Never Getting Back Together? Taylor Swift 'Didn't Even Text' Blake Lively On Her Birthday: Source

On August 25, 2026, Blake Lively marked her 39th birthday with a sweet Instagram message from her husband, Ryan Reynolds. There were also plenty of celebratory greetings from A-list friends like Hugh Jackman and Taika Waititi, among many others. "August 25th is this family's Super Bowl™️," Reynolds wrote alongside photos of the "Gossip Girl" star over the years. "Happy Birthday to the very best human I know," he gushed. "You're not just another courageous and deeply kind genius. You're also unreasonably cute. I know how lucky I am that you were born." Meanwhile, one person notably didn't appear to acknowledge the occasion — Lively's former BFF Taylor Swift, who reportedly let the day pass without so much as a text. Ouch. 

As sources dished to gossip journalist Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice Substack, "Blake was absolutely hoping Taylor would reach out. A text. Flowers. Even two words: 'Happy birthday.' Nothing came. That silence said everything." The once-inseparable besties are rumored to have been on the outs since Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal war, which threatened to shatter Swift's good girl persona. According to insiders, if the "Shallows" star was still holding out hope that she and Swift would patch things up some day, the singer's radio silence on her birthday may have dashed those hopes.

"Blake kept telling herself there was a path back," an insider revealed. "She thought time would cool everything down and Taylor would eventually remember how much they loved each other." But it appears that the "Bad Blood" hitmaker has zero intentions of rekindling their friendship, and Lively is gradually coming to terms with that. "Blake finally understands she cannot force Taylor back into her life," added another source, "You can ignore a lot of signs. It's harder to ignore your birthday."

There was already a damning hint that Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's friendship was over: The "Gossip Girl" alum and Ryan Reynolds were left out of her lavish wedding to Travis Kelce in July. That's saying a lot, considering the two had been good friends since 2015, with Swift even serving as godmother to the celebrity couple's children. And naturally, Lively's feelings were hurt. As a source who spoke to the Daily Mail, shortly after Swift's wedding snub (that cut even deeper with another former bestie on the guest list), pointed out, "It feels bad to be excluded like that. She had sort of hoped that despite everything, their history was enough that they'd be included, but that's not the way it went." In fact, the actor reportedly even had an outfit chosen for the ceremony, believing that she and the pop star would reconcile in time for Swift's big day. 

"That's how convinced she was — and still is — that this friendship can be saved," another insider admitted to Naughty But Nice in May. Meanwhile, when Swift turned 36, in December 2025, Lively reportedly still wished her friend a happy birthday even though the pair had drifted apart. "She didn't expect anything back," a source clarified at the time, to Rob Shuter's Substack. "She just couldn't let the day go by without saying something." The "Age of Adeline" star opted to reach out in private instead of posting on Instagram, out of respect for Swift. "It was very personal, not for show. Blake wanted to acknowledge the day without any pressure or expectation," they noted. As for whether Lively got a response or was left on read, alas, we may never know.