Blake Lively is seething over the fact that Justin Baldoni‘s legal team has subpoenaed Taylor Swift in their ongoing legal drama.
The legal team also mentioned that Lively could give her dissertation at Madison Square Garden and sell tickets, something Lively rightly considered offensive and misogynistic.
A rep for Lively, 37, issued a statement directed at Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios partner Steve Sarowitz saying their team continues ‘to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids,’ per People.
They also slammed them for ‘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 statement continued.
The Shake it Off singer is close friends with Lively and was not involved in the making of It Ends With Us beyond licensing her hit song My Tears Ricochet to be used in the film, Swift’s rep said.
Blake Lively is seething over the fact that Justin Baldoni ‘s legal team has subpoenaed Taylor Swift in their ongoing legal drama. Seen here April 27, 2025
The legal team also mentioned that Lively could give her dissertation at Madison Square Garden and sell tickets, something Lively rightly considered offensive and misogynistic. Seen here May 19, 2024
Swift’s rep continued: ‘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.’
Swift’s rep also said their pop superstar client was being used ‘to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.’
‘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 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.’
This comes a day after Blake’s attorney, Mike Gottlieb, opened up about who is set to take the stand in his client’s upcoming trial involving her It Ends with Us costar Justin.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman also made a bold and mean-spirited suggestion.
‘Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let’s make it count. Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organizations helping victims of domestic abuse.’
A rep for Lively, 37, issued a statement directed at Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios partner Steve Sarowitz saying their team continues ‘to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids.’ Seen here April 27, 2025
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman hit back at Gottlieb’s remarks and accused him of trying to deflect from the case; Baldoni seen in 2024
The 35-year-old Eras Tour star was sent legal notice by 41-year-old Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman as a witness on Friday; Baldoni and Lively are seen in 2024 film This Is Us which sparked this legal war
In December, Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against, before officially filing a federal lawsuit just weeks later (seen in the 2024 It Ends With Us film)
On Thursday, the actress’s attorney confirmed that his client, 37, is prepared to speak under oath in court.
In response to whether Lively will testify, Gottlieb confirmed she would, as expected, ‘be a witness at her trial.’
‘The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here [with Lively],’ he told People. ‘Of course she’s going to testify.’
Amid speculation that some of Lively’s closest friends, like Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman, may be subpoenaed, Gottlieb said ‘it’s completely unclear what claims or defenses in the case any of these celebrities… have any relevance to at all.’
‘This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set. It’s not a case about how songs were chosen for the movie. It’s not a case about fictional Marvel characters in Deadpool movies,’ he explained.
Gottlieb went on to point out: ‘You have to ask the question, then, why are these people being subpoenaed? Do they have any actual relevance to the case at hand?
‘You can’t just go around subpoenaing people because they’re famous and you think it will generate a bunch of headlines. And the federal courts don’t tolerate that kind of behavior.’
At this time, he explained it is uncertain if Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, will testify as he is currently named as a defendant in Baldoni’s countersuit.
They also slammed them for ‘subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world. Swift seen here on February 2, 2025
‘This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus,’ the statement continued. Seen here May 1, 2025
The Shake it Off singer, is close friends with Lively and was not involved in the making of It Ends With Us beyond licensing her hit song My Tears Ricochet to be used in the film, Swift’s rep said. Baldoni seen here September 23, 2023
‘Although obviously uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction,’ Freedman told People in a statement. ‘The truth has been clearly shown through unedited receipts, documents and real life footage. More to come.’
Freedman continued: ‘Blake was the one who brought her high-profile friends into this situation without concern for their own personal or public backlash. As the truth shows, she used her dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn.’
Freedman’s final remark was a nod to Lively’s alleged text messages to Baldoni, in which she referred to Swift and Reynolds ‘dragons.’
In the alleged texts, she compared herself to Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and explained ‘for better or worse’ her ‘dragons’ protect what she fights for.
In regards to Reynolds’ alleged misconduct, Freedman claimed: ‘Ryan’s involvement is very well documented and we continue to discover more intentional misconduct. Was Disney actually complicit in Ryan using shareholder revenues to further a personal grudge? I would be surprised to learn that this type of corporate waste would not lead to much more exposure for those that have been complicit in affecting shareholder revenue.’
In December, Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against, before officially filing a federal lawsuit just weeks later.
That same month, Lively sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alumna accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways — including body shaming her — and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture.
On Thursday, the actress’s attorney confirmed that his client, 37, is prepared to speak under oath in court. Seen here May 1, 2025
In response to whether Lively will testify, Gottlieb confirmed she would, as expected, ‘be a witness at her trial.’ Seen here April 20, 2017
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
‘I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted,’ Lively told The New York Times the day after she filed the complaint.
Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled ‘”We Can Bury Anyone”: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.’ The newspaper has denied the allegations.
Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ against him.
Since Lively’s complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist; and being dropped by the agency WME, which also reps Lively and Reynolds.
WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to release Baldoni from their client roster, according to Variety.
Lawyers for both parties were in accordance with a plan to compound both federal cases filed into one moving forward.
