Taylor Swift's wedding celebrations for her upcoming marriage to Travis Kelce have been attended by a multitude of A-list friends, but notable absences included her former close confidante Blake Lively and her children. Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds were reportedly not among the approximately 100 guests at a rehearsal dinner held Thursday at the Infosys Theater.
Swift, 36, and Kelce, 36, are slated for a larger ceremony on Friday at Madison Square Garden. However, Lively and Reynolds were seen attending their six-year-old daughter Betty's horse show in Lake Placid, New York, approximately 300 miles away. This absence marks a significant divergence from their previously close friendship.
Swift has served as godmother to Lively and Reynolds' four children: James, 11, Inez, 9, Betty, 6, and Olin, 3. Swift has previously honored her godchildren, dedicating songs and even featuring Lively and Reynolds' oldest three children on her 2020 album Folklore. Their names were mentioned throughout the song "Betty," and her eldest daughter, James, was featured at the beginning of the track "Gorgeous" from the 2017 album Reputation.
Swift has also been godmother to actress Jaime King's youngest son, Leo, 10. While reports from last year indicated that Swift and King no longer have regular contact, there is reportedly still affection between them, with Swift still sending gifts and willing to be present if needed.
Reported Fallout
The strained relationship between Swift and Lively is reportedly linked to a legal battle involving Justin Baldoni. Swift's song "My Tears Ricochet" was featured on the soundtrack of Baldoni's 2024 film It Ends With Us, in which Baldoni starred alongside Lively. Swift was reportedly drawn into the dispute when Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively and Reynolds of defamation. The suit was later dismissed. Text messages from Baldoni's complaint indicated that Lively had referred to Swift and her husband as "my dragons" in an effort to intimidate him.
Following this incident, Swift has reportedly sought to distance herself from the situation and her friendship with Lively. This has included a perceived cooling of their interactions, with reports suggesting Kelce unfollowed Reynolds on Instagram.
Despite the reported distance, Swift has maintained a public presence with many other celebrity friends, including Gigi Hadid, Bradley Cooper, and Selena Gomez, who were reportedly in attendance at the rehearsal dinner.