Blake Lively blatantly contradicts Taylor Swift’s claim about It Ends With Us involvement amid subpoena drama

Resurfaced interviews of Blake Lively and the It Ends with Us cast claiming Taylor Swift was allegedly involved with the project have emerged on social media.

Just days after the pop star denied assisting with any casting or creative decisions, beyond licensing a song, past footage of Lively, Justin Baldoni and Isabela Ferrer insisting Swift contributed to the production process began spreading like wildfire. 

This includes a clip of Lively, 37, repeatedly claiming that the 14-time Grammy Award winner was with her ‘the whole time’ while making the movie.

During a Q&A session at a New York screening of their controversial drama, which explores a romantic relationship marred by domestic violence, last year, the Gossip Girl star praised her longtime pal multiple times. 

‘I mean, honestly, she was with me on this experience the whole time, all throughout it, so she really lived this with me,’ the mother-of-four claimed. ‘She’s a person who shows up for you, and I’m so grateful to have that love and support.’

Lively continued to reiterate the claim to Gayle King on CBS Mornings in August while appearing on CBS Mornings.

Resurfaced footage of Blake Lively and members of the It Ends with Us cast claiming Taylor Swift was allegedly involved with the project have emerged on social media

When King, 70, asked if Lively approached Swift to use her track, My Tears Ricochet, or if her pal offered, Lively replied: ‘She was with me throughout this whole process.’

‘I think, for better or worse, she experienced the whole thing with me,’ the actress said. ‘It was actually Sony that put it in the trailer and we worked really closely on the trailer and went back and forth, and back and forth, and we were so proud of the trailer before we released it and we hoped people liked it.’ 

Lively, who has been friends with Swift since 2015, went on to explain that the film had a relatively small budget, so nobody expected to be able to ‘put one of her songs in the movie.’

But once they did, Lively said it delivered a moment of emotional gravitas that was previously missing. 

Ferrer, who portrayed the younger version of Lively’s character, Lily Bloom, also  contradicted Swift’s rep’s comment that she was not involved in casting.

In August 2024, Ferrer alleged that Swift was involved in her being cast during an interview with Extra. 

‘I don’t even know if I’m meant to be saying it, but yeah, she was a helpful part of the process, of the audition,’ the actress stated. ‘I found out later, after I got it, and that rocks my world. I have no words.’

Baldoni, 41, confirmed Ferrer’s claim during an interview with Access Hollywood after a reporter told him Ferrer told her that ‘Taylor Swift helped her get the role signed off on her audition tape.’ 

‘I was casting, and I had actually brought in and showed her casting tape to Blake and Taylor, and they were both like: “Yes, her,” that’s a true story,’ he added.

Just days after the pop star denied assisting with any casting or creative decisions, beyond licensing a song, past interviews of Lively, Justin Baldoni and Isabela Ferrer insisting Swift contributed to the production process began spreading like wildfire

This includes a clip of Lively, 37, repeatedly claiming that the 14-time Grammy Award winner was with her ‘the whole time’ while making the movie; Lively pictured with Baldoni

Lively even included Taylor Swift and her brother Austin Swift’s names during a section of thank-you’s shown in the end credits.

Despite Lively and the It Ends with Us name-dropping Taylor on multiple occasions, she never took to social media to promote the film.

Around the same time, however, she did use her platform to encourage her fans to watch Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, as well as her friend Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice.

That same month, she also urged her followers to check out Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Short n’ Sweet, as well as Post Malone’s record, F-1 Trillion. 

On Friday, Swift was officially subpoenaed as a witness in Lively and Baldoni’s legal war. 

She was sent legal notice by Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman as a witness. 

In response, Swift’s rep told DailyMail.com: ‘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, 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.’ 

Her rep also noted that the only involvement Swift had in the film was the use of her track, My Tears Ricochet, which was off of her 2020 album Folklore.

The statement concluded: ‘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.’

Meanwhile, Lively’s rep told People: ‘Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids… Going as far as suggesting that they sell tickets to a concert venue – Madison Square Garden – to witness Ms. Lively’s deposition, to subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world.’ 

‘This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus.’ 

The rep also added that, ‘The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down for all, a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it “unconstitutional.”

‘The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as “female allies” and their team continue to show their true colors.’

‘I mean, honestly, she was with me on this experience the whole time, all throughout it, so she really lived this with me,’ the mother-of-four claimed. ‘She’s a person who shows up for you, and I’m so grateful to have that love and support’

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Swift was taking a step back from her friendship with Lively after feeling like she was used as an ‘intimidation tactic’ by the actress in a lawsuit she never wanted to be embroiled in. 

