Taylor Swift is far from being entangled in trivia. Following her revelation of the track list for "The Life of a Showgirl" on Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce's "New Heights" podcast, many keen-eyed fans took to the internet, speculating whether the sixth track, titled "Ruin the Friendship," could hint at a rumored strain in her bond with Blake Lively amidst her legal spat with Justin Baldoni. Nevertheless, others contested this notion, citing the timeline as evidence against it.
Taylor, the "Fortnight" crooner, revealed that she co-wrote the tracks for "The Life of a Showgirl" with Max Martin and Shellback during the summer of 2024 – months prior to the public legal wrangling between Blake and Justin over their film "It Ends With Us" that erupted in December of that year. It was only then that whispers about a rift between her and Blake began to circulate.
"I was working on it while I was in Europe for the Eras Tour," Taylor elaborated on "New Heights." "After performing three consecutive shows, I'd take a three-day break, jet off to Sweden, and then return to the tour." Notably, Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds attended the Eras Tour during this period, and the couple enjoyed a very public dinner with Taylor and Travis in October 2024.
Moreover, a January 2025 report by E! News quoted a source denying the rumors that Taylor and Blake had fallen out, stating they were "not true." Taylor and Blake have been friends for over a decade, with Taylor serving as the godmother to Blake and Ryan's children – James, 10, Inez, 8, Betty, 5, and Olin, 2. Although Taylor and Blake may currently refrain from public appearances together, Taylor has previously underscored her deep connection with the "Gossip Girl" alum and "Deadpool" star by weaving their children's names into her songs and even acknowledging them, alongside her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, as the first two people she plays her new songs to at the 2021 Grammys.
When confronted with adversaries, Taylor has previously shared with Time, "There's no sense in actively seeking to 'defeat' your enemies." She further emphasized in 2023, "My response to everything, be it good or bad, is to keep creating. Keep crafting art. Trash takes care of itself every time." While Taylor has certainly hinted at the unraveling of relationships and friendships in her music before, "Ruin the Friendship" could very well be about something entirely different. After all, Demi Lovato also has a song bearing the same name, and neither the phrase nor its lyrics suggest a friendship breakup. Instead, Demi sings on the 2017 track, hinting at desiring something more from a friend, "Your body's looking good tonight / I'm thinking we should cross the line. Let's ruin the friendship."
