It seems the drama surrounding It Ends With Us will never, well, end. The movie has been engulfed in controversy for months. And now, Taylor Swift is somehow in the middle of it.
On Friday, news broke that Taylor, 34, was subpoenaed in connection to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's ongoing legal battle. Though she's not part of the cast or production team, her friendship with Blake (and a string of name-drops), made her a supporting character in this very messy argument.
Here's a quick catch-up: In December 2024, Blake filed a complaint accusing Justin of sexual harassment and attempting to damage her career through a targeted smear campaign. The next day, The New York Times backed her up with a report alleging misconduct by Justin and his PR team. Justin was dropped by his agency almost immediately.
© GettySoon after, Blake sued Justin, his production company Wayfarer, and his PR team. Justin responded by suing The New York Times for $250 million and countersued Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million. Somewhere in the chaos, Taylor quietly unfollowed Justin on Instagram.
But, just how many times was Taylor mentioned in the It Ends With Us promo tour? Don't worry, we counted.
The "Khaleesi" and "her dragons" text
© GC ImagesIn court filings, Justin's team alleged that Blake referred to herself as "Khaleesi" in a text and described Taylor and Ryan as her "dragons."“I’m Khaleesi,” she allegedly texted Justin. "And like her, I happen to have a few dragons…those gorgeous monsters of mine."
Not exactly the Game of Thrones spin-off we expected.
The alleged creative meeting
© Getty ImagesJustin claimed that Taylor and Ryan were both present at a creative meeting for the film, writing in an email to Blake:
"I really love what you did. It really does help a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor)."
But, Taylor's team quickly shut that down. In a statement to PEOPLE, they clarified that she "never set foot on the set of this movie," had no creative input, and didn't see the final cut until it was publicly released
The casting tape claim
© Getty ImagesIn an interview with Access Hollywood, Justin claimed Taylor helped sign off on actress Isabela Ferrer's audition tape to play young Lily Bloom.
"I had actually brought in and showed her casting tape to Blake and Taylor," Justin responded. "And they were both like, 'Yes, her,' that's a true story."
This directly contradicts Taylor's rep's statement.
© Todd RosenbergBlake's interviews
Even if Taylor wasn't involved behind the scenes, Blake describes her as an emotional co-pilot. In an interview with CBS Mornings' Gayle King, she said: "She was with me throughout the whole process…for better or worse, she experienced the whole thing with me."
She also allegedly told Justin: "She's a person who shows up for you…I'm so grateful to have that love and support." To learn more about Taylor and Blake's friendship, watch the video below.
So, just to recap: Taylor was name dropped in It Ends With Us interviews, court filings, casting conversations, and now, a subpoena. She's not in the movie, but she's definitely in the drama.
