Is “Cancelled” About Blake Lively? Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Track Is Messy

One thing Taylor Swift prides herself on is being a girl's girl. The songstress has been known for her loyalty to her celebrity pals, from her bestie Selena Gomez to her bonds with models Karlie Kloss and Gigi Hadid. Taylor also caught attention for her unwavering support of her close friend Blake Lively.

Taylor and Blake became friends in 2015 and were incredibly close. However, since the Gossip Girl star involved the Grammy winner in her legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star, Justin Baldoni, fans have suspected their friendship was a casualty of the case.

Many also believe Taylor used her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, specifically, a song aptly titled "Cancelled," to discuss her and Blake's alleged drama. Here's what to know.

When Taylor released The Life of a Showgirl on Oct. 3, 2025, fans couldn't wait to dissect all 41 minutes of the project. However, many listeners felt one of Taylor's songs, "Cancelled," wasn't hard to decode, believing she was clearly talking about Blake.

The song includes lyrics in which Taylor seemingly defends Blake amid the backlash she received from the public due to her legal woes, stating she doesn't mind having a friend with a dose of "scandal" in them.

"Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I liked them cloaked Gucci and in scandal," she sings on the track.

Taylor's "cloaked Gucci and in scandal" lyric felt very much Blake-coded. After all, the starlet was named the face of Gucci’s new fragrance, Gucci Premiere, in 2012. She also appeared in a short ad film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn for the fragrance that year. Taylor further hints that she's referring to Blake as the song progresses, implying that she's been a true friend both before and after the backlash.

"I salute you if you’re much too much to handle,” Taylor adds. “Now you know exactly who you’re friends are / We’re the ones with matching scars.”

The singer also seemingly referenced Blake's roles as an entrepreneur, as the song states, "Did you girl boss too close to the sun? / Did they catch you having far too much fun? Come with me when they see I still run / Something wicked this way comes.”

Blake owns several businesses, including her non-alcoholic beverage line, Betty Buzz, and Betty Booze, as well as her beauty company, Blake Brown Beauty. In addition to possibly singing about her friend's drama, Taylor also seemed to reference previous public claims that her friend had used her likeness in her and Justin's case.

“They stood by me before my exoneration / They believed I was innocent so I’m not here for judgment,” Swift also sings. “But if you can’t be good then just be better at it / Everyone’s got bodies in the attic / Or took somebody’s man / We’ll take you by the hand and soon you’ll learn the art of never getting caught.”

While many fans have tied "Cancelled" to Blake, Taylor hasn't confirmed the song is about her friend. Though they were once close and the singer is the godmother to Blake and husband Ryan Reynolds' four children, rumors swirled that their friendship ended after Justin's legal team subpoenaed Taylor in his $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake. The "Elizabeth Taylor" artist reportedly didn't want to be involved in the case and reportedly stopped speaking to her friend.

While many fans have tied "Cancelled" to Blake, Taylor hasn't confirmed the song is about her friend. Though they were once close and the singer is the godmother to Blake and husband Ryan Reynolds' four children, rumors swirled that their friendship ended after Justin's legal team subpoenaed Taylor in his $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake. The "Elizabeth Taylor" artist reportedly didn't want to be involved in the case and reportedly stopped speaking to her friend.

Blake and Taylor further fanned the flames that their friendship was on the rocks when Blake didn't congratulate her friend on her engagement to Travis Kelce in September 2025. Social media sleuths have theorized that another song on The Life of a Showgirl, “Ruin the Friendship," is about Tay and Blake's reported torn friendship.