Highlights
- Court papers reveal Taylor Swift text calling Justin Baldoni a “bitch” with a “tiny violin”
- Same phrase appears in Swift’s 2025 song “Cancelled”
- The message was sent to Blake Lively before a report on Baldoni
A newly surfaced text from Taylor Swift is adding weight to long-running speculation about her song “Cancelled.”
Court documents show Swift used the phrase “tiny violin” while venting to Blake Lively about Justin Baldoni — the same phrase that appears in the lyrics of “Cancelled,” released on her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl.
The timing and wording have led many to conclude the song reflects Swift’s falling-out with Lively during the legal chaos surrounding Baldoni.
The text that sparked the link
According to court papers, Swift messaged Lively before a New York Times article that accused Baldoni of running a smear campaign against his It Ends With Us co-star.
“I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin,” Swift wrote, referring to Baldoni.
In “Cancelled,” Swift sings:
“Or bring a tiny violin to a knife fight?
Baby, that all ends tonight.”
The same phrase appearing in both the text and the song has been seen as a clear overlap between real-life events and her lyrics.
What “Cancelled” says
Released in 2025, “Cancelled” includes lines that hint at betrayal, power struggles and public downfall.
“Good thing I like my friends cancelled,” Swift sings, along with references to scandal, luxury and revenge. The tone of the song lines up closely with the period when her friendship with Lively was unraveling.
The overlap between the lyrics and the text message has fueled claims that the song is rooted in Swift’s break with the actress.
The legal battle behind the fallout
The friendship between Swift and Lively reportedly collapsed during Lively’s legal war with Baldoni.
In January 2025, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The case was dismissed in June 2025.
Court filings included alleged messages from Lively referring to Swift as one of her “dragons,” writing: “I happen to have a few dragons… they protect those I fight for.” She also called Swift and Reynolds her “most trusted partners.”
Swift was later subpoenaed in May 2025 as a potential witness, though the order was dropped the same month.
Friendship comes to a halt
A source told People magazine that Swift and Lively’s friendship stopped during the legal drama. “Taylor wants no part in this drama,” the source said.
Page Six later reported that Swift had not been in contact with Lively since winter 2024.
Swift’s team also tried to distance her from the film and the dispute. In June, her spokesperson said Swift had no role in casting, production or editing of It Ends With Us, and did not even see the film until weeks after its release.
Lyrics meet real life
With Swift’s private text and her public lyrics now echoing each other, “Cancelled” is increasingly being read as more than fiction.
The phrase “tiny violin,” used first in a personal message and later in a song about downfall and revenge, has become the clearest thread tying Swift’s music to the collapse of her friendship with Lively.
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