If you’ve ever wondered Taylor Swift, 32, feels about her boyfriend, the actor Joe Alwyn, 31? Just take a listen to one of her songs—many of which were probably inspired by him. Look at “Lover” and “London Boy.” Swift claimed that while she doesn’t talk (a lot) about her personal life or past relationships, she does so in her writing. “I don’t talk about my personal life in great detail. I write about it in my songs, and I feel like you can share enough about your life in your music to let people know what you’re going through,” Swift told Glamour in 2012.
Over the course of her career, Taylor Swift has picked up a lot of knowledge about how to live in the spotlight, but perhaps most significantly, how to keep it a little more private—especially when it comes to her romantic relationships. As someone who has endured her fair share of attention from the media and excessive criticism of her relationships over the years as someone who has earned a livelihood composing some of the best love songs and breakup songs of her generation. (John Mayer, Tom Hiddleston, Jake Gyllenhaal, etc.)
And that’s precisely why Swifties (including me) have been looking to get every last detail about her relationship with Joe Alwyn.
After connecting in 2016, the couple shared identical pictures of themselves next to a huge cactus in May 2018 to make their first (kind of) Instagram official. Swift and the “Conversations With Friends” star have talked about each other so little in interviews as their relationship has become more public, but more frequently in lyrics.
Swift revealed that the song “Lavender Haze,” off her next album “Midnights,” was inspired by her romance. She explained that “lavender haze” refers to the “all-encompassing love glow.”
“If the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re going to weigh in on it. My relationship for six years, we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff — and we just ignore it,” she said. “This song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”
Ahead, find a full timeline of Taylor and Joe’s relationship, as she releases her tenth album, Midnights.
They might have first met during the May 2016 Met Gala, according to fans.
“Manus X Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” served as the theme of the 2016 Met Gala, which Alwyn and Swift both attended.
Fans conjectured that the British actor and singer met at the gala based on the lyrics to Swift’s song “Dress,” even though she was in a relationship with Calvin Harris, who wasn’t present.
“Flashback when you met me / Your buzzcut and my hair bleached,” she sings. Alwyn showed up to the Met Gala with a shaved head, and Swift donned a bleached blonde bob with her Louis Vuitton dress.
Considering the fact that this was the same night that she met Tom Hiddleston, the man who, according to admirers, served as the inspiration for her song “Gorgeous,” (hmmmmm)
“I got a boyfriend, he’s older than us / He’s in the club doing, I don’t know what.” The gorgeous man in question? Joe. But more on that in a moment.
They are seen attending the same concert in October 2016.
Just one month after splitting with Hiddleston, Taylor went to a Kings of Leon performance, according to ELLE. E! also reported that Joe was also spotted that evening at the same concert. Stroke of luck? Maybe. Or perhaps not.
They started dating in 2016
Taylor Swift and Joe Awlyn were dating as of late 2016, albeit they never explicitly said how they met. Remember, Swift had been linked to Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston earlier that year.
That same year Taylor attended Joe’s movie debut in November. She attended Joe’s movie, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, with a group of people. However, it’s unclear if they were dating at this point because, according to ELLE, he wasn’t even mentioned in the press coverage of the premiere, and he might not have even been there.
Photocopies of Swift’s journal entries, including one from January 3, 2017, in which she details her new romance, were included on the 2019 album “Lover.” The timings of the journal entries match her connection even if Alwyn isn’t specifically mentioned.
“I’m essentially based in London, hiding out trying to protect us from the nasty world that just wants to ruin things.
“We have been together and no one has found out for three months now. I want it to stay that way because I don’t want anything about this to change.
“It’s senseless to worry about someday not being happy when I am happy now,” she wrote.
They’re reportedly dating, according to reports from May 16, 2017.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have been dating for a few months, according to a source close to the couple, and both of their families and friends are supportive:
“This isn’t a new couple alert or a secret relationship – the only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us, Taylor and Joe’s closest friends and their families, were aware they have been together for several months and have known each other for a long time.
“After her 1989 tour and all the attention Taylor received, she learned she had to be more protective of her personal life and she and Joe decided early on to keep their private life private.”
During the early days of their relationship, the “Delicate” singer is said to have used disguises to stay anonymous.
A source told The Sun that the singer flew to see her British beau in London “via private jets and her security has made it a military-like mission to prevent her from being seen.
“The outlet also reported that, “She’s been walking around with Joe in London using disguises, like scarves and hats, to keep her identity under wraps.”
They are finally photographed by the paparazzi in Nashville on June 5, 2017.
The duo was finally photographed by the paparazzi while they were sitting on a balcony in Nashville, where Alwyn is claimed to have first met Swift’s parents.
On July 25, 2017, they are caught once more, in New York.
The pair were seen leaving Swift’s apartment while wearing hoodies that were pulled tightly over their faces. Swift and Alwyn were desperate to hide their identities in the photos.
Swift informs her fans that her latest single, “Gorgeous,” is about Alwyn on October 20, 2017.