The singer was dragged into the explosive legal feud between Lively and Baldoni when he claimed his costar used Swift to intimidate him at a meeting with Reynolds about edits she had made to a rooftop scene in their film, It Ends with Us. 

In his $400 million lawsuit, filed in January, Baldoni said Swift showed up and made him feel like he ‘needed to comply with Blake’s direction for the script’. 

Lively later appeared to threaten Baldoni by comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi in a series of text messages in which she referred to Reynolds, 48, and her best friend as her ‘dragons’.

The ‘uncool and unnecessary’ description was reportedly the final straw for Swift who had never planned to be at the meeting, but arrived at Lively’s New York penthouse to find it was still ongoing.

‘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,’ an insider told DailyMail.com.

Swift is the godmother to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively’s three eldest children: James, Inez, and Betty

‘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.

‘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.’

Khaleesi, also known as Daenerys Targaryen and Mother of Dragons, is one of the main characters in Game of Thrones, which aired between 2011 to 2019.

She was portrayed as a villain after descending into madness and turning to vengeance due to trauma and loss.

A second source said: ‘Taylor has politely backed away from it all. She is conscious of her own image and hates that she was even mentioned.’

According to Baldoni’s lawsuit, Lively threatened to withhold approval of the film trailer if she did not get extra time working on a cut of the movie with her own personal editor.

Lively has been close friends with Swift since 2015; pictured in 2024 at the Super Bowl LVIII

He claimed in the suit that the actress threatened to ‘change her mind’ about reaching out to Swift to secure the use of her hit 2020 track My Tears Ricochet.

The track, which is from Taylor’s folklore album, was eventually used in the trailer but Baldoni alleged that Lively tried to use her friendship with the singer to make sure her demands were met.

An alleged text exchange with a Sony executive read: ‘Blake is calling Taylor to approve the song. She of course just reached out saying she is asking for time with [REDACTED] her editor. We know it was conditional on signing contract – but asking if you will reconsider – so [REDACTED] can release this trailer and Blake does not change her me re calling Taylor Swift.’

Baldoni noted that they agreed to her demands in order to move forward as planned. The exchange allegedly took place in May 2024.

Lively and Swift were last seen together in Rhode Island in August 2024. Before that, they pictured in October on a double date with Reynolds and Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, in Manhattan.

Baldoni claimed Lively threatened to ‘change her mind’ about reaching out to Swift to secure the use of her hit 2020 track My Tears Ricochet

The outing came two months before she filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in which she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a toxic environment on the set of It Ends with Us.

At the same time, the New York Times released a story based on her legal filing that accused him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her.

Swift, whose song My Tears Ricochet was featured in the soundtrack, was then pulled into the roller coaster saga when Baldoni fired back with a stinging $400 million counter suit against Lively and Reynolds in which he accused the Hollywood couple of conspiring to trash his reputation.

Baldoni, who is also suing the Times for defamation, claimed Lively hijacked the filming of the movie as he attempted to blow her allegations to smithereens.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Swift was taking a step back from her friendship with Lively after feeling like she was used as an ‘intimidation tactic’ by the actress in a lawsuit she never wanted to be embroiled in; Lively pictured in the 2024 film It Ends With Us

In her filing, the actress claimed a meeting was held at her home in January 2024 to address ‘a hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production’ and that both parties ‘discussed in detail the inappropriate conduct’ that Lively and other cast and crew experienced at the hands of Baldoni.

But in his suit, Baldoni claimed he was invited over with a Sony executive to discuss her rewrite of a rooftop scene when Reynolds ‘launched into enthusiastic praise for [Lively’s version]’. They were also joined by her ‘mega-celebrity friend to pressure him’.

While Baldoni did not name the famous pal he was referring to, he included screenshots of a later conversation with Lively, and one message showed him mentioning someone named ‘Taylor.’

It is during this exchange that Baldoni claims the actress joked that if he ever got ‘around to watching Game of Thrones’ that he would ‘appreciate that’ she is Khaleesi.

‘And like her, I happen to have a few dragons,’ she allegedly wrote. ‘For better or worse, but usually for better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. you will too, I can promise you.’

He also claims Reynolds ‘aggressively’ accused him of making offensive comments as well as ‘fat shaming’ her.

It Ends with Us was a box-office hit, earning $351 million worldwide despite a $25 million budget.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk