Taylor Swift’s Inner Circle Shifts As New A-Lister Joins Amid Blake Lively Tension

Taylor Swift appears to be moving on from one high-profile friendship and quietly leaning into another.

The 35-year-old pop superstar is reportedly "done" with Blake Lively following a behind-the-scenes rift that’s been bubbling for months. The drama began when Lively allegedly threatened to leak private text messages between the two unless Swift publicly sided with her in an escalating feud with "It Ends With Us" co-star and director Justin Baldoni.

Swift, who was subpoenaed in the legal battle despite only licensing a song for the film, fired back through her team, making it clear she had no involvement.

The subpoena was later dropped, but the damage to Taylor Swift's friendship with Blake Lively was already reportedly done.

Now, insiders say Swift is shifting her focus to the relationships she finds more grounding, including a longtime but lower-profile connection with actress Dakota Johnson.

The two were spotted on Thursday evening enjoying dinner at NYC’s Italian hotspot Via Carota, joined by their brothers, Austin Swift and Jesse Johnson. The outing marked a rare public moment for the duo, but fans may recall Johnson once calling Swift “the most powerful person in America” during a "Saturday Night Live" monologue.

While neither Swift nor Lively has publicly addressed the rumored fallout, sources close to the singer suggest she’s closing the chapter on the friendship for good.

“Taylor is done,” one insider claimed, adding that she felt used as “an intimidation tactic” and blindsided by Lively’s actions.

And the ripple effects don’t end there. This latest development comes amid speculation that British model Cara Delevingne, once a mutual friend of both Swift and Lively, has also distanced herself from the "Gossip Girl" star.

“Cara does not like to be involved in any drama, and she is very supportive of her friends,” a source explained to Daily Mail. “She considers Taylor to be one of her closest friends and she does not approve of the way that the events of the past several months have unfolded.”

Longtime Swift squad members Sophie Turner and Gigi Hadid have also seemingly stepped back from their once-tight bond with Lively. Hadid, who previously referred to Lively as a “magical friend,” is no longer publicly connected to the actress, further fueling rumors that the Swift inner circle may have quietly closed ranks.

Sources also claim that Swift’s ongoing feud with Lively may have influenced her decision to skip the 2025 American Music Awards.

“She avoided the AMAs because she didn’t want to deal with 1000s of questions about the Blake Lively saga,” a source told the Daily Mail. “It is all anyone wants to talk about, and Taylor is really tired of it."

While the reported fallout with Blake Lively continues to dominate headlines and stir speculation among fans, Swift is also celebrating a major career victory that’s decades in the making.

On May 30, the “Cruel Summer” singer shared that she had officially regained ownership of her music catalog, including her songs, music videos, concert films, and photography, thanks to Shamrock Capital’s decision to sell the rights back to her, with “no strings attached.”

“I almost stopped thinking it would ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away,” Swift said in a heartfelt statement. “But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words.”

The emotional moment marked a full-circle achievement for Swift, who has long been vocal about the importance of artists owning their work. “All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me,” she added.

Despite the swirling headlines surrounding her personal life and friendships, this moment of triumph reminded fans, and perhaps Swift herself, of the power of persistence and staying true to one’s values.