Everything We Know About Taylor Swift And Joe Alwyn's Split
Without a doubt, the world is obsessed with Taylor Swift's dating life. From Jake Gyllenhaal to John Mayer, Swift has gone through some pretty intense and public heartbreaks — and it is no secret that many of her ex-boyfriends are fiercely hated by her loyal fans.
Joe Alwyn, on the other hand, is someone who many Swifties certainly have a soft spot for. The couple had been together for more than six years after having their meet-cute at the 2016 Met Gala; sadly, news of their breakup started circulating in early April. First reported by Entertainment Tonight and later confirmed by People and CNN, the breakup was said to be "not dramatic," with sources saying that it happened because "the relationship had just run its course." Unsurprisingly, Swifties all over the world were heartbroken to know that the relationship that gave us our beloved "Lover" era was over.
Many refused to believe the authenticity of the news, while some were quick to share the signs that hinted at the split. After being publicly criticized for her dating life and her tendency to write songs about her ex-lovers, Swift understandably kept her and Alwyn's relationship away from the limelight. As of this writing, neither Swift nor Alwyn has personally confirmed the split or shared any details. Nevertheless, here is everything we know about Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn's split.
Joe Alwyn co-wrote some pretty heartbreaking songs with Taylor
Taylor Swift's 2020 albums "Folklore" and "Evermore" were written during the Covid-19 quarantine period. These albums saw the "Paper Rings" singer's switch from country-pop to indie pop, fully embracing the cottagecore aesthetic. For Swifties who were struggling from a global pandemic, the back-to-back albums were a relief. One of the reasons why these albums were so warmly received was because they included so many iconic collaborations, including some that involved the songwriter codenamed "William Bowery." This mysterious contributor co-wrote some of the most popular songs from both albums: "Exile" and "Betty" from "Folklore" and "Champagne Problems," "Coney Island," and "Evermore" from "Evermore."
In her Disney Plus film "Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions," Swift revealed that William Bowery was in fact Joe Alwyn, and that he and Swift wrote those songs together. This revelation had a lot of Swifties confused as to how a happy couple who had been together for four years could co-write such moving songs about heartbreak, betrayal, and separation.
"Do Taylor and Joe just roleplay breaking up? They just watch movies read books and go 'Hey... this could be us,'" a fan wrote on Twitter. "She literally was like after lover I cannot romanticize this happy relationship anymore, it's time to romanticize our gut wrenching heart breaking utterly earth shattering hypothetical break up," a reply to that tweet read.
In 2020, Swift shut down rumors about the couple getting engaged
After the release of the 2020 albums, fans were more sure than ever that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn were taking the next step in their very private relationship. It all started when Taylor started teasing fans with snippets from the re-recorded version of "Love Story." Swifties speculated that a line from the song — "Baby, just say yes" — was changed to "Baby just said yes." However, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight published shortly after, Swift quietly shut down the news by referring to Alwyn as her boyfriend.
In an April 2022 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Alwyn publicly addressed the engagement rumors without really clarifying the couple's relationship status. "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," he said. "I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn't say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn't say."
'Champagne Problems' talks of a fictional proposal with the woman turning down the offer
While many of Taylor Swift's past songs like "Love Story" and "Paper Rings" revolve around engagements and proposals, none of the songs from the 2020 albums strictly focused on those subjects. With that said, one of the songs from "Evermore," "Champagne Problems," did address the topic somewhat.
"Champagne Problems" talks about an imaginary couple, their failed engagement, and their family's premature celebrations. Swift sings from the perspective of someone who recognizes that she and her partner were on different paths in life ("Sometimes you just don't know the answer / 'Til someone's on their knees and asks you").
The song, which was co-written by Alwyn, supposedly followed the trend of Swift's indie albums, where the inspirations for the stories in the music were people around her or things she had watched, rather than her own personal life. While this was nothing new to Swifties, it also had them feeling a bit concerned about Swift and Alwyn's relationship.
Alwyn did not show up at any of the shows in Swift's sold-out Eras tour
The rumors surrounding Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn's split started circulating following his noteworthy absence during Swift's ongoing Eras tour. Indeed, numerous celebrities — including Swift's best friend Selena Gomez, Emma Watson, Shania Twain, and Emma Stone — were seen singing along to her, but Alwyn was nowhere to be found.
Considering the fact that Eras is Swift's first tour since 2018, Alwyn's absence raised many eyebrows, especially since various sources previously hinted that he would be present at her shows. "Joe will travel with her when he can. They are great together. Joe is super supportive of her career," a source reportedly shared with People just before Swift embarked on her tour.
While many fans were initially quick to dismiss the rumors by claiming that Alwyn was busy filming, we now know that the reason was something else.
She dropped a hint about the breakup during the tour
Taylor Swift and her fans have a rather deep relationship with the concept of Easter eggs, which are basically hints and clues that the singer drops for eager Swifties (usually to tease updates or upcoming projects). On many occasions, these Easter eggs have been the backbone of fan discourse surrounding Swift's life and work. So naturally, when the breakup reports started circulating, heartbroken fans started looking for answers — and some Swifties came to the conclusion that their idol had, in fact, hinted at her split with Joe Alwyn even before the papers broke the news.
According to the initial setlist at her March 31, 2023 show in Texas, Swift was supposed to sing "Invisible String" (from her album "Folklore"), which is widely regarded as a love letter written by Swift to Alwyn. During the concert, however, Swift sang "The 1," another song from "Folklore," instead.
Here's the thing, though: "The 1" is not a happy song, as it talks about an ex-lover. Unsurprisingly, some Swifties claim that this sudden setlist change was because of the couple's breakup.
They have very busy schedules and simply grew apart
In February 2022, amidst another round of engagement rumors, it was reported that the couple was happy and excited about their future together, and that they were enjoying being together. "They're supportive of each other's careers and of each other in general," said a source to Entertainment Tonight, without addressing their alleged engagement. "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." However, according to the story run by People, one of the reasons behind the couple's split is Alwyn's struggle "with Taylor's level of fame and the attention from the public."
"The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together. They've grown apart," the publication's source said, noting that the couple had fallen in love in a bubble, when Swift was in her "Reputation" era and taking a break from the public. Apparently, the pandemic helped them get to know each other better — even though they were still in that bubble. "Then the pandemic hit, and they were locked down together and able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way. But he didn't really 'know' her yet outside of that bubble," the source stated, confirming that the reason behind their split was their incompatibility.
Some Swifties speculate that the couple broke up even before 2020
Swifties are no stranger to conspiracy theories, and certainly aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and dig deep to get more context about their favorite songs. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the news of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn's split had some of them doing good old-fashioned detective work.
From sharing memes about how the couple isn't allowed to break up to speculating about why they did, Twitter was flooded with communication between concerned fans. User @karmaisadyke even posted an entire thread comparing the lyricism of "Lover" and the 2020 albums, suggesting that Swift may have predicted her own breakup — or that perhaps, the couple had already broken up following the "Lover" era.
With that said, some Swifties stalwartly refuse to believe that their favorite couple broke up. "And when Taylor Swift posts a picture with Joe Alwyn and the caption being "Ain't it funny? Rumors fly... oh and by the way, 1989 (Taylor's version) is out now!" wrote a fan on Twitter.