Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Legal Battle: Taylor Swift Text Messages

Emailed texts from Taylor Swift, Jenny Slate and Ben Affleck have been opened up in the ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

Blake Lively's unsealed text messages with Taylor Swift, an email to Ben Affleck, and statements from Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer about Justin Baldoni have been released amid the ongoing legal drama It Ends With Us.

Lively first filed a complaint against her It Ends With Us co-star and director in December 2024 for sexual harassment.Lively also accused Baldoni and the company of engaging in a campaign of "social manipulation" to "damage" her reputation.Meanwhile, Baldoni's legal team has dismissed the complaint as "outrageous" and includes "serious and false allegations."Baldoni responded with a lawsuit of his own, but that lawsuit was dismissed in June.

A lot of speculation arose on the show about the thoughts of those who worked on the film and the possibility of connecting with Lively's close friend Swift.The Slate document, held on September 26, 2025 in New York and authorized by Ferrer, came out Tuesday, with other evidence and documents including unsealed text messages between Lively and Swift about Baldoni.

Below, THR has compiled various texts, testimonies and emails released earlier this week.

During her departure, several Slate articles were read aloud, and she resolved the issue by working with Baldoni and Wayfarer producer Jamie Heath.

In a statement, Slate said that the filming was "a terrible and disturbing experience, and I am one of many people who feel this way."

"Justin is really a fake boyfriend, and I don't want to do anything to improve his image of a 'lady's wife,'" she wrote in a message."I really have no words to describe what a cheater is."

In another text,Slate said of Baldoni;"Honestly, I've never seen anything like this kid. He's the biggest clown and the toughest narcissist. I've learned so many lessons!"

In May 2023, during the film's production, Slate wrote in a message to his former agent: "This week has been very intense for some reason. It's been lovely and very disgusting. Justin and Jamie are truly unworthy. I'm not scared or anything, I'm just repulsed and extremely upset, and I know Blake is on an even more extreme level.

"I feel like things are going to get really bad, I'm not sure what Blake's limits are, but he really takes a lot of crap out of them, like crazy shit, and I'm not kidding when I tell you Justin and Jamie scare me. Like they tell weird lies, Justin is so crazy."

She also referenced Baldoni's 2018 TED Talk on female empowerment and redefining masculinity in another message: "I really don't understand how he did a TED talk. He's worse than the brothers I've met, not because he's a predator, but because of his general fragility and misogyny, like he's not aware of any obvious no-no's."

The name of Lively's longtime friend Swift has come up several times in the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, as Lively previously identified Swift as someone in her orbit who would be privy to discussions about working conditions on the set of the film.Baldoni also claims that Swift, along with Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, helped pressure Lively into making changes to the script in a scene in the film.Baldoni's legal team tried to subpoena Swift in May.At the time, Swift's spokesperson said the subpoena was "an attempt to generate public interest by creating tabloid clickbait rather than focusing on the facts of the case."

"I think this bitch knew something was coming because she got her little violin out," Swift wrote in a message to Lively while posting a screenshot of a People magazine story about Baldoni.A New York Times account of Baldoni and Lively's lawsuit was also published at the time.

"'Did I always listen to them when they said no? It's different if I don't end the story by saying, 'No.'" Like he did to me.But it didn't test well in the focus group," Lively wrote. "I was honored at the Vital Voices for Women event on Monday."

"This is so disgusting and I hate that she's smart about this shit," Swift wrote.

"The inspiring event celebrates people around the world that use their platforms, influence and leadership to exalted women, fight genderly explains about the event.

"Well not him, she," replied Swift.

"It's not her. It's just her team. Yes. Her. And her publicist Jennifer Abel. And the communications people in her room," Lively added.

"She needs to be hit with her OWN words," Swift wrote in the message.

In another post, Lively wrote, "Can you imagine feeling as confident as these bullies that you will always succeed." She accepted the award as a friend to women.

"And Scooter travels the world with his head held high as he owns and funds a troubled PR firm that silences women."

"It's like a horror movie that no one knew was happening," Swift wrote in a message.

"Oh, but they will. There's only one way out of this. It's a good thing to save other women from having this happen to them," Lively responded.

In a message to Swift a year ago, Lively called Baldoni "the horrible director of my movie" and said he was a "clown" who "thinks he's a writer now."

In another message, Lively asked Swift — who was on her way to visit Baldoni while Lively was at home — to approve a revised version of the script she was pitching and not to read it if she couldn't read it.(In Lively's deposition, she said, "I sent the scripts to Taylor on the way to my apartment because Justin was there, and I asked her to read them. I told her she didn't have to do it, I didn't want her to feel pressured to do it, but I hoped she would. Face.")

Swift reportedly replied, "I would do anything for you!!"

In a subsequent message, Lively reportedly wrote to the singer that he is now "so brave" and that he "calls" Reynolds all the time.

On December 4, 2024, Lively and Swift appeared to discuss the dynamics of their friendship in other messages.

"Hey, just checking," Lively writes."I don't have a reason to ask, but I feel like... is everything okay? I've been feeling like a bad friend lately because I've been so sad that I've been talking about my own business for months. Not only have you been the main person for me this whole time, but you've been so generous to let me off the hook because I'm in it. But maybe he asked me and I thought I didn't get it. Also explain why I feel this way, knowing thatI want to be practical, so I never want to make sure that everything is fine.

Swift's response: "No, you're not wrong, but it's not that important. I think I'm tired in every aspect of my life, and the way you talk to me has changed a little in the last few months. Yes, there was a lot about Justin, but I've been through similar things before and I know how it makes me feel because it was so similar to me. Well-intentioned, but your last few ... I feel like I'm reading a mass email to 200 employees saying "we"18 times, but I miss my funny, dark friend.

