She’s one of the biggest names in the pop industry with a close-knit girl group supporting her every move.
But Taylor’s Swift’s squad of girlfriends may be at risk of putting her out of style, with a string of her BFF’s currently facing controversies.
Fans have branded Taylor ‘spineless’ over her friendship with apparent Trump supporter Brittany Mahomes.
Meanwhile, a friend of Taylor’s for over a decade – Lena Dunham – has long found herself the centre of negative attention.
So, will the singer’s squad go out of style? Here, FEMAIL explores the pop star’s friends that have faced backlash.
The Bad Blood singer has enjoyed a friendship with The Girl actress Lena Dunham for a decade.
The duo’s sisterhood began online back in 2012 when Lena first tweeted about how important the songstress’ music was to her.
Praising the artist, she wrote: ‘Judging by how much she’s helped me thus far, Taylor Swift is going to write the song that finally gets me comfortable with death.’
Later that year in October, after the release of Taylor’s album Red, Lena took to Twitter once again as she penned: ‘Update: @taylorswif3’s album is triumphant. If she’d been here when I was in college I would have written papers on her, not Sylvia Plath’.
Overjoyed at her compliment, Taylor instantly replied as she raved about Lena’s comedy series Girls.
She replied: ‘@lenadunham, you made my day with that. I’m now going to sit in my dressing room reciting my fav @girlsHBO quotes.. Which is all of them.’
After Taylor decided to take the jump and followed Lena, it wasn’t long before the director replied and the friendship began.
The pair were seen cuddling up together at the Grammy’s in 2013, at the time when Lena was dating Taylor’s now producer Jack Antonoff.
In 2015, the star appeared in Taylor’s Bad Blood video which saw the star recruit her famous pack of girlfriend’s for her hit single with Kendrick Lamar.
In 2021, Taylor had the honour of serving as one of Lena’s bridesmaids at her wedding to husband Luis Felber at Soho’s Union Club in London.
Getting married after the COVID lockdown, Taylor was one of nine bridesmaids as Lena confessed she hadn’t seen some of her friends in over a year due to the pandemic.
She explained: ‘I spent so much time during the pandemic talking to my girlfriends about our feelings over FaceTime, but a few of my best friends I haven’t seen in over a year.
‘And, you know, my girlfriends have had to deal with a lot of not-so-happy things with me in our adulthood, so to be able to celebrate something joyful and use it as an excuse to be together was very special.’
It’s clear the pair have a special bond with one another, but Lena has often found herself in the spotlight, and not always for positive reasons.
In 2015, Lena was caught up in an anti-Semitism row after writing a controversial article comparing her Jewish boyfriend and her dog.
The then-28-year-old prompted the storm after writing a quiz in the March 30 edition of New Yorker magazine – asking readers if a number of statements referred to her dog or ex-boyfriend Jack Antonoff.
They included: ‘He doesn’t tip’, ‘he never brings his wallet anywhere’ and ‘he has hair all over his body, like most males who share his background’.
Ms Dunham, whose mother is Jewish, has been criticised by Twitter users, as well as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) – an organisation which fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry.
Also among the 35 statements were ‘my grandma Dottie loves him and says he’s a ‘good, good boy” and ‘bald men trigger a primal fear in him’.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, said: ‘Some will certainly find Lena Dunham’s stereotypes about cheap Jews offensive. Others will take issue with the very idea of comparing a dog and a Jewish boyfriend.
‘While we understand that humor is its own special brand of expression and always try to give leeway to comedians, we wish that she had chosen another, less insensitive way to publicly reflect on her boyfriend’s virtues and vices.
‘We are surprised that the New Yorker chose to print it.’
In 2016, the creator and star of HBO’s Girls made the controversial statement an episode of her podcast, Women of the Hour.
Describing the experiences of loved ones who had had abortions and a visit she made to Texas Planned Parenthood, she commended the ‘bravery’ and ‘self-knowledge’ of women who have had abortions, adding that she has realized her need to put her own stigma surrounding the issue ‘in the garbage.’