For her new album, Reputation, Swift held a “secret” listening session. She supposedly told fans that Alwyn is the inspiration of the song “Gorgeous.”
She gave hints though – the singer discussed falling in love while already in a relationship in the song “Gorgeous.” She sings. “You should take it as a compliment / That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk,” I like to believe she was potentially referring to the British actor’s accent.
“Basically Taylor made us all promise that if anyone made any accusations of who this song is about, we tell them it is 100 percent about her angel boyfriend of one year,” a fan wrote on Tumblr. “This isn’t a secret. She wanted us to tell people.”
Fans have speculated that the “Boy Erased” actor has been Swift’s creative inspiration ever since the two first became acquainted.
Fans have repeatedly picked up on minor nuances that Swift incorporated into her work that may have hinted to her lover.
For instance, the song “…Ready For It?” included the number “91” in it. The year Alwyn was born, 1991, was thought to be represented by the number. Her boyfriend’s birthday is February 21, as several viewers pointed out when they noticed that she likewise types “21” into the keypad.
Ed Sheeran breaks the goodies on Alwyn on October 27, 2017.
In October 2017, Swift’s close friend Ed Sheeran declared his approbation of the union. SwiftWhen questioned about Alwyn on Capital London’s Breakfast Show, a British radio program shortly after she revealed that “Gorgeous” is about the actor he said: “He’s really nice.”
“Really, really friendly, really good dude.”
“They are very much in love, they have quite a low-key relationship, which Taylor likes. It’s normal, and no one really knows about it right now.”
On December 11, 2017, the couple was seen cuddling up together while watching Ed Sheeran perform.
While Ed Sheeran was on stage at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Bell Ball in New York City, Swift and Alwyn briefly let their guard down and got down and dirty with some PDA.
“THEY LITERALLY SLOW DANCED TO ALL EDS SONGS WITH THEIR ARMS AROUND ONE ANOTHER AND JUST KEPT LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND KISSING,” a fan tweeted, according to EW
In 2018, she made a rendition of the Earth, Wind & Fire song “September,” which hinted to their romance.
In April 2018, Swift gave a rendition of the enduring song “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire. Fans conjectured that the new date, September 28, was the day Alwyn declared his love to Swift when she changed the lyrics from “September 21” to “September 28.”Swift supported a Tumblr post that described the notion.
In 2018, Swift and Alwyn made an Instagram debut.
Swift and Alwyn acknowledged their relationship online about a year and a half after they first started dating. They posted similar images of themselves next to a large cactus on their Instagram pages.
In the caption, Swift revealed how excited she was to be going on her “Reputation” tour.”
Fact: I’ve never been more excited about a tour than I am about this one,” she said. “And it starts TOMORROW. Also, not even remotely tour related, but today I met a cactus. 🌵.”
What about Alwyn’s post? The actor’s caption included a cactus emoji.
Alwyn said he would ‘prefer to talk about work’ over relationships.
Alwyn was asked about his relationship with Swift during an interview with British Vogue in May 2018 — not long after the aforementioned cactus photographs — and responded that he would prefer not to talk about it with the magazine.
“I’m aware people want to know about that side of things,” he said. “I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people. But I really prefer to talk about work.”
Following his performance in “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” in 2016, that year also served as Alwyn’s breakthrough. “The Favourite,” “Mary Queen of Scots,” “Boy Erased,” and “Operation Finale” were the four films in which the English actor appeared.
Alywn addressed his reluctance to speak to the media about his relationship with Swift when asked about her again in a September 2018 interview with Total Film.
“I understand people’s curiosity in the world we live in, about people’s private lives. Well, I don’t understand it, but I know it exists,” he said. “For me, I just don’t feel it’s something I want to offer up to be picked apart by people who don’t know about it, and it’s just not theirs to have.”
Alwyn briefly discusses Swift’s recent political activism.
Following a career-long absence from politics, Swift returned to it in early October with an endorsement of two Tennessee congressional candidates.Alwyn was asked about Swift’s post in an interview a few days later.
He said, “I think it’s great, and I think it’s important,” before staggering uncomfortably away.
Swift mentions Alwyn on social media on November 23, 2018.
Swift finally shared something on Instagram about Alwyn—or at the very least, his work—after knowing him for two years.
It was a snippet of a movie trailer for his newest release, The Favourite, with a statement praising the movie and urging her fans to see it. Along with Nicholas Hoult’s and Alwyn’s accounts, she also tagged the movie’s.
Alwyn affirms his desire to maintain the secrecy of his personal affairs again in Nov. 25, 2018.
Again, Alwyn avoided talking about Taylor in an interview with GQ by saying, “Someone’s private life is, by definition, private. No one is obliged to share their personal life.” Also declining to name a favorite Swift song. “I’m just not even going to go into that side of the world,” he said.
Alwyn discloses a tiny bit about their relationship on December 7, 2018.
Alwyn gave a sliver of information regarding his relationship with Swift just to stir things up before claiming he didn’t want to talk about it. Esquire questioned him about whether or not he sought advice from friends before starting to date Swift.
