There’s plenty of places fans expect to see pop superstar Taylor Swift: performing onstage at her record breaking Eras tour, in the stands of a Kansas City Chiefs game supporting her beau Travis Kelce, and stepping out for dinner with her infamous squad. In the pages of a lawsuit, however? Not so much.

When Justin Baldoni, 40, filed a $400 million lawsuit against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively alleging civil extortion and defamation, it didn’t take long for the public to discover a bizarre twist. Inside the document’s pages, none other than ‘Karma’ singer Taylor was tied into the ongoing rift.

It’s long been known that Taylor, 35, and Blake, 37, share a close bond. One of the billionaire singer’s closest friends, they’re often spotted out and about – downing drinks together in the stands at the Super Bowl, and enjoying double dates with their powerhouse partners, Travis Kelce and Ryan Reynolds. The pair are so close that Blake and Ryan’s children are even name dropped in some of Taylor’s songs.

In December, Blake found herself hitting headlines after she filed a legal complaint against her former director and co-star, Justin Baldoni, in which she accused him of sexual harassment and fostering a hostile work environment during the making of their movie It Ends With Us – based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name. Counteracting the allegations earlier this month, Justin filed his own $400 million countersuit against both Blake, Ryan, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her PR firm, Vision PR. It comprised of various claims regarding the 2024 film– and littered amongst the pages happen to be multiple references to Taylor.

In one area of his lawsuit, Justin claims that Blake enlisted the help of her ‘mega celebrity friends’ to ‘pressure’ him into making some of the edits she wanted on the film’s script. In the legal documents, receipts are served in the form of text messages between Justin and Blake. Justin claims that Taylor – who was not named in the lawsuit itself but was identified on text screenshots – compelled him to follow ‘Blake’s direction for the script’ after turning up at a meeting.

In documents filed, Justin’s lawyer alleges that Blake asked if she could have a go at rewriting some scenes – namely one where Blake and Justin’s characters meet on a roof top. While Justin was initially ‘hesitant,’ his legal team say he agreed to look – noting that Blake’s revised version ‘dramatically differed from what had been written originally.’ Justin allegedly thanked Blake, and shared that the final version would likely sit somewhere between both of their scripts.

According to Justin’s lawsuit, Blake allegedly invited him over to her house to further discuss the rewrite – where he came face-to-face with the star’s husband, Ryan, who launched into ‘enthusiastic praise for [Blake’s version.]’ It was at this point that Taylor allegedly turned up, too – echoing Ryan’s ‘praise’ for her friend’s writing.

The lawsuit also references another text sent from Justin to Blake, sometime after their meeting. It reads, ‘Was working on the rooftop scene today, I really love what you did [with the script]. It really does [help] a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor.’

Blake then went on in texts to explain that her famous allies were her ‘most trusted partners and the first people I go to with anything creative that I touch.’ Hinting that their opinions were part of the deal when it came to her working process, Blake wrote, ‘They know I’m not always good at making sure I’m seen and utilised for fear of threatening egos, or fear of affecting the ease of the process. They don’t give a sh*t about that. And because of that, everyone listens to them with immense respect and enthusiasm.’

 In another moment, texts allegedly show Blake referring to her ‘dragons’ – two prominent friends who help push her creative vision. Comparing herself to Game Of Thrones character Daenerys Targaryen – who is nicknamed the Mother of Dragons – Blake allegedly wrote, ‘If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you’ll appreciate that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons. For better or worse, but usually for better. Because my dragons also protect those I fight for. So really, we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.’

 ‘The message could not have been clearer’ reads Justin’s lawsuit. ‘[Justin] was not just dealing with Blake.’

After details emerged, Taylor was said to have been ‘perplexed’ by her involvement in the drama. According to Mail Online, sources have insisted that the singer’s connection with Blake is nothing more than a close friendship, saying, ‘Taylor is proud of the film because her music was featured in it, which gave her a sense of involvement, though she wasn’t fully aware of the extent of the project’s developments.’ Rather than a behind-the-scenes puppet masterminded by Blake, Taylor’s role was nothing more than that of a supportive pal, they said. 

The source also shared that, although Justin’s team recalled her sitting in on a meeting regarding the film, Taylor had never intended to do so. Instead, she was simply coming over to socialise with her friend – only to find that the meeting was still taking place.

 However, the legal whirlwind doesn’t seem to be weighing Taylor down. Stepping out for dinner with her parents in New York last week, no one would have guessed that the singer was wrapped up in what could become one of the biggest celebrity lawsuits of the decade.

This legal battle is far from done.