Taylor Swift’s Subtle Shade at Blake Lively; Insights on Travis Kelce’s Absence

When Taylor Swift stepped out on Thursday evening in New York City, it wasn’t the casual dinner it first appeared to be.

The ‘Karma’ singer, 35, was preemptively celebrating the buyback of her masters, sources exclusively reveal to the Daily Mail.

Swift has for years lamented the inability to own the rights to her songbook, prompting her to re-record her entire discography. But on Friday, she announced she had finally been able to successfully buy her life’s work. 

‘Taylor was celebrating last night and is absolutely on cloud nine,’ an insider said. ‘She’s been praying for this moment for a long time — finally owning all the work she’s created outright.’

In preperation for the announcment, Swift booked a table on Thursday at her favorite New York restaurant, trendy Italian eatery Via Carota. 

Joining her were long-time pal and actress Dakota Johnson – as well as their respective brothers, Austin Swift and Jesse Johnson.

A glowing Swift sported a black, floral print frock and her signature red lip.

And, according to that insider, ‘Taylor has been loving florals lately. She feels the style is a perfect fit for spring.’

But could the outfit choice have meant something more?

It’s no secret that, aside from the long-running battle over her masters, Swift has been more recently locked in another war… with one Blake Lively.

Her ten-year friendship with the actress has spectacularly collapsed in recent weeks over what sources close to Swift have described as a ‘betrayal’ of epic proportions.

In short, it is said that Swift blames Lively for her unwanted inclusion in the actress’s ugly legal battle over her movie ‘It Ends With Us’. Lively, 37, has sued her co-star Justin Baldoni, 41, for sexual harassment. Baldoni has countersued for defamation.

And while all parties deny the allegations, Swift’s name was – in the process – dragged into legal papers, leaving her feeling ‘exploited’, according to sources.

Eagle-eyes Swifties may recall that Lively’s character in the movie was named Lily Bloom – a florist by trade. And that while promoting the movie, which is centered around a domestic violence storyline, Lively was memorably criticized for telling fans to ‘grab your florals’ and see it in theaters.

Could it possibly be then that Swift’s choice to wear florals – for a meal celebrating her undoubted triumph over adversity – was, at least in part, intended to send a subtle message that this is a woman who won’t be taken for a ride.

After all, as the Daily Mail previously reported, things recently got so bad that the songstress’s father, 73-year-old Scott Swift, had to get involved.

Last week, an insider dramatically revealed that Scott had turned over evidence to Baldoni’s legal team claiming that Lively had ‘threatened to leak’ her private text exchanges with Swift, unless her long-time pal unless the singer publicly sided with her against Baldoni. Lively denies the claims.

Though it seems Swift’s doting dad isn’t the only family member who has the singer’s back right now.

Indeed, her brother Austin accompanied her and Dakota Johnson on Thursday night at Via Carota, where the salt-baked branzino will set you back $69.

‘She’s been friends with Dakota for years, and her brother Austin — who’s also one of her closest friends — works with her, overseeing aspects of music licensing,’ our insider said. ‘So, naturally, this dinner was a big celebration.’

Another source added: ‘She is in euphoria… she wanted to celebrate with close friends and family.’ 

Swift’s public appearances have been few and far between of late amid a string of solo appearances by her football star beau, Travis Kelce. 

She was noticeably absent from the American Music Awards on Monday, which an insider exclusively told the Daily Mail was to avoid ‘1000s of questions about the Blake Lively saga.’

Swift was spotted on a low-key dinner date last week in Florida with Kelce, 35, who is currently hunkering down in a $20 million mansion in the Sunshine State has he prepares for the next NFL season.

But the Chiefs tight end, who Swift has been dating since 2023, was noticeably absent from Thursday night’s dinner.

‘It is OK that Travis wasn’t there because he is preparing for the upcoming season and work is very important, and they will have privately celebrated themselves. All is well with her and Travis,’ one source said. ‘She was eager to be back in NYC and blow off some steam.’

Might this mark a return to the public eye for Swift?

The source said: ‘We are going to see a little more of Taylor in the next few months and she is going to be out a little more.’