The stars of It Ends with Us are headed to court after an already intense and “devastating” legal battle over accusations of sexual harassment, defamation and more. While many are eager to get to the bottom of exactly what went down between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, the drama is already affecting the actress on another front. Lively has lost hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers over the past month, and it seems like along with the lawsuits, her friendship with Taylor Swift might be involved.
All eyes have been on Blake Lively since she filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star in It Ends with Us, in December, and ultimately moved forward with a lawsuit. Baldoni later filed his own suit, and with Taylor Swift’s name seemingly getting dropped, some have wondered where the actress stands with the 1989 artist. Either way, they haven’t been seen together lately, and Dr. LaShandra Batiste-Manary, a relationship expert from Liquid London, suggests that could be responsible for the Gossip Girl alum going from 45.3 million Instagram followers a month ago to 44.9 million now. The relationship expert said:
Followers don’t just engage with a celebrity, they engage with their world, their friendships, and the lifestyle they represent. When a star’s social presence shifts, it can trigger a ripple effect on their digital following.
Taylor Swift hasn’t been seen with Blake Lively since they double-dated with Travis Kelce and Ryan Reynolds in October. More recently the “Fortnight” singer was seen having a blast at the Grammys with Jack Antonoff and his wife Margaret Qualley, and hugging on WNBA star Caitlin Clark at a Kansas City Chiefs football game. It’s possible that Swift has simply been busy preparing to watch the Super Bowl, while Lively has been spending tons of time and money on this nasty legal battle.
Whatever the reason, though, even the perception of distance is enough to make fans fickle over the Follow button, as Dr. LaShandra Batiste-Manary claimed:
This isn’t about drama, it’s about perception. Fans want to feel connected to the ‘it crowd,’ and when a star seems less present in those viral moments, they can fade from relevance in the public eye.
When the drama between the It Ends with Us stars first went public, Blake Lively was said to be leaning on the Eras Tour star for support, because nobody knows how to handle backlash better than Taylor Swift. However, rumors have circulated that the pop star started distancing herself from the actress after Justin Baldoni suggested that she used Swift to strong-arm him into using her version of an important scene in the movie.
Outside of Taylor Swift’s involvement, this is a complicated legal mess, with Justin Baldoni also suing the New York Times, saying they plotted with Blake Lively for months ahead of her complaint, and adding an amendment to his lawsuit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds that accuses them of mocking Baldoni with the Nicepool character in Deadpool & Wolverine. Lively, meanwhile, is also facing a second lawsuit from a PR firm accusing her of defamation.
Settle in for a long ride with this one, folks, because we likely won’t know the full effect of what this does to Blake Lively’s following and friendships until all involved get their day in court.