“I didn’t seek out advice on that,” he said. “Because I know what I feel about it. I think there’s a very clear line as to what somebody should share, or feel like they have to share, and what they don’t want to and shouldn’t have to.”
Swift attends the London premiere of Alwyn’s film on December 11, 2018.
Swift made an appearance at both the after-party and the Mary Queen of Scots premiere at the Cineworld in Leicester.
Swift and Alwyn attend the Golden Globes on January 6, 2019. (separately).
Swift presented the Best Original Score and Best Original Song at the 2019 Golden Globes as Alwyn attended the awards ceremony for his nominated movie The Favourite. Even though they did not walk the red carpet together, a source told Us Weekly that they engaged in some flirtation when she was onstage.
“While Taylor presented, Joe watched the teleprompter near him and smiled and (his Favourite costar) Nicholas Hoult patted him on the back,” the source said. “After Gaga walked on stage, Joe shifted his gaze to the stage near Taylor.” The insider added, “She was smiling at him while she walked off the stage. She looked over her shoulder and gave a sassy cute little smile at his table’s direction.”
In the 2018 historical piece drama “The Favourite,” played by Alwyn, Baron Masham, Swift praised the movie the day before its release, calling it “absolutely phenomenal.” as aforementioned above.
Swift and Alwyn are seen leaving a BAFTAS after party on February 10, 2019.
Swift decided not to attend the Grammys in lieu of a BAFTAs after party with her boyfriend. Together with Alwyn, Swift exuded big Cinderella vibes while wearing a light blue Stella McCartney gown. Even walking hand in hand (💕💕thank God for cameras)
Whispers of an engagement start in March 2019.
There were rumors that Swift and Alwyn were soon to be engaged as they continued to film Cats for the big screen in London. “Taylor’s friends are all talking about a proposal and how she really wants to marry Joe,” an Us Weekly source shared. “He’s her dream guy.”
These opinions were echoed by a People source, who stated, Taylor really got lucky to meet Joe, and she is the first one to say it. Joe really is one of a kind.”
The couple is seen out on a date in May 2019.
Swift and Alwyn went to Café de Flore for breakfast before making a rare public appearance and strolling through Paris.
Later that month, the couple went on a double date with Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse, a private pair. The four low-key celebrities dined at San Vicente Bungalows in Hollywood, according to an onlooker for Us Weekly, and spent the evening joking about.
Swift releases Lover in August 2019, and fans immediately start dissecting the lyrics.
Swift assured her fans that new music would address her current relationship…in so many words—before the August 23 release of her album Lover. She stated this on a YouTube Live.
“It’s a really romantic album, but it really celebrates love in all its complexity. Not just flowers and sunshine but the patchwork emotions that go into any love you feel.”
As soon as the album was out, fans started analyzing each song for hints about the relationship. Some people even speculated that Swift’s songs “Lover” and “Paper Rings” were her big marriage announcement.
In interviews, Swift remained silent on Alwyn. She explained to The Guardian why she would not discuss her relationship. She said, “I’ve learned that if I do, people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion,” she said with a laugh. “If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it—but it’s just that it goes out into the world. That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”
Soon after, a source for People provided an update on the couple, saying, “Joe’s personality is great for Taylor. He is very calm and always very supportive. He’s sympathetic and understanding and supports her speaking out about things that she doesn’t agree with.”
Even her inner circle likes Joe, the source added: “There’s something refreshing and different about their relationship. Joe makes Taylor very happy, and it’s hard to picture her not spending the rest of her life with him. Her family loves him. He seems older than he is and is a fantastic guy.”
When asked about comments on the relationship from either party? It’s doubtful, claims the source: “Joe loves acting but doesn’t want to be a celebrity,” the source said. “They both agree that for their relationship to keep working, they want to keep things more quiet. She’s the happiest she’s ever been.”
The couple gets captured on camera while flying in a private jet on September 2019.
Following a low-key visit to Swift’s beach property in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, the pair were captured getting on Swift’s private plane.
They are spotted together on October 5, 2019 following SNL.
Alwyn and Swift were spotted holding hands following Swift’s Saturday Night Live performances, which was a rare sighting for the couple. They went to Zuma in New York for the show’s after party.
Swift celebrates Thanksgiving with Alwyn in November 2019.
Alwyn and Swift spent Thanksgiving together in London, according to E! , but not before having an extravagant American Friendsgiving with Martha Hunt, Antoni Porowski, and Gigi Hadid.
The couple spend time in London in the early days of December 2019.
E! and Us Weekly Both published stories early in the month indicating that the couple’s relationship is still strong.
“Taylor has had a tough year and Joe has been a rock for her,” a source told Us. “They are still going very strong.”
Meanwhile, E! reported that,“Taylor has been spending a lot of down time in London,” per a source. “She doesn’t go out much other than to take a walk with Joe or go to the local pub. They spend a lot of time with Joe’s family and friends. All weekend they had people come over or they went to family members’ homes.”
Swift posted a picture of her British Vogue cover on Instagram, which Alwyn liked immediately away, further demonstrating that the couple is getting along just great.
Alwyn supports Swift’s acting endeavors as of December 16, 2019.
Alwyn was present for Swift’s subtle support at the Cats premiere in New York City.
The pair spends Christmas together on December 26, 2019.
Taylor visited Joe in London for the holiday. According to E!, she spent Christmas there as well as some other time with him in December.
“Taylor spent the holidays in England with Joe,” a source told the outlet. “She was there for the week leading up to Christmas and spent time with Joe’s family and friends. Some of Taylor’s family also flew in from Nashville to spend time with them.”
The two are serenaded in the Maldives on January 1, 2020.
With a concert in the Maldives, Alwyn and Swift rang in the New Year. Singer Matthew Crane shared the information on Instagram, despite neither party publicly disclosing the vacation arrangements.
“So I can now finally reveal who I sung to on New Year’s Eve in the Maldives, probably the most notable Pop Star at the moment, the one and only @taylorswift and @joe.alwyn,” he wrote on his Instagram. “They were both so friendly and kind to me when I performed, they even gave me a standing ovation and complimented on my voice. It was truly an honor and an experience that I will never forget. 🎤🎶”
Alwyn and Swift are seated next to one another at the 2020 Golden Globes on January 5.
Swift and Alwyn had their most public outing to date at the 2020 Golden Globes, where Swift was a presenter and nominee for Best Original Song – Motion Picture for her and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new original song for Cats “Beautiful Ghosts.”
While they didn’t walk the red carpet together, onlookers captured Swift and Alwyn taking their seats next to each other inside the ballroom.
E! also shared a picture of the duo seated together, with Swift wearing an Etro gown and Alwyn wearing a tux.
The pair was then photographed at the Golden Globes CAA after party a source informed E! Swift wasn’t scared to display PDA with Alwyn while dressed in a glittery blue Alexandre Vauthier gown.
Netflix releases Miss Americana on January 31, 2020.
New information about Swift’s relationship with Alwyn was revealed with the release of the documentary Miss Americana. After her Kim Kardashian Snapchat controversy had damaged her reputation, she spoke hazily about why she fell for Alwyn in the fall of 2016.
“I felt alone, I felt really bitter,” she explained. “I felt sort of like a wounded animal lashing out. I figured I had to reset everything. I had to reconstruct an entire belief system for my own personal sanity. I also was falling in love with someone who had a wonderfully normal, balanced life.”
Swift also explained why she and Alwyn decided to remain secretive about their relationship. “We decided together we wanted our relationship to be private,” she said. “Even though it [Swift’s public image in 2016] was really horrible, I was happy. But I wasn’t happy in the way I was trained to be happy. It was happiness without anyone else’s input. We were just…happy.”
Alwyn’s appearances are scarce in the video. After a tour stop for “Getaway Car,” he gave her a backstage embrace and kissed her hand in the car. Swift also sang Alwyn a song from her album Reputation that is thought to be for him. While he was filming her, she sang the song “Call It What You Want” to him.
They’re sighted at the NME Awards on February 12, 2020.
The two didn’t walk the 2020 NME Awards carpet together. According to ELLE, Swift and Alwyn became close in the London audience of the NME Awards just before Valentine’s Day. When Swift was named the Best Solo Act winner, an audience member noticed that she and Alwyn were sharing a kiss and a hug. She was wearing a two-tone Monse short suit.
They celebrate Alwyn’s birthday on February 23, 2020.
Swift celebrated Alwyn’s 29th birthday in London with Alwyn himself, Ed Sheeran, and Cherry Seaborn, the singer’s wife. According to E! News, the foursome and a few other friends converged at the Soho restaurant Bob Bob Richard.
“They had fun drinking champagne at the table by pushing a button that says ‘Press for Champagne’ and having it immediately dispensed,” a restaurant source told E!. “They were there for several hours enjoying the night.”
On March 24, 2020, we find out that they discussed getting married.
An Us Weekly source gave an update on marriage talks between Alwyn and Swift. “[They] have talked about their future and marriage,” a source told the outlet. “They don’t have a set deadline in place, but they’re very much in love.” The source added, “Taylor considers Joe one of the only safe constants in her life. He has always been a huge support and stuck by her.”
April 29, 2020: The couple finally lets slip some information through social media.
Fans were led to believe that Alwyn and Swift were quarantining together after he posted a rare look at their relationship on social media. Benjamin Button, Swift’s cat, was featured in a number of his posts around her home. (Note – The furnishings go with the backdrop of this most recent Swift post.)
Similarly to Swift’s picture on May 7 in which she is shown holding a glass of wine, Alwyn also shared a photo of himself sipping from a tall glass of white wine.
“I love spending a full evening cooking a meal while sipping a glass of wine and listening to old music,” Swift even revealed her quarantine schedule to People via Billboard.
More photos emerge on May 13, 2020.
A few weeks later, Alwyn posted another update about the quarantine on Instagram. Benjamin, Swift’s cat, is featured in a few of the pictures he posted on his Instagram Story.
Alwyn also shared a monochrome image of himself sipping coffee and looking at the camera. Fans have conjectured that Swift took the picture, just as they have conjectured that Alwyn is stealthily taking Swift’s.
Folklore speculation begins on July 23, 2020.
Swift and Alwyn were in quarantine for a few months before Swift unexpectedly released her eighth album, folklore.
As the 16-track album’s release approached, online whispers about which tracks were influenced by Alwyn were already circulating among fans.”Cardigan” was the first tune for which there were some lyrics accessible. On the back of a brand-new piece of merchandise, according to Swift’s website, are some of the song’s lyrics.
“But I knew you / Playing hide-and-seek and / Giving me your weekends / I knew you / Your heartbeat on the High Line / Once in twenty lifetimes / And when I felt like I was an old cardigan / Under someone’s bed / You put me on and said / I was your favorite,” the romantic lyrics read, hinting at her longtime love with Alwyn.
Alwyn’s mother, Betty, is said to be referenced in the song “betty,” according to another folklore theory. It has now been claimed that the tune actually gives away the identity of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ third child. Even more intriguing: Some people appeared to believe that Alwyn himself is William Bowery, a contributor on Swift’s record. Swift did not include Bowery in the list of folklore’s co-writers and producers when she announced the album. Alwyn and Swift were reportedly observed in front of the Bowery Hotel in October 2016, and given that William is Alwyn’s great-grandfather, some people have speculated that he is the person using the alias.
Folklore is released on July 24, 2020.
The news that Swift will be releasing “Folklore,” her eighth studio album, on July 24 stunned her fans. The 16-track album was significantly different from her earlier work, and its words weren’t all autobiographical either.
Swift, on the other hand, stated that she considered people’s perspectives. “I’ve never met, people I’ve known, or those I wish I hadn’t.”
Despite her cautionary message to fans, many were concerned when songs like “The 1” and “Exile” hinted to a real-life breakup with Alwyn. However, the singer apparently began writing the record in April, weeks before Alwyn posted an Instagram photo of them isolating themselves during the pandemic.
The 11th track on Swift’s album, “Invisible String,” a love ballad, appears to prove that she is still dating Alwyn.
In the song “invisible string,” Swift makes mention of a yogurt shop in London that Alwyn worked in when he was a teenager, as well as their first relationship’s dive bars and a vacation for their third anniversary. Other tracks, such as the extra track “the lakes” and “peace,” also make references to the romance between Swift and Alwyn. An example from “Peace” would be:
All these people think love’s for show/But I would die for you in secret/The devil’s in the details, but you got a friend in me/Would it be enough if I could never give you peace? And you know that I’d swing with you for the fences/Sit with you in the trenches/Give you my wild, give you a child/Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other/Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother.
Folklore’s release led to the answer of various queries regarding the sources of Alwyn’s musical inspiration.
Swift reportedly accompanied Alwyn on their trip to Utah.
In August 2020, the actor uploaded an Instagram snapshot of himself hiking in Utah, and Swift quickly liked the picture. The singer was with Alwyn on the trip, despite the fact that she wasn’t visible in the photo, a source told E! News.
“Taylor has been based in Nashville, but she just went to Park City, Utah for a few days with Joe,” the source said. “They’re back in LA.”
13 November 2020: They explain more lyrics in her Rolling Stone cover story.
In an interview with Paul McCartney for Rolling Stone, Swift revealed that Alwyn contributed to the inspiration for “peace.”
She said that the song “is actually more rooted in my personal life. I know you have done a really excellent job of this in your personal life: carving out a human life within a public life, and how scary that can be when you do fall in love and you meet someone, especially if you’ve met someone who has a very grounded, normal way of living. I, oftentimes, in my anxieties, can control how I am as a person and how normal I act and rationalize things, but I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and what they do and if they follow our car and if they interrupt our lives. I can’t control if there’s going to be a fake weird headline about us in the news tomorrow.”
When McCartney asked if Swift’s partner was able to “sympathize with that and understand,” she replied, “Oh, absolutely.” But Swift added that her relationship with Alwyn had changed her viewpoint on maintaining privacy in her personal life. “But I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids,” she explained. “Whether that’s deciding where to live, who to hang out with, when to not take a picture—the idea of privacy feels so strange to try to explain, but it’s really just trying to find bits of normalcy. That’s what that song ‘Peace’ is taking about. Like, would it be enough if I could never fully achieve the normalcy that we both crave? [McCartney’s designer daughter] Stella always tells me that she had as normal a childhood as she could hope for under the circumstances.”
Swift verifies William Bowery’s identity on November 25, 2020.
Folklore’s release brought about months of speculation, but Swift however has officially revealed what her fans have long suspected: Alwyn is the songwriter William Bowery. Speaking with the album’s producers, The National’s Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff, Swift disclosed that Alwyn co-wrote the songs “betty” and “exile” during the Disney+ movie’s folklore: the long pond studio sessions.
