Blake Lively Drops Subpoenas Against Three YouTubers—Drama De-Escalates!

The Hollywood legal firestorm just cooled off—sort of. Blake Lively has officially withdrawn subpoenas against three small-time YouTubers caught up in her explosive legal battle with actor/director Justin Baldoni. The subpoenas, once part of her attempt to expose a mysterious "smear campaign," are now gone… but the controversy? Far from over.

According to court documents, Lively’s team decided to pull the subpoenas issued to Kassidy O’Connell, McKenzie Folks, and Lauren Neidigh. The notice explains:

“In light of the Third-Parties’ representations made in meet and confers, public statements, … there is no further information required … Ms. Lively has therefore withdrawn the Subpoenas as to them.”
Indiatimes

• McKenzie Folks, a stay-at-home mom from Kansas with virtually zero YouTube following at the time, was blindsided by the subpoena demanding her personal data—including financial and IP info. She told The Times she had no ties to Baldoni or his team and was merely offering commentary on the case.
• Lauren Neidigh, known as LethalLauren904, publicly accused Lively of legal intimidation—and even requested a protective court order to guard against future subpoenas.
• Kassidy O’Connell also objected in court, calling the subpoenas baseless and invasive.

Lively’s legal team insists these subpoenas were standard discovery tools aimed at uncovering whether Baldoni orchestrated an online smear through content creators. But the optics? Harassment. Free speech advocates and fans alike blasted the move as an overreach—especially since many of the creators were independently voicing opinions on a public lawsuit.

Sources close to TMZ-style insiders are speculating whether Lively’s team caved under public pressure. One legal insider whispered: “The subpoena withdrawal is a PR lifeline to avoid messy courtroom drama with unknown creators.”

Meanwhile, social media is buzzing:

• “She dropped them, but what about the others?”
• “Is this damage control ahead of the March 2026 deposition?”scandalizing

Here’s the full picture for new readers:

• It Ends with Us scandalizing Hollywood when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni (her co-star/director) last December.Wikipedia+1
• Baldoni countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their team for defamation and extortion—though the counterclaims were dismissed.Wikipedia+1
• Lively has been pursuing discovery aggressively—subpoenaing celebrities like Perez Hilton and Candace Owens, plus dozens of content creators she claims were part of a coordinated smear.People.comEW.comThe Times of IndiaWikipedia
• Now, she’s backing off—at least from these three creators. The trial is still scheduled for March 2026.Indiatimes+1

Will this withdrawal defuse the Twitter wars—or will it fuel suspicion that Lively is “pulling strings” behind the scenes? Fans are calling for transparency, while lawyers on both sides gear up for the next phase.

Blake says it was all procedural. But for these content creators, the saga has become a cautionary tale about power, free speech, and how one celebrity lawsuit can sweep ordinary voices into the legal storm.