Blake Lively (L) and Taylor Swift are seen on September 30, 2023 in New York City.
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Celebrity

Inside Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's Enduring Friendship

The Lively-Reynolds family knows Swift as "Aunt Taylor"

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Much of the country has been tirelessly raving about pop icon Taylor Swift's new and blossoming relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Basically every time they step outside together as of late, their picture immediately goes viral as loads of Swifties and football fans swoon over their new love. 

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Swift may have earned a bit of a reputation for dating different men over the last decade. But in reality, her strongest and most durable relationships have been with her closest girlfriends.

After receiving tons of hate from the media and the public for doing what most young 20-somethings do (date), Swift decided to swear off dating and focus only on her relationships with her friends around a decade ago.

She recently recounted that decision in the prologue of her re-recorded album release for "1989 (Taylor's Version)." She first wrote and recorded that album in 2014 when she was just 24-years-old and was the subject of a lot of media hate.

"Who knew that maybe a girl who surrounds herself with female friends in adulthood is making up for a lack of them in childhood?" she wrote in October 2023 when the re-recorded album dropped. 

One of Swift's longest-lasting friendships is with A-list actress Blake Lively. The pair have been friends since 2015 and been through many life's ups and downs together. 

Here's everything we know about Swift and Lively's friendship and why they've been in each other's lives for this long:

How Did Taylor Swift and Blake Lively Meet?

Blake Lively and Taylor Swift

Instagram/BlakeLively

Swift and Lively's long-standing friendship actually bloomed out of a misunderstanding. 

Lively shared a photo to Instagram in 2015 from a L'Oréal lipstick collection campaign that featured a slew of stars, including Julianne Moore, Naomi Watts, John Legend and herself. 

In the caption, Lively referenced the Grammy winner's star-studded "Bad Blood" music video: 

"Soooo, turns out this WASN'T a video shoot for John Legend's cover of Bad Blood," Lively wrote. "@lorealparisofficial blew it out for this one. My #pinkobsession is exposed now. Ok your turn. I won't tell! #AlsoTurnsOutJohnLegendIsntCoveringBadBlood Time to start a petition!"

This sparked speculation among Swifties that Lively was throwing shade at the singer for her infamous "girl squad."

So, the "Gossip Girl" alum took to social media again to clarify she was actually a huge fan of the "Reputation" singer, joking she had a "Taylor Swift Please Be My Wife VooDoo Doll." 

A few weeks later, the two women decided to meet up in Australia while Swift was on her "1989" tour and spent the day at the Warner Bros. Movie World park in Queensland. 

There must have been an invisible string tying the two of them together because the rest of their friendship was sealed.  

Why did Taylor Swift name her songs after Blake Lively's kids?

Blake Lively and Taylor Swift

Instagram/BlakeLIvely

As Swift sings on her seventh album, "It's Nice to Have a Friend."

Once the pair finally met in 2015, they became permanent fixtures in each other's lives. Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, both attended Swift's annual Fourth of July party in 2016.

The married couple was captured snuggling in a photo that went viral alongside Swift and her then-boyfriend Tom Hiddleston, as well as the singer's childhood friend and her husband.

And the two stars started appearing frequently on each other's Instagrams in (mostly now-deleted) photos as they celebrated each other's birthdays and accomplishments. 

For one of Swift's birthdays, Lively wrote; "People Who I Not Only Really Love, But Also Really LIKE, That Were Born Yesterday: Part 1 of 2. @taylorswift you know how I feel."

The two had clearly become a lot like family after the "Shake It Off" singer decided to feature the voice of one of Lively's daughters in a song. Lively and Reynolds' daughter James has a voice cameo in Swift's song "Gorgeous" from her "Reputation" album.

People reports that Swift played the unreleased song to Lively and Reynolds and James became obsessed with saying the word "gorgeous." Swift obviously thought it was adorable and recorded her saying the word to introduce the track. 

In 2018, the two parents were

Later on "

And that's not the only time that Swift has taken inspiration from her friends' daughters. The names of three of Lively and Reynolds' children were name-dropped in the song "Betty" from the singer's "Folklore" album, which dropped in 2020. 

Though it's a fictitious story told through the song lyrics, Swift uses the names James, Inez and Betty to tell the story. She even gave a shout-out to the entire Lively-Reynolds family when she won Album of the Year at the Grammys in 2021 for the album. 

During the speech, Swift said she thanked "James, Inez and Betty and their parents. They are the second and third people that I play every new song that I write."

The Lively-Reynolds family has become so close with Swift that they consider her "Aunt Taylor."

Reynolds said on an episode of Sirius XM's The Jess Cagle Show in 2022 that his and Lively's kids didn't realize the "Blank Space" singer was a global superstar until they went to see her on tour

"I think what's most exciting for them is that for the longest time, they just thought Taylor's just like an aunt, like a friend of Mommy and Daddy that's very, very close, almost family," he said. "And then they went to a concert one day and were like, 'Ohhhhh, this isn't a hobby.'"

Blake Live and Taylor Swift Are Chosen Family

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - OCTOBER 01: (L-R) Singer Taylor Swift, Blake Lively, and Actor Ryan Reynolds look on prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds with Taylor Swift at Kansas City Chiefs Game (Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

After nearly a decade of friendship, it's clear Swift and Lively are a chosen family. 

They frequently are seen attending each other's parties and outings. Lively and Reynolds couldn't miss Swift's 30th birthday party...or the Grammy winner's New Years Eve Party costume party in 2019. (Lively went as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" and Swift stunned in an Ariel costume from "The Little Mermaid.")

Though not everything has to be a raging party (dancing like they're made of starlight) for the famous women. 

The "All Too Well" singer clearly also enjoys just hanging out with her friends and their children. She went trick-or-treating with Lively and Reynolds and their children in 2021 dressed as a squirrel. 

And the two celebrities also support each other in their careers and celebrate each other's accomplishments.  

Lively and Reynolds were by Swift's side when she appeared as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in November 2021 (including at the after-party). 

Plus, the pop icon actually helped Lively make her directorial debut the same year. The actress directed the music video for "I Bet You Think About Me" from the album, "Red (Taylor's Version)."

Swift shared a sweet TikTok celebrating Lively and her milestone.

Lively was clearly inspired from working with her best friend because the video was nominated for both the Academy of Country Music video award and Country Music Association Awards' Music Video of the Year. 

Though it didn't win either award, Swift did win Favorite Pop Album at the American Music Awards in November 2022 and thanked Lively during her speech.

"I want to take a moment to thank someone who directed the music video 'I Bet You Think About Me,' my beautiful, brilliant friend, my director Blake Lively," she said.

However, the two ladies have also been inseparable during challenging times. 

Swift split with her longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, in spring 2023 and immediately turned to her best girl friends. Lively was seen with Swift, the sisters from the band HAIM and model Gigi Hadid for a much-needed girls' night out. 

But the global superstar also turns to Lively when she wants to celebrate the great things in her life. 

The "A Simple Favor" (2018) star tagged along with Swift to a Chiefs game against the New York Jets in September 2023 to support the singer's budding love interest, Kelce. The best buds were seen laughing and together joking and potentially even gushing about Swift and Kelce's relationship. 

Regardless of what happens in either of the two women's lives, their friendship may be our favorite Love Story. 

READ MORE: Swifties Lose It Over Taylor Swift's Adorable Nickname For Travis Kelce