Taylor Swift’s shock involvement in Blake Lively’s highly publicised legal roller coaster with Justin Baldoni rocked the foundations of their decade-long friendship.
And the A-list pals are still struggling to move on from the fallout, with the Bad Blood singer, 35, no longer communicating with Lively, 37, according to insiders.
DailyMail.com previously reported that she had taken a ‘step back’ from the Gossip Girl alum, but their close bond has deteriorated, with Swift reportedly refusing an invitation to the SNL 50th anniversary special as Lively was on the guest list.
‘Taylor is not communicating with Blake,’ an insider said. ‘She was invited to SNL50, but with Blake there – and Kim Kardashian – it was the last place on earth she would be seen.’
The global frenzy around Lively has left Swift questioning her close friendships and how she can prevent ‘external factors’ from damaging her own reputation.
‘Taylor is taking stock of which of her friends are good for her and who name drops her for personal gain after Blake-gate,’ a second insider added.
‘She has a new album in the works and is shocked by how much drama she was pulled into. She won’t let external factors hurt her career.’
The once best friends haven’t been pictured together for four months. The last time was when Lively and Swift enjoyed a double date with their respective partners Ryan Reynolds and Travis Kelce in Manhattan in October.
Questions were raised earlier this month when the actress failed to attend the Super Bowl, with Swift instead flanked by her collaborator Ice Spice, social media influencer Ashley Avignone and Haim sisters Alana, Este and Danielle.
Swift was dragged into the explosive saga last month when her It Ends with Us co-star Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400 million.
In his filing he claimed Lively, who accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a lawsuit, used Swift to intimidate him at a meeting with Reynolds about edits she had made to a rooftop scene.
Baldoni claimed the Cruel Summer singer made him feel like he ‘needed to comply with Blake’s direction for the script’.
Lively later appeared to threaten Baldoni by comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi in a series of text messages, included as exhibits to court papers, in which she referred to Reynolds and her best friend as her ‘dragons’.
A source told DailyMail.com that Swift was shocked by the ‘uncool and unnecessary’ description and hadn’t planned to attend the meeting at Lively’s NYC penthouse.
For now, she’s stepping back from Blake to avoid getting further involved. Khaleesi, or Daenerys Targaryen, is a key character in Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
She was portrayed as a villain after descending into madness and turning to vengeance due to trauma and loss.
Baldoni’s suit claims Lively used her friendship with Swift to manipulate situations behind the scenes.
He alleges Lively threatened to ‘change her mind’ about contacting Swift to use her song My Tears Ricochet.
Swift and Lively have been friends for a decade, celebrating milestones together, with Swift even mentioning Lively’s children in her music.
She appeared to rally around the actress when rumours of rancour between her and Baldoni first started bubbling in August.
She was pictured arriving at Swift’s Rhode Island property, taking solace at the $17 million, eight bedroom estate alongside her husband Reynolds, to escape the frenzy.
Her past behaviour has come under increasing scrutiny in the months since.
She and husband Reynolds appeared to fuel the hostility towards them on Sunday night when he seemingly poked fun at his wife’s allegations at the SNL50: The Anniversary Special.
‘I have a question,’ he said, to which Tina Fey replied: ‘Oh Ryan Reynolds, how’s it going?’
In an apparent nod to the maelstrom of headlines, he responded: ‘Great – why, what have you heard?’
The reaction from viewers was predictably brutal, with many accusing the Hollywood power couple of using their clout to claw back public favour after months of bad headlines.
Lively made headlines when she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a bombshell lawsuit last year.
Lively accused Baldoni of showing explicit content, discussing his porn struggles, and making inappropriate remarks about her appearance.
She also claimed he entered her trailer while she was nude and allowed others to watch intimate scenes, creating a hostile work environment. Baldoni countered that they tried to undermine his direction of It Ends with Us.
The actor has denied the allegations, while Lively and Reynolds have denied the accusations made in litigation by him.
