If you ever need proof that the universe has a sense of humor, look no further than the lawsuit over the movie It Ends With Us and the legal drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively that simply refuses to end. The movie, an adaptation of the massively successful Colleen Hoover romance novel of the same name, was released on August 9, 2024, but the legal hullabaloo between Lively and Baldoni, who co-starred in the movie and served as producer and director, respectively, continues to drag on.
Taylor Swift, a noted pal of Lively’s (never forget that big-hair tracksuit moment at the 2024 Super Bowl), is not party to the current chapter of the lawsuit, Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, a workplace harassment suit brought by Lively against Baldoni’s production arm, but where Swift is involved, even tangentially, lo, attention follows.
In June, judge Lewis J. Lyman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation claim against Lively and others including Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and the New York Times. Less than two weeks later, however, Lyman ruled that texts and emails between Lively and Swift must be shared with Baldoni’s legal team for discussion of the alleged on-set sexual harassment. Swift’s rep had previously blasted a subpoena of the singer’s comms with her friend as “designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, redacted copies of many of those communications were made public on the case docket, and selections from emails and texts between the two provide several (presumably therapy-informed) ready-made responses for those grasping for words when praising a pal or dissing an opponent. It’s also a reminder that you should be nice to those you love—at least in writing—because your words just may become part of a public court record someday.
Below, a helpful guide to some of the most memorable insults and words of praise contained in the Swift-Lively texts.
DISSES
Lively about Baldoni, April 12, 2023: “doofus director”
Lively about Baldoni, April 12, 2023: “He’s a clown and thinks he’s a writer now”
Lively about Baldoni, April 12, 2023: “this clown”
Lively about Baldoni, December 4, 2024: “Fuck that guy and fuck his whole gaggle of supervillains.”
Swift about Baldoni, December 4, 2024: “I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.”
Swift about Baldoni, December 4, 2024: “His own words, that’s gonna be powerful. It’s the only way to beat liars and hypocrites.”
PRAISE
Lively about Swift, April 12, 2023: “epically heroic”
Lively about Swift, April 12, 2023: “World’s absolute greatest friend ever.”
Swift about Lively, April 12, 2023: “I WON THE LOTTERY. You are the COOLEST PERSON IN THE WORLD and you like me!!”
Lively about Swift, April 12, 2023: “You deserve to be studied. You are a human masterclass.”
Swift about Lively, May 19, 2024: “No one. Should ever. Get into a war of wills with you.”
Lively about Swift, December 21, 2024: “I love you so much. I would not be ok through any of this if it weren’t for you.”
Representatives for Lively did not immediately respond to Vanity Fair’s request for comment. Swift’s rep had no comment.
Kase Wickman
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