Why Taylor Swift stayed silent during furious backlash against best friend Blake Lively amid It Ends with Us drama

Taylor Swift has decided not to publicly defend her best friend Blake Lively over the ongoing It Ends With Us drama. She wants to avoid “bad publicity,” a source said.

Rumors of a feud between Blake, 37, and her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, 40, have dominated the news in recent weeks, prompting a furious response from both stars.

Blake, in turn, was criticized for being “unaware” of the way she answered a press question about the film’s serious themes, and was also called a “bully” by a reporter for a “rude” comment she made in a later interview.

Amid all the criticism, the actress’s 34-year-old close friend Taylor, who weeks earlier had openly expressed her support for Blake’s husband Ryan Reynold’s new Deadpool film, has remained suspiciously silent.

Now, an insider has revealed the real reason why the Cruel Summer singer chose not to defend her close friend. According to her, the pop star didn’t want to get involved because she was afraid it would negatively impact her own image.

They claimed she was “happy to help promote Ryan’s film” but wanted nothing to do with the “wave of bad press” surrounding It Ends With Us.

“Taylor didn’t want to get involved,” they said.

“She has stayed away from drama, including anything political, and she knew that this would not end well if she defended herself.”

But the source added that Blake “completely understood” Taylor’s perspective and knows the singer “will always be there for her” as a “best friend and mentor.”

“Blake understood this and knew she had to work through this on her own. Taylor will always be there for Blake in her role as best friend and mentor,” they continued.

“She was there to help produce It Ends With Us and felt honored to be on the soundtrack.”

While Taylor hasn’t spoken out publicly about the drama, she did subtly show her support for Blake by throwing a huge birthday party for the mother of four at her Rhode Island home last week.

The two women, along with a host of other stars, were photographed partying on the balcony of the hitmaker’s stunning beachside mansion on Sunday.

And according to the insider, the party was “just what Blake needed” to weather the flood of criticism.

“When Taylor opened up her Rhode Island home for her birthday, it was exactly what Blake needed,” commenters wrote.

“She was able to talk to people and get their opinions on how to deal with this. She also got great advice from her friends.”

They said Taylor had given Blake “honest” advice on how to handle the situation.

And they believe the actress will handle the drama the same way Taylor deals with negative headlines: by staying quiet.

“Blake knows the best way to get through this is to do nothing for now and let it blow over. People will forget,” they concluded.

A source told DailyMail.com that Blake was ‘relying’ on Taylor behind the scenes to survive the media storm.

“Blake has relied on Taylor to help her through this storm, just as she relied on her during the filming of It Ends with Us,” they said. “Taylor knows how to handle backlash better than anyone.”

They also alleged that the actress deliberately brought up her friendship with Taylor in “interviews and other promotional work” in the hopes that it would “help her get out of this dire situation.”

Based on the novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us follows Lily Bloom, played by Blake, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin.

Blake previously drew criticism after she sarcastically responded to a reporter’s question about how people who could identify with her character’s experiences should approach her and talk to her about it if they saw her in real life.

She laughed and said: Ask for my address or my phone number. Or I can just share my location.’

The star was also targeted online after she gave an interview with her It Ends With Us co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, and with Colleen, in which she did not discuss the topic of domestic violence.

The four women giggled as they chatted about everything from their dream jobs to their star signs.

They were then heavily criticized by social media users. Blake, who hosted the interview, in particular had a hard time filling out the light-hearted questionnaire, given the serious nature of the film.

Amid the controversy, a journalist reposted an “awkward” interview she had with Blake in 2016, further fueling the anger.

During the conversation, the actress made a sarcastic remark about Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa’s ‘belly’ after she had congratulated the then pregnant Blake on her upcoming delivery. However, the journalist did not expect this.

After the moment went viral, Kjersti, 51, exclusively told DailyMail.com that Blake’s reaction was extra hurtful because she can’t get pregnant.

Another insider told DailyMail.com last week that the massive backlash has left Blake “scared” for her future in the film industry.

They said she believed this would be “her moment to shine” but now worries it could mean “the end of her career.”

“Blake is definitely saddened by the hate she feels and tries not to let it affect her, but it does,” they said.

‘She thought this was her moment to shine, but now she sees it as the end of her career. She fears no one will want to work with her after this.

“She’s very keen to continue producing, directing and acting, but she knows she needs to take a step back to reassess the future.”