past two years, Lively has taken her girls to multiple Eras Tour shows to see Swift perform live.
In 2022, Swift enlisted Lively to direct her music video for her song I Bet You Think About Me.
The pair are regularly spotted having fun girls’ nights out, showing support for each other at major career events, and Lively has even been spotted cheering on Swift’s husband Travis Kelce at Kansas City Chiefs games.
It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman who faces the trauma of domestic violence inflicted by her husband, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
Insiders have revealed to DailyMail.com that the star’s close friend Swift ‘encouraged’ her to get to the bottom of the situation
The source explained: “Taylor is shocked by the revelations surrounding Blake Lively’s firing and is encouraging Blake to get to the bottom of it.”
The book is inspired by Hoover’s experience with domestic violence.
The film was embroiled in controversy even before the lawsuit after fans noticed tension between Lively and Baldoni when they promoted the film before its release.
Discussing the filming process, Lively alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit videos and photos of other women, openly discussed his struggles with pornography and made inappropriate comments about her appearance.
She also included allegations that Baldoni had made inappropriate comments about her weight, her late father and other members of the cast and crew.
Other details are even more behavioral, with court documents claiming Baldoni engaged in “improvised physical intimacy” during a scene without prior discussion or choreography.
One incident reportedly involved Baldoni “discreetly biting and sucking Ms. Lively’s lower lip” during multiple takes, during which he reportedly insisted on reshooting the scene repeatedly despite Lively’s obvious discomfort.
The lawsuit alleges that Baldoni asked sexual questions, including asking Lively if she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, had experienced simultaneous climaxes — a question she found intrusive and refused to answer.
Another complaint described Baldoni as having “cried” over Blake’s performance early in the production.
The insider added, “She supports Blake and feels terrible that she had to go through all of this.”
Lively and Swift have had a close friendship for almost a decade, which has led to the singer becoming godmother to the Savages star’s children.
In papers obtained by The New York TimesLively also accused the former Jane The Virgin star of entering her trailer while naked and letting his “friends” watch sex scenes in her movie, along with other activities that created a “hostile work environment.”
Lively has claimed that Baldoni hired a PR crisis team to engage in a ‘layered’ plan to ‘destroy’ her reputation after she and Reynolds48, complained about the “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” on set.
The bombshell lawsuit alleges that Baldoni’s smear campaign also affected her business and caused her family “severe emotional distress.”
Elsewhere, the actress outlined missed work opportunities, such as hosting the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live in September, which took place the month after the feature film’s release.
“The impact on Ms. Lively’s professional life was immediate and substantial,” the complaint says via Just Jared.
“Given the ongoing nature of the campaign and the associated negative public sentiment, Ms. Lively did not believe she could continue to make public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what was happening on set,” the filing said.
It added, “For example, Ms. Lively canceled a crucial Target corporate event for her hair care company and withdrew from her planned role as host of the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary season in September 2024.”
The hosting job instead went to Hacks actress Jean Smart.
Lively alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit videos and photos of other women, openly discussed his pornographic struggles and made inappropriate comments about her appearance
Since the lawsuit was filed, WME, a California-based talent agency that represented both actors, has dropped Baldoni as a client.
The decision was made by WME bosses early on Saturday morning, with the organization choosing to stand by the mother-of-four during the ongoing feud.
Hoover, 45, who wrote the novel, immediately shared her support for Lively — despite having worked closely with both stars on the film.
The author wrote on the same day Lively’s complaints surfaced: “Blake, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.
‘Thank you for being exactly the person you are. Never change. Never wither.”
Lively rose to fame in the hit coming-of-age film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, alongside Barbie star America Ferrera, Gilmore Girls actress Alexis Bladel and Amber Tambyln.
Her three co-stars, who have known Lively since she was 18 years old, have since released a joint statement.
They called out Baldoni’s “hypocrisy” as they wrote: “As friends and sisters of Blake for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation.”
It Ends With Us tells the story of Lily Bloom (Lively), a woman who faces the trauma of domestic violence inflicted by her husband, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
The film arrived in theaters on August 9 and was preceded by an exciting press tour in which Lively and Baldoni noticeably avoided each other.
‘During the filming of ‘It Ends with Us’ we saw her muster the courage to demand a safe workplace for herself and her colleagues on set, and we are shocked to read the evidence of a premeditated and vengeful attempt that followed to discredit her. voice.
“Most disturbing is the unabashed exploitation of the stories of domestic violence survivors to silence a woman who asked for safety. The hypocrisy is astonishing.
“We are struck by the reality that even when a woman is as strong, celebrated and equipped as our friend Blake, she can face strong retaliation for daring to ask for a safe work environment,” the statement continued. “We are inspired by our sister’s courage to stand up for herself and others.”
The actress received even more support when it emerged that she had made thirty demands to Baldoni and others on set.
After suing Baldoni, Lively said, “I hope my legal action will help pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about wrongdoing, and help protect others who may be targeted.”