For months, whispers of a rift between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have simmered online, fuelled by silence, legal drama and a noticeable lack of public interaction.
Now, insiders claim a single, private gesture has cut through the noise.
According to reports, Lively sent Swift a discreet birthday message on 13 December, marking the pop star's 36th birthday and quietly debunking claims of 'bad blood' even as sources suggest their friendship is no longer what it once was.
Blake Lively's Private Birthday Message to Taylor Swift
According to Rob Shuter, as cited by Mandatory, Lively's message was 'short and hopeful'. With Swift's name being tied to the lawsuit, her lawyers likely advised her not to engage with Lively publicly. However, Shuter said she did not 'expect anything back', but would still like to say something to Swift on her special day.
It is suggested that Swift didn't reply, and it was also noted that her email and phone number are still the same since the rumoured fallout. With Lively still having Swift's personal contacts, the Opalitesinger is not closing the door on their friendship.
The insider shared that the message was 'very personal, not for show' and it shows Lively's will to acknowledge the day 'without any pressure'. The message's content was reportedly 'thoughtful' and 'sincere'.
The Last Time Lively and Swift Publicly Interacted
Swift and Lively have been friends since 2015. Media publications even dubbed Lively as the only 'Hollywood friend Swift can trust'. As her daughters' godmother, Lively's children were featured in a T-Swift song called 'Gorgeous'.
Lively has been in all of Swift's birthdays; she last attended in 2023, with Gigi Hadid, Miles Teller, and other inner circles the two share.
The last time the former best pals were seen publicly was in October 2024. Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, joined Swift and now-fiancée Travis Kelce in a double date. The four of them dined at The Corner Store, a celebrity hotspot in Soho, NYC.
Before that, the Reynolds even cheered on Kelce in the Super Bowl that February.
Swift is Distancing Herself from Legal Drama
But amid the It Ends With Us legal drama, insiders said Swift is 'uncomfortable' about being mentioned in the lawsuit, as it has become a full-blown case Baldoni's team is actively fighting.
Smear campaigns were allegedly being orchestrated to defame Lively, as evidenced by messages from Baldoni's publicist. With the hate Swift is getting every day, another smear campaign could bring her family, friends, and fans harm.
However, it's worth noting that Baldoni's team dragged the popstar into the courtroom and even sent a man to subpoena her by trespassing into her and Kelce's home at night.
Swift's legal team also maintained that 'she never set foot' on the movie set and was not involved in any 'casting, creative decisions, film score, edits, and notes' of the film. Swift also only saw the movie weeks after its public release, since she was travelling worldwide for the Eras Tour at the time.
For now, Baldoni's attempt to drag Swift into court failed after it was deemed inadmissible. But Lively reportedly had her best pal as a witness when Reynolds confronted Baldoni for allegedly acting inappropriately toward the actress.
