Pop icon Taylor Swift and actress Blake Lively’s bond needs no introduction or description. The ‘Shake It Off’ hitmaker is a close friend of Lively and Ryan Reynolds and often mentions the couple’s kids in her song. Swift and Lively are often spotted together and the two often stand by each other. However, reportedly, their friendship is showcasing a tinge of sourness amid Justin Baldoni’s legal feud with Lively Reynolds. Notably, in his countersuit against Lively, Baldoni alleged that the actress tried to leverage her friendship with Swift to pressurise him into doing things her way.

Justin Baldoni’s countersuit drags Taylor Swift into the messy feud

For the unversed, Blake Lively sued her ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment. She also said that after calling out Baldoni’s behaviour, he retaliated by orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Following this, Baldoni sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million. Moreover, in his suit, he also dragged Taylor Swift.

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As per reports, Baldoni described Lively’s involvement in rewriting key movie scenes. The actor claims pressure from Reynolds and Taylor Swift. During pre-production, Lively reportedly requested to rewrite the pivotal ‘rooftop scene.’ While Baldoni was initially hesitant, he agreed to look at her revisions.

Reportedly, after Baldoni expressed mild resistance, Lively went silent for days before responding via text. She said “didn’t feel great” to her, Reynolds, and Taylor Swift—a close friend of the couple. The suit also alleges that Lively and Reynolds invited Baldoni to their penthouse where their close friend, Taylor Swift was also present. His suit alleges that the trio subtly pressured him to accept Lively’s re-write. Subsequently, he gave in. Notably, one of Swift’s tracks also features in the film.

Moreover, as per a leaked text, Lively compared herself to the ‘Game of Thrones’ character Khaleesi and referred to Reynolds and Swift as her dragons.

For complete details, read: Justin Baldoni sues Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $400M; drags Taylor Swift into the case

Swift distances herself from Lively amid the suit

A source close to the issue revealed Swift’s stance to the Daily Mail. “For the time being, she is taking a step back from Blake because she doesn’t want to get tangled in this more than she already has – which is far more than she ever needed to be.” The source added, “Her friends also think that Blake’s ‘I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have dragons’ text to Justin was uncool and unnecessary because she was essentially used as an intimidation tactic. She was referred to as some kind of pet or possession.”

Continuing, the source also addressed the meeting between Baldoni, Lively, Reynolds, and Swift. “Taylor shouldn’t even be involved in this at all. She was only going over to visit Blake and Ryan with the understanding that the meeting would be over.” Meanwhile, another source also talked about the issue to the publication. “Taylor has politely backed away from it all. She is conscious of her own image and hates that she was even mentioned.”

Contrary to the above, an insider stated that the matter is being exaggerated. The insider reassured, “Taylor and Blake are still friends and any claims about distance due to Baldoni’s lawsuit are exaggerated; their bond continues to endure. Taylor has always been there for Blake, including when the latter faced public scrutiny over the film’s marketing.”

For details on Lively’s accusations, Read: Blake Lively sues ‘It Ends with Us’ co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment