Why Taylor Swift stayed silent during furious backlash against best friend Blake Lively amid It Ends with Us drama

Taylor Swift has decided not to publicly defend her best friend Blake Lively amid the ongoing It Ends With Us drama because she wants to 'steer clear' of 'bad press,' a source has claimed.

Rumors of a feud between Blake, 37, and her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni, 40, have dominated headlines in recent weeks, sparking a furious backlash for both of the stars.

Blake, for her part, was blasted as 'tone-deaf' for the way she answered a press question about the serious themes in the film - and was called a 'bully' by a reporter over a 'rude' comment that she made in a resurfaced interview.

Amid the immense scrutiny, the actress' close pal Taylor, 34 - who very-publicly supported Blake's husband, Ryan Reynold's new Deadpool movie weeks earlier - remained suspiciously tight-lipped.

Now, an insider has shared the real reason why the Cruel Summer songstress chose not to come to her longtime friend's defense, explaining that the popstar didn't want to get involved because she feared it might negatively impact her own image.

Taylor Swift has decided not to publicly defend her best friend Blake Lively amid the ongoing It Ends With Us drama because she wants to 'steer clear' of 'bad press,' a source has revealed 

They claimed that while she was 'more than willing to help promote Ryan's movie,' she wanted nothing to do with the 'wave of bad press' surrounding It Ends With Us. 

'When it comes to the wave of bad press around It Ends with Us, Taylor did not want to get involved,' they said. 

'She has stayed clear of drama, including anything political, and she knew that this was not going to go well if she jumped in to defend her.'

But the source added that Blake completely 'understood' Taylor's perspective, and knows the singer 'will always be there' for her as a 'best friend and mentor.' 

'Blake understood this and knew she had to navigate this on her own. Taylor will always be there for Blake in her role as a best friend and mentor,' they continued. 

'She was there to help her through production of It Ends With Us and was flattered to be included in the soundtrack.'

While Taylor may not have publicly spoken out about the drama, she did subtly show her support for Blake by throwing an enormous birthday bash for the mom-of-four at her Rhode Island home last week.

The two women, as well as a slew of other stars, were photographed partying it up on the balcony of the hitmaker's stunning beachside mansion on Sunday. 

Rumors of a feud between Blake, 37, and her It Ends With Us costar Justin Baldoni, 40, have dominated headlines in recent weeks, sparking furious backlash for both of the stars 

Amid the immense scrutiny, the actress' close pal Taylor, 34 - who very-publicly supported Blake's husband, Ryan Reynold's new movie weeks earlier - remained tight-lipped

And according to the insider, the celebration was 'exactly what Blake needed' to get through the onslaught of criticism. 

'When Taylor opened her home in RI for her birthday, it was exactly what Blake needed,' they dished.

Now, an insider has shared the real reason why the Cruel Summer songstress chose not to come to her longtime friend's defense

'She was able to talk to people and get their opinions on how she should handle this and she got some great advice from her friends.'

They said Taylor gave Blake some 'honest' advice on how to handle the situation.

And they believe the actress will continue to handle the drama similarly to how Taylor faces negative headlines: by staying silent.

'Blake knows that the best way to get through this is not to do anything at all for the time being and let it blow over. People will forget,' they concluded.

A previous source told DailyMail.com that Blake was 'relying' on Taylor behind-the-scenes to get through the media 'storm.'

'Blake has been relying on Taylor to get her through this storm in the same way that she relied on her every step of the way during the filming of It Ends with Us,' they said. 'Taylor knows how to handle backlash better than anyone.' 

They also claimed that the actress was purposely bringing up her friendship with Taylor in 'interviews and other promotional work' in the hope that it will 'help pull her out of this mess.' 

They said that while she was 'more than willing to help promote Ryan's movie,' she wanted nothing to do with the 'wave of bad press' surrounding Blake's (seen with Taylor in February)

While Taylor may not have publicly spoken out about the drama, she did subtly show her support by throwing a birthday party for Blake at her RI home (Blake seen at the party)

It Ends With Us, which is based off Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name, follows Lily Bloom, played by Blake, who becomes embroiled in an abusive relationship with Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin. 

Blake was previously slammed after she replied with a sarcastic quip after a reporter asked her how people who related to what her character went through should approach her and talk to her about it if they saw her in person.

She laughed and said: 'Ask for my address or my phone number. Or I could just share my location.'

The star was also blasted online after she hosted an interview with her It Ends With Us costars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, as well as Colleen, and failed to discuss domestic violence. 

The four women giggled together as they discussed everything from their dream jobs to their zodiac signs.

Afterwards, social media users were quick to slam them - particularly Blake, who hosted the interview - for partaking in the breezy questionnaire given the serious nature of the film. 

Amid the controversy, a journalist reposted an 'uncomfortable' interview that she had with Blake in 2016, which further increased the fury.

Rumors of a divide between Blake and her costar Justin first arose after fans noticed that they failed to do any press together leading up to the film's release

Blake was previously slammed for the way she answered an interview question about domestic violence, which is heavily covered in the film

During the sit-down, the actress made a snarky comment about Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa's 'bump' after she had congratulated a then-pregnant Blake on her impending arrival - but the journalist was not expecting. 

After the moment went viral, Kjersti, 51, told DailyMail.com exclusively that Blake's response was especially hurtful because she cannot conceive. 

Another insider told DailyMail.com last week that the immense backlash has left Blake 'fearing' for her future in the movie industry.

They said she believed this was going to be 'her moment to shine,' but is now worried that it may be the 'end of her career.' 

'Blake is definitely saddened by the hate she is getting and is trying not to let it affect her but it is,' they said.

'She thought this was her moment to shine but is now looking at it like the end of her career. She’s fearing no one will want to work with her after this.

'She really wants to continue producing and directing and acting but she knows she needs to take a step back for a minute to reassess the future.'