Blake Lively made her first public appearance since reports surfaced of a rift with her longtime friend Taylor Swift, attending the World Cup final in New Jersey.
Lively, 38, was seen with a group of friends, and appeared to be in good spirits. The outing comes after Lively was notably absent from Swift's recent wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden. Sources close to the situation have indicated that Lively is both saddened and angered by her exclusion from the event.
This perceived snub follows a period of legal disputes involving Lively and Justin Baldoni. In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni and his production company for alleged defamation and sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends With Us." Baldoni subsequently filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as well as The New York Times.
All parties involved denied the allegations. A judge dismissed Baldoni's case in October 2025. In May of the current year, after most of Lively's claims were dismissed, she agreed to a settlement. No money was exchanged in the settlement, but Lively was permitted to seek legal fees related to Baldoni's dismissed case against her.
Swift's friendship with Lively, which had spanned a decade, reportedly became strained after Lively was subpoenaed in her lawsuit against Baldoni. Although the subpoena was later withdrawn, the situation is said to have affected their relationship. Swift's song "My Tears Ricochet" was featured on the soundtrack of Baldoni's 2024 film "It Ends With Us," in which he starred with Lively.
Text messages from Baldoni's complaint, revealed Lively referred to Swift and her husband as "my dragons" in an attempt to intimidate him. Sources have suggested that Swift has been trying to distance herself from the controversy and her friendship with Lively, with Swift reportedly icing Lively out of her inner circle and Kelce unfollowing Reynolds on Instagram.
In the days following the wedding, Lively and her husband were seen in Canada. Despite the reported fallout, Lively's appearance at the World Cup final marks her first public sighting amid the widely reported tension between her and Swift.