“Joe plays piano beautifully and he’s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things. And ‘exile’ was crazy because Joe had written that entire piano part,” Swift explained, adding, “He was singing the Bon Iver part, the ‘I can see you standing honey, with his arms around your body, laughing but the joke’s not funny at all.’ He was just singing it. And I was entranced and asked if we could keep writing that one.”
Swift added that the fact that she and Alwyn are “really, really, really big Bon Iver fans” contributed to the success of their creative endeavor.
As for the song “Betty” Swift stated that she heard Alwyn singing “the entire fully formed chorus from another room.” She added, “And I was just like ‘Hello.’ It was a step that we would never have taken because, why would we have ever written a song together?”
It was the couple’s first time working together, which Swift and Alwyn approached with caution.
“So this was the first time we had a conversation where I came in and I was like, ‘Hey, this could be really weird, and we could hate this, so because we’re in quarantine and there’s nothing else going on, could we just try to see what it’s like if we write this song together?’” she recalled.
“Betty,” she realized that she “thought it sounded really good from a man’s voice, from a masculine perspective.”
“I’ve written so many songs from a female’s perspective of wanting a male’s apology that we decided to make it a teenage boy’s perspective apologizing after he loses the love of his life because he’s been foolish,” she explained.
The engagement rumors resurface on December 3, 2020.
Swift revealed a preview of her re-recorded version of “Love Story” in early December, which could be heard in a Match.com commercial starring buddy Ryan Reynolds. The new recording caused a stir since it was the first tangible sign that Swift was re-recording her entire library, which was owned by Scooter Braun. However, it also fueled speculation that Swift and Alwyn were engaged. Some fans suspected that the line “Baby, just said, ‘Yes,'” had been changed to “Baby, just said, ‘Yes,'” Numerous Swifties tweeted this notion in the hours following the release of the song. Several sources told E! that the song’s lyrics had not changed.
Although Entertainment Tonight was unable to corroborate engagement rumors, a source told the publication that the couple does discuss “their future together.” According to an insider, “Joe has provided such a great support system for Taylor. He is the one constant in her life that she can truly rely on. Joe has helped Taylor with her music, inspiring it. She is so grateful for him and in love with him. He is her cheerleader and rock. They have spoken about their future together, and they love celebrating the holidays together and are looking forward to that.”
According to ET’s insider, Alwyn is also helping Swift cope with her mother Andrea’s cancer diagnosis via Elle.
“[Taylor] has been having a tough time with her mom’s health, but her mom is getting treatment and she and her family have been trying to stay optimistic,” the source said. “She has been focusing on her music and spending a lot of time with Joe. Taylor wanted to take some time to herself and her family this year, so in that regard, the quarantine and break has been positive for her.”
Swift dismisses engagement rumors on December 8, 2020.
Swift deftly debunked engagement rumors when she referred to Alwyn as her “boyfriend” in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. During the early November interview, Swift was discussing who knew she was creating folklore: “The only people who knew were the people that I was making it with, my boyfriend, my family, and then my management team,” she said. “So that’s the smallest number of people I’ve ever had know about something.”
Evermore debuts on December 11, 2020.
Swift revealed the surprise release of her ninth album, evermore, just five months after the release of folklore. When the 15-track album dropped at midnight, Swifties immediately began deciphering which tracks might be about her relationship with Alwyn. At least three tracks feature the actor directly: “champagne problems,” “coney island,” and “evermore.” Alwyn’s songwriting pseudonym, William Bowery, is credited on those tracks. Aside from that, the lyrics of “long story short” and “willow” appear to allude to Swift’s long-standing love for Alwyn.
Those hoping for Swift to declare an engagement or marriage to Alwyn will be disappointed. The sole song that mentions a proposal, “champagne issues,” appears to be about a fictional pair and finishes with the woman accepting the offer. Moreover, many sources told TMZ that the two are not secretly married.
The couple are ultimately photographed again January 11, 2021 on a walk with Alwyn’s mother in London.
Via Elle, Swift and Alwyn were spotted out together in public for the first time in 11 months while walking in London with Alwyn’s mother, Elizabeth. The two were dressed for the cold. Swift had been moving between London and Nashville to visit her family and Alwyn’s family, according to E! sources.
“She is back and forth between Nashville and England spending time with her family and with Joe’s family. They take walks in the neighborhood and go on hikes to get fresh air,” they said, adding that Alwyn often “comes along.”
After Swift called out “Ginny & Georgia” writers for making a sexist joke about her dating life, Alwyn returned to Twitter to “like” the tweet.
A teenager on the Netflix show “Ginny & Georgia” tells her mother that she “passes through men faster than Taylor Swift.”As fans became aware of the remark, which many saw as misogynistic, “RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT” began trending on Twitter, according to Insider.
On Twitter, the musician responded directly, calling the joke “lazy” and “very misogynistic.”
“How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse s— as FuNnY. Also, @netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you Happy Women’s History Month I guess,” she wrote.
Alwyn returned to the social media site to support Swift’s statement after not like a tweet since November 2020.
