Taylor Swift and ‘weaponization of feminism’ cited in Justin Baldoni’s alleged Blake Lively takedown plan

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Hollywood has been buzzing as the controversy between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively heats up, but it seems even Taylor Swift has been caught in the crossfire.

Blake Lively, 37, filed a bombshell lawsuit against her 'It Ends with Us' co-star Justin Baldoni, 40, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a retaliatory smear campaign.

Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni

Blake Lively’s lawsuit, filed on Friday, December 20, paints a damning picture of her experience working with Justin Baldoni. Among the allegations are creating a “hostile work environment” and causing her “severe emotional distress".

The legal documents detail shocking claims, including Baldoni showing explicit videos, making inappropriate comments, and even bringing up Lively’s weight and her late father.

The situation became so difficult on set that Lively demanded crisis talks during filming and shared a list of boundaries during a January meeting on set, according to court filings.

The rift between both stars was evident during the promotions for 'It Ends with Us'.

Lively has further claimed that Baldoni's crisis management team engaged in a "social manipulation" campaign to tarnish her image.

But what’s interesting are the alleged tactics Baldoni’s team deployed—and the surprising mention of Taylor Swift in their playbook.

Taylor Swift and the 'weaponization of feminism'

Emails and documents included as exhibits in Blake Lively’s lawsuit reveal Justin Baldoni’s team had some eyebrow-raising ideas to manage the fallout.

One August 6 email from a crisis expert working for Baldoni highlighted the stakes. “We have seen the most innocuous issues turn giant due to socials or the hugest crises have no effect on social whatsoever," it read.

"You just cannot tell at this stage. But, BL does have some of the same TS fanbase so we will be taking it extremely seriously," it further read.

However, it gets even messier. A separate “scenario planning” document suggested exploring the narrative of the “weaponization of feminism,” using Taylor Swift as an example.

It reportedly stated, “Our team can also explore planting stories about the weaponization of feminism and how people like Taylor Swift have been accused of utilizing these tactics to ‘bully’ into getting what they want.”

Let’s pause here to acknowledge the obvious: Taylor Swift and Blake Lively are longtime besties. Their friendship has been frequently documented over the years and has fans scratching their heads about why Swift’s name is being dragged into this.

The lawsuit also accuses Baldoni of leveraging astroturfing techniques to turn public opinion against Lively. Exhibit A? A text exchange showing Baldoni referencing a viral thread about Hailey Bieber’s alleged history of “bullying women". Baldoni reportedly wrote, “This is what we would need,” implying he wanted similar content crafted to target Lively. 

According to Lively’s complaint, “millions of people (including many reporters and influencers) who saw these planted stories, social media posts, and other online content” were the “unwitting consumers of a crisis PR, astroturfing, and digital retaliation campaign” orchestrated by Baldoni.

The fallout from the feud

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman has slammed Blake Lively’s claims as “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious.” In a statement to Us Weekly, Freedman accused Lively of attempting to “fix her negative reputation” and “rehash a narrative” surrounding the production of 'It Ends with Us'.

Freedman went even further, alleging Lively made “multiple demands and threats” during filming, including threatening not to show up on set or promote the film if her demands weren’t met. These actions, he claimed, led to the film’s poor release performance.

Lively, however, isn’t backing down. In a statement to The New York Times, the actress doubled down.

“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted," she said.

She also denied spreading any false or negative information about Baldoni.