Justin Baldoni and Taylor Swift have reportedly found an unexpected point of connection after both became part of the legal fallout from It Ends With Us.
Daily Mail, citing unnamed insiders, reported that Baldoni and Swift communicated after the conclusion of his legal dispute with Blake Lively. The outlet claimed the two now share private shorthand when discussing the controversy.
Swift has not commented on Baldoni since the litigation ended, and Baldoni did not mention Swift in the recent video he recorded with his wife, Emily Baldoni.
Baldoni and Swift Were Both Pulled Into the Same Dispute
‘Code word’ used by Taylor Swift and Justin Baldoni after Blake feud.
— Daily Mail Online (@DailyMail) July 9, 2026
Baldoni directed and co-starred with Lively in the 2024 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us. Their professional conflict later turned into a public legal dispute involving competing claims, countersuits, subpoenas and court filings.
Swift became part of the story after Baldoni’s legal team referenced her in filings connected to Lively’s involvement with the movie. Swift’s representative pushed back on the idea that the singer had any creative role in the film.
ABC News reported that Swift’s spokesperson said the singer never set foot on the set, was not involved in casting or creative decisions, did not score the movie, never saw an edit and made no notes on the film. The spokesperson said Swift’s formal involvement was limited to licensing “My Tears Ricochet” for the movie.
Swift’s Name Appeared in the Case Anyway
Swift’s name continued to surface as the case moved through court. Business Insider reported that unsealed court documents included text exchanges between Lively and Swift that referred to Baldoni and the film.
The documents drew renewed attention to Swift’s long friendship with Lively, but they did not establish that Swift worked on the movie or participated in the production conflict.
The Legal Fight Ended Before Trial
The dispute between Lively and Baldoni stretched from the film’s 2024 publicity cycle into a series of lawsuits and public filings. Business Insider reported that Baldoni and his company Wayfarer Studios sued Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others in January 2025, seeking $400 million in damages. A judge dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit in 2025.
Lively’s own lawsuit was later narrowed. Business Insider reported that a judge dismissed most of her claims in April 2026, leaving breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting retaliation claims before the case was settled in early May.
The Guardian reported that the settlement on May 4 ended the year-and-a-half legal fight and kept the case from going to trial. The terms of the settlement were not publicly disclosed.
Baldoni Recently Addressed the Fallout With His Wife
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Baldoni and his wife, Emily, recently spoke about the emotional toll of the dispute in an Instagram video. The couple did not name Lively in the video, but discussed what they described as the pain, trauma and strain of the previous two years.
The Guardian reported that Baldoni said the couple had stayed silent publicly for much of the dispute because they did not feel it was the right time to speak. Emily Baldoni said the family had been working through trauma and trying to understand how the situation had unfolded.
The Guardian reported that Lively filed in late June seeking more than $8 million in legal fees from Baldoni and his studio.