14 January 2021: Swift indicates that she is ready to make the relationship public.
According to a source via Entertainment Tonight, Swift is ready to make her and Alwyn’s relationship more public.
“Taylor has gotten more and more comfortable being public with Joe and letting fans in on their romance in a way that she feels is still protecting it,” the source explained. “She loves Joe so much and, of course, is not trying to hide their relationship, but she prefers to keep specific details private.”
In addition, the source claimed that the couple saw a future together and was in it for the long run.
February 17, 2021: Swift adds that Alwyn influenced her decision to speak up on political topics.
Swift discussed her documentary Miss Americana and how, with Alwyn’s support, she rediscovered her voice during the 2018 midterm elections in a letter to Vanity Fair.
In rare public comments about her lover, Swift talked about how he gave her the confidence to speak out about politics.
Swift wrote, “As a country musician, I was always told it’s better to stay out of [politics]…The Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself. I found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [Joe Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out.”
The “Folklore” singer thanked Alwyn during her 2021 Grammys acceptance speech.
Swift hailed Alwyn in her acceptance speech when “Folklore” was named album of the year at the 2021 Grammy Awards, marking her the first woman to do so three times.
“Joe, who is the first person that I play every single song that I write, and I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine,” she said into the microphone
Swift mentions Alwyn in a speech at the BRIT Awards on May 11, 2021, along with several other people.
Taylor Swift took the stage after becoming the first woman and youngest person ever to win the BRIT Awards’ Global Icon award to thank friends and family, including Alwyn. Swift discussed the joys and challenges of writing her most recent albums while wearing a Miu Miu crop top and skirt.
“The world changed, and I ended up putting out three albums instead, so making folklore and evermore was one of the most unique, cathartic, extraordinary experiences I’ve ever had. I would love the opportunity to thank the amazing creative people that I made those albums with. Thank you, Aaron Dessner, thank you Jack Antonoff, Joe [Alwyn, Swift’s boyfriend], Justin Vernon, the National, Marcus Mumford, Jon Low, Serban Ghenea, Laura Sisk, and HAIM. I want to thank my friends and family who know exactly who they are: Whose opinion of me never changed whether my stock was up or down.”
Swift thanks Alwyn directly in the video below (at the 2:20 mark), which is accompanied by a brief stop and a charming smile.
May 20, 2021: Marriage rumors are still circulating.
The engagement rumors surrounding Alwyn and Swift were confirmed to be true by an article published by Entertainment Tonight at the end of May.
“They grew closer than ever during the quarantine and she really trusts him,” a source told ET. “They’ve been continuing to be pretty low-key about their relationship to the outside world to continue to protect it…They’ve discussed future plans and Taylor can see herself marrying Joe one day.”
Swift visits Alwyn on the set of his newest film on November 23, 2021.
Alwyn was absent from Swift’s November Saturday Night Live musical guest appearance because he was on location filming a new movie. According to a source, E! “Taylor visited her boyfriend on the set of his movie.”
According to ScreenDaily, The Stars at Noon began filming in October 2021 and Alwyn replaced Taron Egerton in the cast, who according to Deadline, “had to leave the project due to personal reasons.”
December 19, 2021: Swift likes Alwyn’s Instagram post from Panama.
Swift quickly liked a series of photos Alwyn shared on Sunday, December 19, that appeared to be from the set of The Stars at Noon.
Alwyn posed for pictures with filmmaker Claire Denis, who revealed she was also in Panama by posting a picture of the country’s flag.
On February 9, 2022, Alwyn makes his first brief remark on Swift in a long time.
Alwyn affirms that his romance with Swift is over when talking about his next project Conversations With Friends. “I think people can do what they want and makes them happy. I’m obviously happy in a monogamous relationship,” Alwyn said, referring to Swift, via E!.
Swift and Alwyn have discussed about their future, according to a source, on February 18, 2022.
Swift and Alwyn reportedly got engaged in secret on February 17, according to Life & Style. Their publicists declined to address the rumor. The two like to keep their personal relationship quiet, according to a source who talked with Entertainment Tonight without addressing the possibility of an engagement.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn “are very happy in their relationship,” the source said. “They’ve been enjoying their time as a couple. They have spoken about their future together and feel very secure about their relationship.” The source added that they’ve mastered balancing their careers with their relationship. “They’re supportive of each other’s careers and of each other in general,” the source said. “Both of them have been busy with work and they completely understand how to balance hectic schedules and still make time for each other. It’s part of why their relationship really works.”
Swift and Alwyn go to an Oscars party together on March 26, 2022.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn attended the CAA’s pre-Oscars party in the San Vicente Bungalows, marking one of the couple’s very few public appearances. According to two sources who spoke with E!, the two were there.
“Taylor was introducing Joe to many people around her,” the first source said. “She looked smitten and proud to be there with him.”A second source said that Swift and Alwyn “were very coupley and cute and seemed happy to be there together. Taylor and Joe were together all night. He was leading her around introducing her to people, and Taylor also introducing people to Joe. When Joe was leading Taylor around, he held his arm around her back.”
