Welp, Taylor Swift has officially been subpoenaed as a witness in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni It Ends With Us legal battle. While there were rumors that this would happen, the official update came on May 9. “Anyone that had any knowledge of this situation will be subpoenaed, no matter of their celebrity status,” a source told People following the news.

The ongoing legal battle began back in December 2024 when Blake accused Justin, her IEWU costar and director, of sexual harassment and retaliation. He then countersued, claiming that Blake attempted to take creative control of the film and “destroy” his reputation. In Justin’s lawsuit, he seemingly accused Blake of using her bestie, Taylor, to intimidate him into making script changes. He also alleged that Blake made a “veiled threat” implying that she might “change her mind” about securing Taylor’s, “My Tears Ricochet” for the trailer if her demands weren’t met.

In a new court filing, Justin’s team alleged that Blake threatened to release private Taylor Swift texts if Taylor didn’t publicly support her, and that Blake and Taylor’s lawyers had an exchange about this. Justin’s lawyers claimed their subpoena seeks to obtain those supposed communications.

Here’s a full breakdown of the controversial subpoena and Taylor Swift’s response.

Why Was Taylor Swift Subpoenaed In The Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni Case?

Taylor Swift’s Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni Subpoena, Explained

Taylor was likely subpoenaed because her name appeared to come up in Justin’s $400 million countersuit — and also because her name draws more attention to the case.

The It Ends With Us director included alleged text exchanges implying that the pop star played a role in the script revisions process. (There are no last names, but it seems like the “Taylor” referenced is Blake’s BFF and the “Ryan” referenced is Blake’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.) “I really love what you did,” Justin allegedly wrote in a text to Blake. “(And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor),” he added with a wink emoji.

Per the screenshots in Justin’s suit, Blake responded by comparing herself to the Game of Thrones character, Khaleesi, and calling Ryan and Taylor her “dragons.” She allegedly wrote to Justin: “My dragons also protect those I fight for. So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.”

Taylor Swift’s Rep’s Statement On The Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni Subpoena

In response to the subpoena, Taylor Swift’s rep shared a statement with CNN. “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,” the rep emphasized.

The statement continued: “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.”

Did Blake Lively Threaten To Release Personal Taylor Swift Texts If Taylor Didn’t Support Her In The Legal Battle?

After pushback from Blake and Taylor’s legal teams about the subpoena, Justin’s lawyers shared a letter with the judge about why it’s necessary. In the letter, his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, alleged that Blake’s lawyer contacted Taylor’s lawyer, demanding that “Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively” and “intimating that if Ms. Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature in Ms. Lively’s possession would be released.”

Blake’s team swiftly denied those allegations in a response statement: “This is categorically false. We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality. This is what we have come to expect from the Wayfarer parties’ lawyers, who appear to love nothing more than shooting first, without any evidence, and with no care for the people they are harming in the process. We will imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here.”