Is Taylor Swift distancing herself from Blake Lively amid It Ends With Us drama?
Los Angeles, California - Taylor Swift has stirred up chatter that she may be distancing herself from longtime pal Blake Lively after the actor was caught in a whirlwind of controversy following the release of her new movie, It Ends With Us.
The 34-year-old pop star showed some love to her pals on Friday with two Instagram story shoutouts.
Along with some praise of Sabrina Carpenter's new album Short n' Sweet, Taylor also encouraged her fans to head to the theater to catch Blink Twice, a new thriller directed by and starring Zoë Kravitz.
Such promos aren't uncommon for Taylor, as she also dropped a lengthy tribute to Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Blake's husband, Ryan Reynolds.
However, the latest message has sparked significant speculation, as it comes on the heels of the Karma singer's apparent omission of a shout-out to It Ends With Us despite her close relationship with Blake.
The Gossip Girl alum has been facing some significant heat over her behavior as of late, as some have argued she is being too nonchalant or even tone-deaf during the movie's press tour.
Taylor Swift noticeably avoids an endorsement of Blake Lively's It Ends With Us
Blake has pushed It Ends With Us, based on the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, as a romance perfect for a girls' night, but with its focus on domestic violence, many have argued that the tact is not exactly appropriate.
The movie also sparked controversy for not including a content warning for its depiction of domestic violence, and Taylor may have thrown a bit of shade at this by including such a warning for Blink Twice, which features sexual violence.
Raising further questions about Taylor's decision not to plug It Ends With Us is the fact that her music was featured prominently in both the trailers and the final cut, which includes her folklore track my tears ricochet in full.
While there might not be any real drama behind the neglected shoutout, the move is certainly telling for the notoriously PR-savvy superstar!
Blake hasn't commented directly on the social media-fueled backlash, but her It Ends With Us co-star Brandon Sklenar recently defended her in a recent statement condemning the pile-on.
"Vilifying the women who put so much of their heart and soul into making this film because they believe so strongly in its message seems counterproductive and detracts from what this film is about," he wrote.
Cover photo: Collage: Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP & Matt Winkelmeyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP