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  • 3 weeks ago
On Jan. 20, 2026, the U.S. District Court in Manhattan unsealed private texts between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively, central to an ongoing harassment case. The Taylor Swift texts show support for Blake Lively’s harassment claims against Justin Baldoni. In the Justin Baldoni lawsuit, the messages appear as key exhibits while Wayfarer Studios faces scrutiny. Lively filed a civil rights complaint over conduct on the It Ends With Us set; Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit. Crew accounts cite power imbalances and retaliation concerns, and unions and California regulators noted reform efforts. Amid attention, the film grossed over $351 million and Colleen Hoover’s book sales increased. Legal experts say texts increasingly serve as central evidence in harassment litigation.

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00:00Taylor Swift texts exposed inside Blake Lively's for
00:05$400 million legal battle with Baldoni on January 20th, 2020.
00:10In 2016, private texts between Taylor Swift and Blake Lively were unsealed in U.S.
00:15District Court in Manhattan.
00:16The texts revealed Swift expressing support for live
00:20Lively's harassment claims against Justin Baldoni.
00:23Taylor Swift congratulated Blake.
00:25Telling her things like,
00:26You won, and you did it.
00:28After hearing that Justin had been dropped,
00:30by his talent agency.
00:32This development thrust Swift into a complex legal
00:35battle involving harassment allegations,
00:37a multi-million dollar countersuit,
00:39and public scrutiny.
00:40Blake Lively filed a civil rights complaint
00:43accusing Justin Baldoni of harassment.
00:45on the set of It Ends With Us.
00:47The unsealed texts emerged as key examples
00:50exhibits in the ongoing case,
00:51revealing concerns and discussions between Swift and Lively
00:55about the alleged harassment.
00:57Wayfarer Studios,
00:58the company co-founded by Justin Baldoni,
01:00faced significant reputational harm
01:02as the lawsuit unfolded.
01:04The texts for the court
01:05from Swift and Lively's accusations
01:06highlighted concerns over a hostile work environment
01:09and alleged harassment.
01:10The ongoing lawsuit and heightened media attention
01:14led to a
01:15surge in book sales
01:16for Colleen Hoover's It Ends With Us,
01:18which sold over $10 million.
01:20crew members on the
01:25It Ends With Us set
01:26began to speak out,
01:27sharing concerns about power imbalances
01:30and retaliation.
01:31Court testimonies revealed an environment
01:33where complaints about
01:35inappropriate conduct were discouraged.
01:37California regulators took an interest
01:39in the
01:40harassment claims,
01:41pushing for stronger industry reforms.
01:44SAG-AFTRA
01:45and other unions advocated for better coordination
01:47and anti-retaliation clauses in Congress.
01:50Judge Louis J. Lyman dismissed
01:52Baldoni's $400 million counters
01:55Although the countersuit was dismissed,
01:58Lively's claims continued to
02:00move forward.
02:01Meanwhile,
02:02it ends with us grossed over $350 million.
02:05The unsealing of Taylor Swift's private texts
02:10ignited debates about digital privacy.
02:12Legal experts pointed out that text messages
02:15are increasingly used as central evidence
02:17in harassment cases.
02:19As the case moves
02:20moved forward,
02:20it could set a precedent for how harassment
02:22and retaliation claims are litigated
02:24in the
02:25entertainment industry.
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