In the screenshot, Lively appears to have emailed Ben Affleck on May 17, 2024, asking for his opinion on her film plan.

“I write with zero stress.I just walked out of (almost) the worst movie experience I've ever had.Documenting this film will be more interesting than the film.It's like Wild Wild Country, Fyre Festival and Going Clear had a baby The Room... The Room works too,” Lively wrote.

He added: "Anyway, I finally rewrote and restructured the whole script, I also had to direct the film through a chaotic clown with the head of the 'director' / actor / producer / financier / studio in the middle. Yes, the same person. Important issues about personnel and so on, now I'm editing with him, but now I'm taking a 10-day break, in New York on Saturday so that I can send or get feedback before publishing.

Lively then asked Affleck if he would be willing to watch the film and give me ideas or notes.

"If you,,,,,, wife or children, his thoughts, his thoughts (fyi covers domestic violence, so that no one is left behind).

Lively reiterated that there was "zero pressure" to do what she asked, but that she "really wants to do this after everything I've been through. This movie almost killed me. And I can think of very few people who will be as supportive and understanding as I know that I am."

The actress also claimed that Reynolds asked Matt Damon for his input as well: "Ryan asked Matt to watch too, so I think he's watching this weekend. Good people are showing up. I'm incredibly grateful for that. Also. Can you believe Jason Bourne is watching my movie!?!?! I'll sign your autograph one day."

In another email exchange, Reynolds is shown watching Damon and his wife Lucy watch Lively's cut of the film.

"This movie has been one of the greatest of all time on and off the set. One day, we'll make a movie about the movie. And we can't wait to tell you all about it. The stories have already found their place in the canon of legendary Hollywood madness," Reynolds wrote.

In a separate e-mail, loved that math and Lucy Damon, "Add more zeros to the pressure. Thank you for considering yourself. And there is not a cult, and it is not a cult, and it is not a cult, and it is not a cult and do not know a bad movie. That he is the prophet of our century, I would like that even one of the things is hyperbole.

"Well, have something nice to eat. One day I told him (after all the scandals) "I don't need anything from you.I don’t need you to guide me or make me feel good.I see.All I need is you, don't drive me crazy.That's it.I got the rest," and I made it happen. Rewrote the entire script, and obviously there wasn't enough time, so I just shot it.

"We're in the middle of Bake Off right now, which is in 12 days. This weekend's screening is my chance to get my first and only feedback on my cut before Bake Off. Whatever. It's all the drama. It's been the headline gossip. Not even the good stuff. Too much information. And like Ryan said, zero, zero pressure."

Damon wrote in the email, "We will do whatever we can to help you. If this experience hasn't completely destroyed your soul, Blake, you should come straight to Artists Equity for your next movie. We're like a cult, but it's awesome." (Damon and Affleck co-founded Artists Equity, an independent production company set to launch in 2022.)

Discussing Baldoni, Reynolds wrote about the time the actor-director questioned Lively's weight.

"A few weeks before shooting and after Blake gave birth to our baby ... this guy called Don, our trainer, and said, 'How much do you think Blake will weigh in two weeks?' Don suddenly got a lot of Long Island and pulled out Justin. He said, 'I'm only asking because I have to wear it in a scene.'

Lucy Damon replied, "I'm sorry, but what the fuck?!? He's dead."

"It was actually two weeks ago," Lively added."Pressed even more, he said he needs to exercise to regulate his bone density. To go back, he has low bone density."Lively also claimed about Baldoni: "He told me last year that he talks to my dad a lot. He hopes he doesn't mind. My dad passed away 3 years ago."

When Lucy Damon remarked that she was "fascinated by this creep" and suggested they "make a movie about this guy," Lively said she had the Doctor's name ready: "Light, cool, action."

"I've never seen anything like it. 'Bad vein, sociopathic FAUKMINIST with almost no boundaries or shame. Can't believe he hasn't gone to jail or back in the sun yet,'" Reynolds wrote.

The “It All Ends With Us” star, who played a younger version of Lively’s character in the film, was asked in her deposition how many times she witnessed “inappropriate or unwelcome actions, behaviors or comments during the production of the film,” to which she responded “three times.”

In another moment, the actress was asked about her intimate scenes in the film, which Baldoni described as "hot."

"It didn't feel appropriate in a work environment and given that it wasn't necessarily as a note of any kind for my acting," Ferrer said.

"The way it was filmed in the script and kind of broken down with the intimacy coordinator is that it wasn't supposed to be hot or sexy or any of those terms, and it was much more intended to be an innocent, more PG, intimate scene," she said of the scene in which her character lost her virginity.

He described filming another scene in the film: "There was a scene where my character, Lily, is in the kitchen and another character, played by my friend Alex Neusteedter, is making cookies, and she's feeding me cookie dough with a spoon. There was a script change. The scene.

"It didn't make sense to me that my character would do something like that when we were shooting it at 16 years old and in high school," he said.

"This is in line with what Alex said a few months later, when there was a time when I was away from both of them and we were getting ready to go to Jersey City ... for the first time," she said.“Justin pulled Alex aside and said he wanted Alex to get to know me better, and yes, he woke him up.

He described the wink as "the kind of thing that I found inappropriate."

She also claims Colin Hoover, the author of "This Is Over," told her she was uncomfortable with Baldoni's attendance at the Bonanza Book Festival at the time.I think the thing I remember most offending her was that she lied about her religion and religious beliefs and told people she was a Baha'i when she was not."I think that was the main reason for his discomfort."

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