Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been drawn into the escalating legal battle between actress Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni over the film It Ends with Us, though her representatives insist her connection to the project is minimal and the subpoena is a publicity ploy.
A spokesperson for Swift, 35, confirmed this week that the singer has received a subpoena to testify in the case, but emphasized that she played no creative role in the film and was only involved through the licensing of her 2020 track “My Tears Ricochet.”
“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,” the representative told People. “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.”
The representative further dismissed the subpoena as “tabloid clickbait,” suggesting it is being used to attract media attention rather than serve a legitimate legal purpose. “The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’ 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 continued.
The case stems from a bitter legal dispute between Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 41, who co-starred and collaborated on the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. Lively filed a lawsuit in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, unprofessional conduct on set, and launching a retaliatory smear campaign after she challenged elements of the production.
PHOTO: Christopher Peterson / SplashNews.com
Baldoni, best known for his role in Jane the Virgin, has denied the allegations and filed a countersuit in January 2025, alleging defamation, extortion, and interference with business relationships. His legal filings claim Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, and members of their publicity team, including Swift, attempted to influence the film’s creative direction.
One key allegation in Baldoni’s complaint centers on a meeting allegedly held at Lively and Reynolds’ penthouse apartment. According to Baldoni, Swift attended the meeting and praised a script rewrite proposed by Lively. Baldoni alleges the praise was a veiled effort to pressure him into accepting the revised screenplay.
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“Baldoni understood the subtext: he needed to comply with Lively’s direction,” the lawsuit states.
The director also cited a text message exchange with Lively following the meeting, in which he complimented her script changes, saying they were “so much more fun and interesting,” and claimed he “would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor.” Lively allegedly responded by calling herself “Khaleesi,” a reference to the Game of Thrones character, and referred to Swift and Reynolds as her “dragons” and later her “Dance Moms level stage moms.”
A source close to the situation told People that other celebrities connected to the group—including actor Hugh Jackman, 56—may also be subpoenaed. “Anyone that had any knowledge of this situation will be subpoenaed, no matter of their celebrity status,” the source said.
However, another insider disputed those claims, stating that neither Swift nor Jackman are “privy to anything going on,” and labeling the potential subpoenas as a distraction from the core allegations against Baldoni.
Despite the tension behind the scenes, Swift, Reynolds, Lively, and Jackman have all been seen together socially in recent months. The group was photographed attending NFL games in support of Swift’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift is also the godmother to Lively and Reynolds’ four children: James, 10, Inez, 8, Betty, 5, and Olin, 2.
As the legal proceedings continue, both parties remain entrenched in their positions. Lively’s attorneys confirmed that the actress will testify in the upcoming trial. Baldoni’s team, meanwhile, has pointed to scenes in the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine film that they allege mock the director’s persona, referencing a character named “Nicepool” and dialogue about intimacy coordinators—an apparent jab tied to the ongoing dispute.
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The trial, officially titled Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al., is scheduled to begin in March 2026 and will encompass both Lively’s original lawsuit and Baldoni’s countersuit.
Attorneys for both Lively and Baldoni have yet to issue formal comments regarding the subpoenas or the broader developments in the case.
