Taylor Swift celebrated Blake Lively after a New York Times exposé detailed Lively’s harassment complaint against Justin Baldoni, newly unsealed text messages reveal.
“You won. You did it,” Swift allegedly wrote Lively on Dec. 21, 2024, the day the story broke. “Never has a cancellation been reversed so fast.”
At a Glance
- Swift texted Lively moments after the Times published “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine”
- The singer called the reversal “so rare” and praised Lively for helping “so many people”
- Lively replied: “I would not be ok through any of this if it weren’t for you”
- Why it matters: The exchange is now evidence in Lively’s upcoming May trial against Baldoni, who denies her claims
The messages, filed in court ahead of a Jan. 20 summary-judgment hearing, show the friends reacting in real time to the article that detailed Lively’s allegations against her It Ends With Us director-costar. Baldoni, 41, has denied sexually harassing or retaliating against Lively, 38.
Swift’s Immediate Reaction
“And you f—ing helped so many people who won’t have to go through this ever again,” Swift continued in the exchange, which does not display full names but is identified in other filings as between the two stars.
Lively responded: “I love you so much. I would not be ok through any of this if it weren’t for you.”
Context Battle
Lively’s attorneys argue the messages lack context. They point to an earlier December exchange in which Swift allegedly texted, “I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.”
Lawyers for Lively say that line does not prove the women “privately discussed the forthcoming New York Times article,” as Baldoni’s team claims.
The Article That Sparked a Lawsuit
Lively told the Times she hoped her “legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct.”
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman countered: “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
Countersuit Dismissed
Baldoni’s defamation countersuit against the Times, Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds has been dismissed by the judge. After that ruling in June 2025, Lively said she felt “more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”
Freedman told TMZ that Baldoni “wants to be vindicated, and that’s all that he cares about,” adding the actor is “waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth.”
Swift Playbook Allegation
Swift’s name surfaced again when Baldoni’s team circulated an alleged message claiming Lively could “leak that I’m a bad person” and “ask for whatever she wants because she knows I know” – a strategy dubbed “the Taylor Swift playbook.”
Author Colleen Hoover sided with Lively in a July 2024 text: “I can guarantee you he hasn’t felt an ounce of guilt. He’s too busy playing victim while you work your ass off to make a better movie that he gets credit for.”
Friendship Under Strain
Despite the supportive texts, sources told News Of Los Angeles in May 2025 that the friendship between Swift and Lively had “become complicated” and that Swift wanted “no part in this drama.”
The trial is scheduled for May 2025.
Key Takeaways
- Texts show Swift’s immediate praise for Lively after the Times story
- Messages are now part of pre-trial evidence
- Lively’s team says excerpts omit crucial context
- Baldoni denies all allegations and awaits trial