She concluded by saying: ‘Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had.’
After initially remaining silent in the face of their criticism, she later issued an apology on Instagram, and said she has made a ‘sizeable donation’ to Abortion Funds, which helps women pay for terminations.
She shared a picture of the the word ‘choice’ written in white chalk on a blackboard on the social networking site, together with a long apology for what she described as a ‘distasteful joke’.
‘My latest podcast episode was meant to tell a multifaceted story about reproductive choice in America, to explain the many reasons women do or don’t choose to have children and what bodily autonomy really means,’ she wrote.
‘I’m so proud of the medley of voices in the episode. I truly hope a distasteful joke on my part won’t diminish the amazing work of all the women who participated.’
She went on to say she had adopted a ‘delusional girl’ persona, but had not intended to ‘trivialize the emotional and physical challenges of terminating a pregnancy’.
She’s one of Taylor’s BFF’s, with the pop star even hosting Blake’s 37th birthday party at her Rhode Island mansion.
But Blake Lively’s stint of being perceived as unproblematic appears to be nearing an end, with the actress from Los Angeles, currently undergoing intense public scrutiny.
It comes after the release of her latest film, It Ends with Us, which follows a woman named Lily Bloom, played by Blake, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with a man named Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni.
But when the Gossip Girl alum sat down with fellow cast members Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, as well as author Colleen to discuss the new flick, the light-hearted nature of their conversation did not settle well with viewers given the film’s themes of domestic violence.
It’s not the first time Blake has come under fire, with the actress having made a string of controversial decisions throughout her career.
But it wasn’t Blake’s dress or the intricate details of their wedding that spurred controversy, it was the location – Boone Hall Plantation.
It is one of America’s oldest working plantations. In the 19th century, it was owned by Henry and John Horlbeck, who were in the brick business, building many of the public spaces in downtown Charleston using bricks from the plantation.
Boone Hall Plantation also famously appeared in Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling‘s 2004 movie, The Notebook.
The couple were subsequently criticised for glamorising a place where slaves once suffered and died.
In addition to the donation, they issued a statement, which read in part, ‘We’re ashamed that in the past we’ve allowed ourselves to be uninformed about how deeply rooted systemic racism is.’
During the height of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in August 2020, Ryan revealed his regrets for the wedding venue in conversation with Fast Company.
The Deadpool actor called the choice of location ‘something we’ll always be deeply and unreservedly sorry for’.
He said: ‘It’s impossible to reconcile. What we saw at the time was a wedding venue on Pinterest. What we saw after was a place built upon devastating tragedy.’
‘Years ago, we got married again at home – but shame works in weird ways. A giant f***ing mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action,’ continued the action star.
‘It doesn’t mean you won’t f*** up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.’
By 1850, Boone Hall was producing four million bricks per year using 85 slaves. Since the 1950s it has been owned by the McRae family, who opened the 738-acre estate up to public tours in 1956.
12 feet by 30 feet slave cabins still remain on the property, and today house information about the slaves who lived there.
The cabins were in use well into the 20th century, as they were occupied by sharecroppers through the 1940s.
‘Years ago, we got married again at home – but shame works in weird ways. A giant f***ing mistake like that can either cause you to shut down or it can reframe things and move you into action,’ continued the action star.
‘It doesn’t mean you won’t f*** up again. But repatterning and challenging lifelong social conditioning is a job that doesn’t end.’
By 1850, Boone Hall was producing four million bricks per year using 85 slaves. Since the 1950s it has been owned by the McRae family, who opened the 738-acre estate up to public tours in 1956.
12 feet by 30 feet slave cabins still remain on the property, and today house information about the slaves who lived there.
The cabins were in use well into the 20th century, as they were occupied by sharecroppers through the 1940s.
Blake was later criticised after she piled on Kate Middleton’s photoshop gaffe in an Instagram post promoting her new line of drinks posting a heavily edited picture.
Starting in January, Kate was scrutinised more than usual when palace officials announced that she was hospitalised for abdominal surgery. They said she would not appear for public engagements until Easter.
