Brutal ghosting. Public fallout. And a humiliating lifeline: Backroom secrets of Taylor Swift and Blake Lively… after hit new song

Taylor Swift‘s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, may have shed some insight into the billionaire pop star’s estranged relationship with former best friend Blake Lively.

Following the release of Swift’s 12th studio album on October 3, the singer’s devoted fanbase – nicknamed ‘Swifties’ – instantly began to decipher the album’s cryptic lyrics and cheeky song titles.

While one song appeared to be a diss track aimed at British singer Charli XCX, and another a sonnet about Swift’s fiancé Travis Kelce, there was one track that immediately stood out to fans as possibly taking inspiration from Swift’s longtime pal Lively.

Now, multiple insiders have exclusively told the Daily Mail that Swift’s song ‘Cancelled!’ is about Lively and her legal battle against former It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. 

‘Taylor and Blake have reconnected and some apologies were made about her being dragged into the lawsuit, but it is no way a signal that she is supporting Blake in the ongoing case because she wants to stay out of it,’ one source told the Daily Mail.

In the tenth track on The Life of a Showgirl, Swift appeared to offer a tentative olive branch to Lively as she waxed poetic about sharing a bond with those in her inner circle who have also faced public scrutiny.

Lively, 38, and Swift, 35, (pictured in 2024) were once close friends before the singer was dragged into her pal’s messy lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni

Their decade-long friendship notably took a turn earlier this year when Swift – who is the godmother of the actress’s children – was unceremoniously dragged into Lively’s ongoing legal case with Baldoni, which is currently set for a March 2026 trial. 

Although Swift and Lively are ‘on better terms,’ the insider said, fans shouldn’t expect the singer to publicly support the actress in her feud with Baldoni anytime soon. 

‘Taylor and Blake are on better terms, but she has made it explicitly clear that she won’t endorse [Blake] or support her publicly,’ the source added. 

In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni for allegedly sexually harassing her on the set of their film It Ends With Us.

Baldoni, and his company Wayfarer Studios, fired back one month later with a now-dismissed $400million defamation suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane. 

All parties have vehemently denied claims against them, and Lively recently filed a sweeping motion seeking attorney’s fees, treble damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni’s company Wayfarer Studios and its executives in relation to his dismissed lawsuit.

But contained in Baldoni’s filing were screenshots of text messages, in which Lively regularly mentioned Swift by name.

In one now-infamous exchange, Lively appeared to refer to herself as the character Khaleesi from Game of Thrones and to Swift as one of her ‘dragons’.

Elsewhere in Baldoni’s filing was the claim that Swift was present at a meeting, convened by Lively at her New York penthouse to discuss It Ends With Us script changes.

Pictured in September 2023: A source told the Daily Mail that Lively and Swift have ‘reconnected and some apologies were made about [Swift] being dragged into the lawsuit’

In December 2024, Lively sued director Baldoni (pictured) for allegedly sexually harassing her on the set of their film It Ends With Us. He has denied all claims

Sources close to Swift have insisted that the singer had no knowledge of the meeting.

Swift, whose hit song ‘My Tears Ricochet’ was featured on the soundtrack of the 2024 film, was then officially subpoenaed by Baldoni’s legal team in May this year.

In a legal letter filed by Baldoni’s lawyers, it was alleged that the Gossip Girl alum had tried to pressure Swift to issue a public statement in support of her and urged her to delete text messages between them during her escalating legal battle with Baldoni.

Shortly after, a representative for Swift issued a rare statement to the Daily Mail slamming the subpoena as an attempt at ‘tabloid clickbait.’

‘Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history,’ the rep said in response.

‘Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case,’ the statement concluded.

Just weeks later, Baldoni’s team withdrew the subpoena, and in September, a judge ruled that Swift will not be deposed ahead of the March trial.

Nevertheless, the public back-and-forth seemingly prompted Swift to distance herself from the scandal and, in turn, her friendship with Lively.

But in recent weeks, it seems that the former besties have made small strides in an attempt to rebuild their relationship.

A second insider revealed to the Daily Mail that Swift and Lively are ‘working’ on their friendship and rebuilding ‘trust,’ though there’s still a long road ahead.

‘To be on the same page is still a long way off for Taylor and Blake, but they’re working on it,’ the second source revealed.

‘Will it ever be the same as before? Who knows? The trust has to be built again, and that is easier said than done, but Taylor is listening more. As for a full reconciliation between them, it’s still far off.

‘Taylor is open to more discussion and conversation, but on her own terms.’

The Gossip Girl star publicly showed support for The Life of a Showgirl by ‘liking’ Swift’s Instagram post about the record following its release – but it didn’t stop there. 

In promotional images for The Life of a Showgirl, the singer appeared to wear the same custom-made Lorraine Schwartz pink sapphire and diamond bracelet worn by Lively during the London premiere for It Ends With Us in August 2024.

In promotional images for The Life of a Showgirl, Swift appeared to wear the same custom-made Lorraine Schwartz pink sapphire and diamond bracelet worn by Lively during the premiere for It Ends With Us

Lively is seen wearing the same bracelet in August 2024 while attending the London premiere of It Ends With Us

Swift also made the bracelet a focal point for the visuals of the song ‘Cancelled!’ when streamed on Spotify.

As fans began listening to ‘Cancelled!’, they couldn’t help but point out possible references to Lively hidden throughout the lyrics.

‘Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal / Like my whiskey sour / And poison thorny flowers,’ Swift sings in the chorus.

Some fans suggested the lyric ‘poison thorny flowers’ could be a reference to Lively’s florist character in It Ends With Us, who owns a shop called Lily Bloom’s.

Swift also sings, ‘At least you know exactly who your friends are / They’re the ones with matching scars,’ seemingly referencing their shared closeness having both been at the center of public scrutiny.

Proving further her song could be a nod to her former friend, Swift references ‘whiskey sour,’ which could allude to Lively’s liquor company Betty Booze.

Indeed, Swift confirmed that the song was inspired by her own experiences with ‘mass judgment and being at the center of many dramatic, sort of scandalous moments in my career,’ she explained during an introduction to the song on Amazon Music.

Swift added, ‘I don’t just naturally cast people aside just because other people decide they don’t like them. I make my own decisions about people based on how they treat me within my life and their actions.’

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Lively and Swift for comment.