Taylor Swift is throwing her support behind close friend Blake Lively amid her explosive lawsuit against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni.
Film fans were stunned over the weekend when Gossip Girl icon Blake, 37, made bombshell accusations that Baldoni sexually harassed her throughout the making of their movie – which he starred in as well as directed. Blake went on to allege that the 40-year-old Baldoni had orchestrated a smear campaign against her during the course of their promotional tour for the film.
Baldoni himself has vehemently denied the allegations made against her – and Hollywood has been divided as battle lines have been drawn between the two stars. A report has suggested that Blake can comfortably rely on the support of chart-topping superstar Taylor, 35, who she has counted as a close friend for almost a decade.
The ladies bonded back in 2015 over Swifts smash hit Bad Blood – and they went on to become so close that the billionaire singer was made godmother of three of the children that Blake shares with her Canadian husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48. Taylor is said to be supporting her film star friend – and is allegedly troubled by reports that a takedown campaign was organised against her.
Baldoni has furiously denied the allegations made against him ( Image:
Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
A source told the Daily Mail: “Taylor is startled by the revelations surrounding the Blake Lively takedown and she is encouraging Blake to get to the bottom of it.” The source added: “She supports Blake and feels horrible that she had to go through all of this.” The Mirror has approached Taylor’s spokesperson for comment.
Blake and Baldoni worked together on It Ends With Us – the film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name – after his production company scooped up the rights. The film sparked a backlash upon release as cinema fans felt it was heavily advertised as a romantic comedy – only to discover it is a story of domestic abuse. In light of Blake allegations about the director, Bryan Freedman, representing Justin and Wayfarer Studios (Justin’s production company), shared his reaction to the legal case.
He wrote in a blistering rebuttal: “It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions.”
He went on to blast Blake’s claims as: “completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
