It looks like Taylor Swift is officially entering a new friendship era, and this time, her plus-one is none other than Fifty Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson. The singer has seemingly replaced former bestie Blake Lively in her girl squad, and Dakota is taking the role.
Just one day before she made a major public announcement about buying her original music catalog back, Taylor Swift, 35, was spotted heading to a chic dinner at Via Carota in New York City. Her dining companion? Dakota Johnson, who looked effortlessly cool in a sleek, all-black outfit, via The Daily Mail.
Taylor kept things glam and romantic in a black floral print dress, paired with red lipstick and her signature confidence. But this wasn’t just a girls’ night out, both women brought along their brothers, making it a full-on family affair. Taylor’s brother, Austin, and Dakota’s brother Jesse joined them for the intimate dinner, giving off chosen family vibes if we’ve ever seen them.
The sighting comes hot on the heels of some major friendship drama swirling around Swift and her long-time bestie, Blake Lively. According to the outlet, the two reportedly had a falling-out so intense it could inspire an entire album. The root of the drama? Lively allegedly threatened to leak embarrassing private text messages unless Taylor publicly backed her in a messy legal war with her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni.
Taylor Swift Swaps Blake Lively for Dakota Johnson
To make things even more dramatic, Baldoni’s lawyer subpoenaed Taylor as a witness, dragging her directly into the feud. Taylor’s team didn’t hold back, clapping back that the singer had “never set foot on the set” and had simply licensed one of her songs, My Tears Ricochet, for the film’s trailer. The subpoena was later dropped, but the damage to the friendship appears to be permanent. A source told the publication, “Taylor is done” with Blake following the behind-the-scenes chaos.
The lawsuit itself reads like a plot from Scandal. Baldoni claimed that during a meeting with Ryan Reynolds about a rooftop scene, Lively used Swift’s presence to pressure him into accepting her version of the script. He even said he felt like he “needed to comply” because Taylor was in the room. Then there’s the alleged Khaleesi moment. Blake reportedly referred to Taylor and Ryan as her “dragons” in texts to Baldoni, invoking the wrath of Game of Thrones’ Daenerys Targaryen.
For someone as media-savvy as Swift, it’s no surprise she’s distancing herself from this firestorm.
“Taylor has politely backed away from it all. She is conscious of her own image and hates that she was even mentioned,” a source said.
Enter Dakota Johnson. While the new friendship might seem sudden, it’s not totally out of nowhere. Dakota name-dropped Taylor during her Saturday Night Live monologue last year, calling her “the most powerful person in America” while roasting Donald Trump. That line hit, and clearly, there’s been mutual admiration brewing behind the scenes.
Now, with Swift stepping away from the chaos of her friendship with Lively, it seems she’s strengthening her bond with other celeb pals who bring less drama and more low-key cool. And let’s be real, Taylor and Dakota walking into a New York hotspot together is the A-list girl gang energy we didn’t know we needed.
So, is this the end of an era for Taylor Swift and Blake Lively? All signs point to yes. But if Dakota Johnson is the new go-to dinner date, we’re not mad at it. Swift might be singing about heartbreak on stage, but off-stage, she’s curating a new vibe, minus the messy lawsuit.
Nina Franklin 
Sofia Bassett 