Her decision to keep details private fuelled a social media frenzy. The release of a photo to mark Mother’s Day was later withdrawn by news agencies across the world after it was deemed to have been too heavily edited.
However, Blake quickly found a way to market her drinks brand on Instagram using the photo editing scandal.
Lively, known for her close friendship to Taylor Swift, wrote in the caption: ‘I’m so excited to share this new photo I just took today to announce our 4 new @bettybuzz & @bettybooze products! Now you know why I’ve been MIA.’
The Town star sat beside a warped swimming pool in a warped chair, her hands are belonging to someone else, a lemon is in midair and other drink cans sit oddly on the table.
‘It’s not nice to bully someone when they are already low, shame on you,’ one person wrote.
‘So disappointed. Imagine if this was you, recovering from surgery at home and people mocking you,’ said another Lively fan.
‘Oh, bullying another woman! Especially a mother who is recovering from a major surgery…Very classy act from you… Think about what your BFF sings about Karma…,’ wrote another while referencing her friendship with Taylor Swift.
In the wake of Middleton’s announcement of her health crisis, Lively wrote on Instagram: ‘I’m sure no-one cares today but I feel I have to acknowledge this.
‘I made a silly post around the ‘photoshop fails’ frenzy and, oh, man, that post has me mortified today.’
Lively’s original post has since been taken down.
She found herself in hot waters once again after fans slammed her ‘tone deaf’ and ‘shallow’ promotion of her new film, It End With Us.
Adapted from the popular Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, the production follows Lily Bloom (Lively) as she finds herself in an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni).
Despite the film’s serious theme, the promotional tour sold an entirely different story — as it focused largely on It Ends With Us’ flowery, romantic elements as well as Lively’s creative involvement.
Lively has been facing flack for her light-hearted interviews about the film despite its serious message.
She was blasted as ‘shallow’ and ‘tone deaf’ for her part in a recent chat with co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer and It Ends With Us author Hoover.
The four women giggled together as they discussed everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs, but there was no mention of domestic violence during their chat.
And social media users were quick to slam them – particularly Blake, who hosted the interview – for partaking in the breezy questionnaire given the serious nature of the film.
Lively appeared to acknowledge the criticism by publishing a statement to her Instagram Story along with a violence against women PSA.
‘Thank you to everyone who came out to show that people WANT to see films about women and the multitudes we hold. It Ends With Us is a story of the female experience. All the highest highs, and lowest lows. And we are so proud of it,’ penned the Gossip Girl alum.
She continued: ‘We have been in celebration of this film and of getting a message so important out there to the masses.
‘Thank you all for embracing @itendswithusmovie with the same love, pain and joy we had sharing it with you all.’
Earlier this month, People revealed Lively was ‘surprised’ how it played out.
‘She initially felt very vulnerable and upset. During the promotion of the movie, not one day went by when she was not in the news in an unfavorable light,’ the source said, adding, ‘She’s just not used to this kind of drama.’
Lively was said to be, ‘pretty surprised at the backlash and drama,’ and the situation, ‘felt out of control to her.’
The drama hasn’t soured her to exploring new projects though, with the source adding that she, ‘enjoys working and will continue to push forward projects that she’s excited about.’
When Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce reunited with his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany at the U.S. Open in New York City on Monday, it was to the displeasure of many Swifites.
There were rumours of a feud brewing between Swift, 34, and Mahomes, 29, due to her support of Donald Trump, with a report claiming they didn’t sit together at the Kansas City Chiefs game because they wanted ‘different vibes.’
As they took their seats on the NFL’s opening night, both appeared to be in different suites. It is a marked difference from last season when they were inseparable at games.
Swift took her usual spot in Kelce’s luxury suite alongside the tight end’s family and friends. She was captured sitting next to both of Kelce’s parents – Ed and Donna – in the first half.
Meanwhile, Mahomes watched the match with her daughter, Sterling Skye, in a different suite.
