Is Taylor Swift’s new album throwing shade at Blake Lively? Swifties think yes, so here’s everything to know

Taylor Swift is ready to dazzle once again! The pop icon’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, drops October 3, and while it’s brimming with glamorous, cinematic flair inspired by her Eras Tour, fans think a certain track could be less about glitter and more about grudges.

Swift announced the album during an August 2025 appearance on New Heights, chatting with co-hosts Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce — her boyfriend since 2023 — and instantly set the internet ablaze. Within hours, Swifties were combing through the release date (just two days before Travis’s birthday) for clues. That night, she also revealed the cover art: a collage-style shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott featuring Swift in a silver beaded bra top, bracelets, and partially submerged in water, surrounded by turquoise and orange tones — colours she’s been teasing all era.

But amidst all the shimmer, one song title has sparked a frenzy: Ruin the Friendship. The track’s placement as number six on the album, combined with recent headlines, has fans buzzing about whether Swift is taking aim at her longtime pal Blake Lively. “Who else thinks Ruin The Friendship and CANCELLED! are about Blake Lively Taylor Swift…please…” wrote one fan on X. Another chimed in, “Taylor Swift’s ruin the friendship has to be about Blake Lively.” And then there’s the blunt: “If there is a song on Taylor swifts new album about Blake lively… it’s probably the first one.”

Their speculation isn’t entirely unfounded. PEOPLE reported in May that the two women’s decade-long friendship hit a rocky patch amid Lively’s legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Things escalated when Baldoni’s legal team served Swift with a subpoena, prompting her to back away from the drama. Sources claimed Swift was rattled after being mentioned in a text Lively sent, allegedly calling her one of her “dragons.” While the insider stressed their friendship isn’t over, it has “halted” — and the subpoena, served on May 8, “fractured” the fragile peace between them.

Given Swift’s history of channelling real-life rifts into chart-topping anthems, fans are preparing for The Life of a Showgirl to be both a glittery spectacle and, perhaps, a carefully choreographed clapback.