April 2022: Alwyn briefly mentions Swift in a series of interviews to promote Conversations With Friends, including engagement rumors.
On April 13, he explained to ELLE UK why he avoids talking about their romance in interviews.
“It’s not really [because I] want to be guarded and private, it’s more a response to something else,” he said with a shrug. “We live in a culture that is so increasingly intrusive… The more you give—and frankly, even if you don’t give it—something will be taken.”
And that was all he had to say this time regarding his private life.
On April 19, Alwyn discussed writing new songs with Swift with ELLE US.
“It’s not a plan of mine [to continue writing songs], no,” Alwyn said.
On April 20, he told WSJ on the subject of engagement rumors: “If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins. “I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”On April 30 to The Guardian, Alwyn addressed why he keeps his relationship with Swift private again and how he felt about them winning a Grammy for Folklore.
On what it’s like dating Swift and the attention it garners, he said, “It’s not something I think about, unless I’m in situations like this, and someone says, ‘What’s it like?’ and I have to think about what to say about it. It’s just not for other people [our relationship]. And I don’t say that with aggression.”
“I don’t know how best to talk about it,” he continued. “I mean, I’m aware of people’s … of that size of interest, and that world existing. It’s just not something I particularly care about, or have much interest in feeding, I guess, because the more it’s fed, the more you are opening a gate for intrusion. I think that’s just my response to a culture that has this increasing expectation that everything is going to be given. If you don’t post about the way you make your coffee in the morning, or if you don’t let someone take a picture when you walk out of your front door, is that being private? I don’t know if it is. So I just don’t really feed that. If you and I were having a conversation, and having a shandy in my house, and it wasn’t being recorded, then, of course, other things would be said.” (Alwyn’s last remark echoed the one Swift made to The Guardian in 2019.)
And on winning that Grammy and writing songs with Swift, he said, “It wasn’t like, ‘It’s five o’clock, it’s time to try and write a song together.’ It came about from messing around on a piano, and singing badly, then being overheard, and being, like, ‘Let’s see what happens if we get to the end of it together.’ I mean fun is such a stupid word, but it was a lot of fun. And it was never a work thing, or a ‘Let’s try and do this because we’re going to put this out’ thing. It was just like baking sourdough in lockdown. The Grammy was obviously this ridiculous bonus.”
In a new interview, Joe Alwyn says he hopes people “stop worrying” about their relationship in May 2022.
Alwyn reaffirmed in a new interview with GQ the reasons behind his decision to remain silent about his relationship, “I think because the precedent was set—that our choice is to be private and not feed that side of things—the more you do that, hopefully, the more that intrusiveness or intrigue drops off.”
During their trip to the Bahamas in June 2022, Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift are photographed kissing.
While on vacation together in the Bahamas, the pair was captured in pictures celebrating the summer solstice by TMZ. They may be seen kissing while standing neck-deep in the clear ocean waves in the hazy pictures.
Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift embark on a date in London in July 2022.
The couple had a rare public date on July 15 in London, where they were snapped by the waiting paparazzi. Together, they spent time at a public park and drank some iced coffee. Some people assumed that because Swift’s hand was momentarily seen and she didn’t have a ring on her left hand, she was definitely not engaged.
Prior to the MTV VMAs in August 2022, Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift were pictured having dinner together in New York City.
Swift and Alwyn showed their romance is still going strong nearly six years later when they were caught having dinner with Swift’s longtime friend Lena Dunham during the last week of August. The three dined at Manhattan’s premium members club Casa Cipriani, when Swift once again emerged without an engagement ring on her left finger, refuting engagement rumors.
Swift said in October 2022 that the subject of one of her songs is keeping her relationship with Alwyn a secret.
According to Swift, the first song on her next album Midnights, “Lavender Haze,” was inspired by both her romance with Alwyn and the television show Mad Men.
“I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching Mad Men,” the musical artist explained in a post on Instagram. “I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would describe being in love…If you were in the lavender haze, then that meant that you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful.”
Swift continued, “I guess theoretically, when you’re in the lavender haze, you’ll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud. I think a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just ‘public figures’, because we live in the era of social media. If the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re going to weigh in on it.”But, specifically, Swift and Alwyn have to deal with it a lot, and she added, “We’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it. This song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”
‘Lavender Haze,’ among other songs, is about Joe Alwyn.
Swift included a reference to Alwyn in the music video for “Lavender Haze” in January 2023.
In the music video for “Lavender Haze,” Swift dropped a hint about her longstanding boyfriend that astute viewers noticed. The constellations for Sagittarius and Pisces, which also happen to be Swift and Alwyn’s respective zodiac signs, are shown on a vinyl album cover in the video.
April 2023, Taylor Swift & Joe Alwyn Have Reportedly Split
After dating for more than six years, the singer and actor have split up, according to many reports. Swift’s Eras Tour, which has sold out stadiums throughout the Nation, is now on the road. According to Entertainment Tonight, who broke the story first, the breakup is amicable and “not dramatic.”