It’s an outcome that some Swifties thought Taylor settled on after fans urged her to stay away – with one taking to X, formerly Twitter to write: ‘Taylor if you hug Brittany Mahomes on national TV tomorrow I cannot defend you anymore!’
Another said: ‘F*** Brittany Mahomes and I hope Taylor drops her out of the friend circle’.
A third wrote: ‘I don’t want Taylor to be associated with someone who supports Trump, how is that a problem?’.
The pair formed a friendship last year, posing for snaps together, heading for dinners at A-list joints and wearing matching clothes.
A source even told Us Weekly the pair ‘have a really genuine friendship and ‘a similar sense of humour’ and ‘are always cracking jokes and laughing.’
‘Even if things didn’t work out between Taylor and Travis, Taylor feels like her friendship with Brittany would continue no matter what,’ they added.
But politics appeared to temporarily stand in the way of the pair. Taylor has previously endorsed Donald Trump‘s rivals, while accusing him of ‘stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism,’, ‘feigning moral superiority’ and ‘threatening violence’.
But Brittany appears to be team Trump – with the former US President taking to Truth Social to thank the WAG for her support earlier this month.
Brittany all-but-confirmed her support for Donald Trump by recently liking posts on Instagram supporting the Republican Party.
The mother-of-two liked a reply from a follower which said: ‘TRUMP-VANCE 2024’.
She also liked another message of support after she incited fury for initially liking a post from Trump about the November election.
‘Glad to see you aren’t backing down,’ the comment that she liked said. ‘We are all entitled to our own opinions and shouldn’t be bullied into submission.’
She later re-posted a comment from preacher and author Shane Pruitt that appeared to be a response against backlash against her.
‘Contrary to the tone of the world today…’ the post begins. ‘You can disagree with someone, and still love them. You can have differing views, and still be kind.’
Taylor however has previously accused Trump of ‘gaslighting the American public,’ and treating the US ‘like an autocracy’.
Endorsing Biden and Harris in 2020, she wrote: ‘The change we need most is to elect a president who recognises that people of colour deserve to feel safe and represented, that women deserve the right to choose what happens to their bodies, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves to be acknowledged and included,’.
She also spoke out against the GOP in her 2019 documentary Miss Americana, while track Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince is a protest song about Trump.
The song features lines including: ‘American glory faded before me, now I’m feeling hopeless/ My team is losing, battered and bruising. I see the high fives between the bad guys’.
Later Swift sings: ‘I’m feeling helpless, the damsels are depressed. Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men? Darling, I’m scared,’.
Another song, Only the Young, which also features in the documentary, describes a figure – believed to be Trump – as ‘the big bad man and his big bad clan’.
Despite their apparent political differences, sources recently revealed to DailyMail.com that Taylor and Brittany specifically implemented measures to protect their friendship even as fans predicted a huge fallout after her support of Trump became public.
‘Taylor is not going to be written into this anti-Brittany narrative because they have made a pact to not discuss politics,’ sources said, adding that the pair would ‘respect that they have different views.’
The source claimed ‘Brittany knew better than to discuss politics’ at a recent party Taylor threw for Blake Lively at her Rhode Island mansion as she didn’t want to ‘risk confrontation over opposing views.’
‘It was an unspoken rule for everyone to avoid politics at Taylor’s home in Rhode Island,’ they said. ‘The topic was off limits.
‘It is not only Taylor who has not spoken out in strong support for either candidate, but Travis as well. They know how much influence they have.’
According to the insider, Taylor’s Eras Tour opened her eyes to the fact that she has millions of fans who don’t all share the same views, and she has learned to respect that.
‘She loves her fans and has sold out stadiums in Republican states as well as Democrat, and has performed in countries where communism is rampant,’ they continued.
‘They are brought together by their love of her music. If, and when, Taylor is ready to endorse a candidate she will. Right now is not the time for her to do so.’ Another source added: ‘Taylor deals with so many people in her career and life that are so different that she leads with love, if you are a good person, most likely you’ll get her respect.
