Taylor Swift is reportedly distancing herself from Blake Lively amid the actress’ ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Sources claim the singer, who has been close friends with Lively for years, is stepping back as she does not want to get further entangled in the controversy.
"For the time being she is taking a step back from Blake because she doesn’t want to get tangled in this more than she already has – which is far more than she ever needed to be," an insider shared.
A second source added, "Taylor has politely backed away from it all. She is conscious of her own image and hates that she was even mentioned."
Lively, 37, is currently embroiled in a bitter legal feud with her It Ends With Us co-star, 41, whom she has accused of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her in a lawsuit filed last year.
Baldoni has countersued both Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400 million and stunned many by pulling Swift into the dispute.
As public interest in Lively and Baldoni's feud grows, scrutiny over the actress’ past behavior has intensified.
Insiders claim Swift once advised Lively against going "full throttle" in situations, warning her about potential consequences.
"Taylor Swift admires that Blake Lively is a ballsy chick who speaks her mind, swears like a trooper, and refuses to be controlled by anyone," a source told DailyMail.com.
"That’s the real reason they bonded and became firm friends when they first met 10 years ago."
The source continued, explaining that while Swift saw similarities between herself and Lively, she recognized a key difference.
"Taylor saw her doppelgänger in Blake. The main difference between them is that Taylor is more subtle. Blake has always gone full throttle about everything. She never holds back, and that’s what has caused the tide to turn on her."
"Taylor has tried to help tone Blake down in the past, but she now knows it’s never going to happen."
Now, amid Lively’s legal drama, there seems to be a shift in their friendship.
Baldoni, in his lawsuit filed last month, alleged that Lively used Swift to pressure him during a meeting with Reynolds over script edits to a rooftop scene.
He claimed Swift’s presence made him feel as though he had "needed to comply with Blake's direction for the script."
Lively reportedly later compared herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi in a series of texts, referring to Reynolds and Swift as her "dragons."
A previous source told DailyMail.com that the description caught Swift off guard, as she had not planned to be part of the meeting but arrived at Lively’s New York penthouse while it was still ongoing.
With Swift now distancing herself, it remains to be seen how their friendship will be affected moving forward.
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