Taylor Swift Skipped the AMAs Because of Blake Lively Drama: Report
Taylor Swift may have deliberately avoided the 2025 American Music Awards to escape questions about her involvement in the ongoing legal drama between former friend Blake Lively and "It Ends With Us" star Justin Baldoni.
The pop superstar was notably absent from the May 26 ceremony in Last Vegas despite receiving six nominations. Her absence came as a surprise to fans who had expected her to attend the prestigious awards show after the singer dropped "Easter Eggs" which seemingly hinted at a special announcement of her highly anticipated album Reputation (Taylor's Version) during the AMAs.
A source who spoke with the Daily Mail later noted that Swift's absence was largely due to Lively's legal drama.
"She avoided the AMAs because she didn't want to deal with 1000's of questions about the Blake Lively saga," the source said. "Right now, she is just living her life and enjoying this time with Travis. There is no break, there is no drama."
It should be noted that the 35-year-old singer lost all six nominations to other artists, walking away empty-handed.
The controversy stems from Swift being dragged into the messy legal battle between Lively and "It Ends With Us" director Justin Baldoni. Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, while Baldoni countersued for $400 million, claiming extortion and defamation.
Swift became involved when Baldoni's legal team subpoenaed her in May, alleging that Lively had used the singer as leverage during script negotiations for the film. Court documents claimed Lively referred to Swift as one of her "dragons" and that Swift pressured Baldoni to accept script rewrites. The subpoena was later withdrawn after Baldoni's team said they had obtained the necessary information.
The legal drama has severely damaged Swift and Lively's longtime friendship, with a separate source saying their relationship has "halted." The fallout has reportedly extended beyond Swift, with model Gigi Hadid also distancing herself from Lively.
Swift was last seen publicly on May 23 enjoying dinner with boyfriend Travis Kelce in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Representatives for Swift have yet to confirm nor deny the alleged reason for her AMAs absence.
