‘It’s not a circus’: Lively’s reps slam Taylor Swift trial move
Blake Lively’s team have lashed out at Justin Baldoni’s lawyers after Taylor Swift was dragged into the warring Hollywood stars’ legal battle.
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Blake Lively’s representatives have hit back at Justin Baldoni’s lawyers after Taylor Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in the trial of the warring It Ends With Us co-stars.
Days after Swift’s rep slammed her involvement in Blakely’s ongoing legal battle with former co-star Baldoni, Lively’s team also shared similar sentiments.
“This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus,” Lively’s rep said in a statement.
“The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women’s rights and reputations.”
The statement described Swift as “a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world,” describing Baldoni’s lawyers’ attempts to involve her in the trial as “entertainment for the tabloids”.
Lively’s rep also slammed Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman for previously telling People magazine that Baldoni and Lively’s testimonies could “count” by selling tickets to a deposition at Madison Square Garden and “donate every dollar to organisations helping victims of domestic abuse.”
The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as ‘female allies’ and their team continue to show their true colours,” Lively’s rep said.
Last week, Swift was dragged further into the bitter legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, with the pop superstar subpoenaed as a witness for the Hollywood trial.
The New York Post reports, Swift has officially been subpoenaed as a witness in the feud that has created headlines across the world.
According to the report, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman subpoenaed the Cruel Summer singer on Friday to testify in their trial, scheduled for March 2026.
And Swift’s camp isn’t happy about the latest development.
“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie,” a spokesperson for the pop star said in a statement released to TMZ.
“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 travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.
“The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, My Tears Ricochet.
“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.”
Baldoni dragged Swift into the legal war in January, when he launched his US$400 million ($622.67m) countersuit for defamation against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, over their “It Ends With Us” drama.
In the legal documents, Baldoni alleges Lively, 37, weaponised her friendship with Swift as an attempt to take control of their 2024 film’s production.
Baldoni claimed, in a complaint, that one of Lively’s “famous and, famously close” friends praised one of Lively’s script rewrites regarding the rooftop scene when he was invited to her and Reynolds’ New York City penthouse.
Though he did not name the Grammy winner explicitly, he referenced her in a text about that evening.
“I really love what you did. It really does help a lot,” he wrote of the scene in question. “Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan or Taylor).”
Lively allegedly described Swift and Reynolds as her “creative barometers” and “dragons” she was “lucky” to have in her corner.
“The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively,” said Baldoni’s lawyer at the time.
“He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons,’ two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him.”
The legal mess allegedly caused a strain on Lively’s relationship with Swift, 35, who couldn’t “help but feel used” by her friend in the feud, a source told us in February.
Lively has since offered her gal pal a “genuine and heartfelt” apology, another insider claimed last month, and Swift is reportedly “ready to move forward” without any “hard feelings.”
Meanwhile, Lively’s lawyer confirmed she will testify in the trial against Baldoni.
“Yes,” Lively’s lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, confirmed to People during his first interview about the case on Thursday. “The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here.”
“So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial,” he added. “Of course she’s going to testify.”
Questions regarding whether Lively would testify at the upcoming trial against Baldoni, 41, began last month after the actress’ speech at the Time100 Gala.
“I have so much to say about the last two years of my life,” she said at the time, “but tonight is not the forum.”
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