We Did Some Major Digging Into Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Super-Private Relationship

From Cosmopolitan

Taylor Swift must have learned a lot from the super-public mess that was her relationship with Tom “Questionable Taste in Tank Tops” Hiddleston, because her relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn has been absurdly private. Like, these two still haven’t even officially walked a red carpet together and they’ve been dating since 2017!

That’s the bad news (at least for those of us who are incredibly nosy, aka me). The good news is if you’re willing to sleuth around the thirstiest corners of the fandom, there’s actually a lot to discover about Taylor and Joe’s relationship—especially in the wake of her three most recent albums, Lover, Folklore and Evermore. Plus, the pair has been spotted getting their PDA on at several awards shows, and Joe recently revealed that they’re quarantining together. In other words, we have a lot to discuss!

Psst: This timeline is in reverse chronological order. To go back, back to the beginning, scroll alllll the way down.

January 12, 2021

In case you were fooled by the whole "never being pictured together" thing, ~sources~ are here to make it clear Taylor and Joe are in it for the long haul.

“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,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “She loves Joe so much and, of course, is not trying to hide their relationship, but she prefers to keep specific details private.”

Fans def knew that last part, but the rest is good intel!

December 16, 2020

Taylor seemingly can’t stop talking about Joe and their collaborations! Taylor co-wrote a song with Joe on her second surprise album of 2020, Evermore, and in an Apple Music interview she said, “Joe and I really love sad songs...We’ve always bonded over music…We write the saddest. We just really love sad songs. What can I say?”

Speaking about their song “Champagne Problems” from Evermore, Taylor said:

“He’s always just playing instruments and he doesn’t do it in a strategic ‘I’m writing a song right now’ thing,” Taylor added. “He’s always done that. But do I think we would have taken the step of, ‘Hey, let’s see if there’s a song in here. Let’s write a song together’? If we hadn’t been in lockdown, I don’t think that would have happened, but I’m so glad that it did.”

A People source also had insight into their relationship these days, and it sounds like things between Taylor and Joe have been nothing but smooth sailing. “He is her rock,” says the source. “Their relationship is mature and wonderful.” Love to hear it!

December 15, 2020

Remember that William Bowery theory in which fans speculated Joe was using a pseudonym for writing songs on Folklore? Welp, turns out it was 100 percent true. “There’s been a lot of discussion about William Bowery and his identity. He’s not a real person...William Bowery is Joe, as we know. And Joe, Joe plays piano beautifully, and he’s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things,” Taylor said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

November 13, 2020

Looks like Folklore fans were worried for nothing because Taylor’s fully out here talking about her song “Peace” with Paul McCartney in Rolling Stone and how it applies to her ’ship with Joe.

She said:

Paul then asked Taylor if Joe can “sympathize with that and understand” her life, to which she replied, “Oh, absolutely.” Taylor elaborated: “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.”

July 24, 2020

Well. Can we talk about that new Folklore album? And how it really sounds like Taylor and Joe have broken up?! If you haven’t had an hour to dedicate to listening to Taylor’s latest project, lyrics like, “Waking up alone. But we were something, don’t you think so?” have fans fully freaking out.

But before you get too carried away, remember that in her album announcement, Taylor said, “In isolation my imagination has run wild and this album is the result, a collection of songs and stories that flowed like a stream of consciousness. Picking up a pen was my way of escaping into fantasy, history, and memory.”

So this album isn’t necessarily based on her personal experiences, okay? Okay.

July 23, 2020

Taylor made a surprise announcement that she’ll drop a brand-new album tonight, and fans are convinced that Joe wrote two songs on Folklore. You see, in her Instagram announcement, Taylor tagged all but one of her collaborators.

After trying to find out who “William Bowery” is to no avail, Swifties are wondering if it’s a pseudonym for Joe. After all, she did make the album while in quarantine, and she was quarantining with him. Also, Taylor and Joe met at the Bowery Hotel, so…

April 30, 2020

Joe posts a picture of Taylor’s cat and basically confirms they’ve been quarantining together.

March 24, 2020

According to Us Weekly, the couple is reportedly talking about marriage, but they don’t have a date set. Their 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.”

February 12, 2020

Joe and Taylor kiss at the NME Awards. Their PDA moment was caught on camera by a fan in attendance and can be viewed right this way.

January 31, 2020

Taylor releases her Miss Americana Netflix documentary and briefly talks about Joe. She said, “I also was falling in love with someone who had a really wonderfully normal, balanced, grounded life and we decided together that we wanted our relationship to be private.”

January 5, 2020

Taylor and Joe walk the red carpet (separately) at the 2020 Golden Globes. During an after-party, the two reportedly “appeared smitten.”

October 5, 2019

Taylor and Joe are photographed holding hands on the way to a Saturday Night Live after-party following her performance on the show. Clearly, they’re getting more comfortable with PDA because they definitely aren’t trying to hide their vibes in front of this sea of photogs!

According to Us Weekly sources, the couple hit up a restaurant with Gigi Hadid that same night and couldn't keep their hands off each other. “They were definitely very cozy with each other. Taylor was on Joe’s arm the whole night and [they] were definitely holding hands a bunch,” a source says, adding, “They were surprisingly warm and intimate toward one another the whole evening.”

August 24, 2019

Taylor makes it clear during an interview with The Guardian that she’s never, e-v-e-r going to talk about Joe. “I’ve learned that if I do [talk about it], people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion,” she says. “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.”

August 22, 2019

Taylor Swift’s album Lover leaks and fans swarm Twitter with theories that she and Joe are secretly engaged/married. Mostly thanks to lyrics in the title track that go, “I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover / My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue.”

If you’re currently like, “WTF does this even mean?” apparently, the words “borrowed” and “blue” made everyone spiral because of the whole “something borrowed, something blue” wedding tradition. A reach, I know, but tell that to the internet:

August 14, 2019

Taylor drops the lyric video for “Lover” and fans manage to convince themselves the entire song is about Joe. Even the part about leaving “Christmas lights up 'til January.” It’s a lot!

To be fair, the lyric “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey” IS pretty telling. Remember how Joe and Taylor met in 2016? Yeah.

May 24, 2019

Taylor and Joe are spotted holding hands in Paris in a unicorn-levels-of-rare PDA moment:

March 21, 2019

A source tells People that Joe has “zero interest in being a celebrity” and that his and Taylor’s “personalities are very compatible, and they’re respectful of each other’s careers.”

That explains a lot, to be honest.

February 24, 2019

Remember the Academy Awards? When Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga eye-f*cked their way through “Shallow,” causing the entire internet to melt down? Yeah, well, Joe hit the red carpet without Taylor—buuut they were spotted PDA’ing big time at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party.

February 10, 2019

Taylor and Joe hit up a BAFTAs party in London, where they’re photographed all up on each other.

And, like, fine, the pics above technically don’t show either of their faces. But this is totally Taylor and if you need proof, JUST LOOK AT HER DRESS:

November 22, 2018

Taylor goes vaguely Instagram official with Joe…by which I mean she shouts out his movie The Favourite. Obviously, this IG was posted before Taylor changed up her grid aesthetic or it would have been filtered pink and inexplicably covered in sparkles.

October 18, 2018

Joe awkwardly/finally talks about Taylor in an interview when a reporter asks what he thinks of her political efforts. His response, while literally backing away? “I think it’s great, I think it’s important.” Wow, he’s a man of so many words!

September 28, 2018

Taylor sneaks into the premiere of Joe’s new movie The Favourite—although she skips the red carpet and uses the back door to exit. For those of you who are all “pics or it didn’t happen,” here ya go:

September 20, 2018

Joe is interviewed by British Vogue and fully SHUTS THEM DOWN when asked about dating Taylor, saying, “I’m aware people want to know about that side of things. I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people…but I really prefer to talk about work.”

Work, like wearing this very important billowing blouse!

July 4, 2018

Taylor and Joe spend July 4th in Turks and Caicos and are fully spotted frolicking in the water like two adorable horny mermaids. Pics here:

May 7 and 8, 2018

Taylor and Joe post Instagrams of the exact same random cactus. Truly, they couldn’t be less good at hiding their relationship:

March 30, 2018

Taylor makes a public declaration of love in her “Delicate” Spotify video, wearing a necklace with Joe’s initial.

She also refers to him in the official video when his name appears on a deli sign behind her while she’s dancing in the streets:

December 10, 2017

Taylor and Joe are spotted swaying and kissing at the Jingle Ball and it’s all too much!

Also, Joe is seen filming her performance like a true Instagram husband, bless him:

October 26, 2017

Taylor drops the video for “…Ready for It,” and it’s full of Joe references. First up, his birth year is written on a wall next to her birth year:

Meanwhile, these characters spell out “Joseph”:

And in this scene, she punches in “2-1” into a phone. Kinda whatever, ’cept Joe’s birthday is February 21....

June 5, 2017

Taylor and Joe are in Nashville spotted for what appears to be the first time, having a coffee date on a balcony and looking “simply smitten.” Head this way for the pics.

Circa May 2017

Joe and Taylor’s relationship *finally* breaks in British tabloid The Sun, which reports that Taylor has been staying in London in disguise (wow, incredible) and that she and Joe “are the real deal, this is a very serious relationship. But after what happened with Tom Hiddleston, they were determined to keep it quiet.”

Fair, considering what happened with Tom Hiddleston was THIS:

The First Monday in May 2016

Taylor and Joe meet at the Met Gala! But no one has any idea because their relationship isn’t confirmed for an entire freakin’ year. However, Taylor’s song “Dress” seems to imply they had a moment based on these lyrics: “Flashback to when you met me / Your buzz cut / And my hair bleached.” Apparently, Joe had a buzz cut at the event, and Taylor’s hair looked like this:

To be fair, most great love stories begin at the Met Gala, just ask the ghost of Shakespeare, he knows.

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