Taylor Swift’s Publicist, Tree Paine, Thinks Deux Moi Needs a Reality Check

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It was the shot heard ’round the world. On November 30, at approximately 11 p.m. ET, Taylor Swift’s publicist Tree Paine came for Deux Moi.

For the uninitiated, despite her job description as a spokesperson for one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, Paine rarely speaks out publicly on Swift's behalf. Sure, she may be a “source” for Swift when the star needs to put something out there (like the person confirming Swift's split with Joe Alwyn in April was totally her), but historically, Paine has spoken in her own voice only on big occasions. One of the most recent was in 2020, when she got in the ring with Kim Kardashian over the whole Kanye thing.

All this is to say, when Paine speaks, the world listens. And on Thursday she had someone on her shit list: the celebrity gossip account Deux Moi.

Deux Moi, the Instagram account run by a (kind of) anonymous founder, is famous for its blind items and rumors about famous people. For months the account has been insisting that before their breakup, Swift and Alwyn had a marriage ceremony in the UK. It wasn't a legal ceremony and the marriage wasn't made official, but Deux Moi has been insistent that it did happen.

After the account posted about the alleged ceremony again on Thursday, Paine responded.

“Enough is enough with these fabricated lies about Taylor from Deuxmoi,” she wrote on X, f.k.a. Twitter. “There was NEVER a marriage or ceremony of ANY kind. This is an insane thing to post. It’s time for you to be held accountable for the pain and trauma you cause with posts like these.”

Because it is Taylor Swift, of course everyone freaked out.

The acknowledgment from Paine of the rumor was one thing, but what was even more incredible was the clear emotion and anger Paine displayed in the tweet, we can presume on Swift's behalf. Paine didn't just say the claim was untrue; she said it was actively upsetting Swift.

The use of the words pain and trauma to describe the allegation Swift and Alwyn secretly got married immediately threw Swifties into a tizzy, especially given the fact that they were already speculating that their relationship was on the rocks for more than a year before they broke up. Furthermore, some pointed out that Deux Moi had also posted an Instagram story earlier that day speculating that Swift's latest single, “You're Losing Me,” was about a miscarriage, leading some to wonder whether it was posting that story, combined with the marriage rumor, that put Swift and Paine over the edge.

After Paine's tweet, Deux Moi apologized, well, sort of.

“Well I make zero dollars from lying…can publicists say the same,” it wrote. “Also, to relate something that is in reference to something that happened years ago to ‘pain & trauma’ after what just happened seems like a poor choice of words. Either way, I apologize to Taylor.” The anonymous account seems to be referencing the death of a concertgoer at Swift's concert in Brazil with the “poor choice of words” comment and, since posting that story, has continued to post DMs in defense of the claims.

Regardless, it's interesting to view Paine's comments in the context of the larger celebrity gossip ecosystem. Deux Moi burst on the scene a few years ago with its unverified gossip and tea, bold proclamations, and intrigue, which led to its amassing 2 million followers; it's now a veritable media empire, with a novel, a podcast, and soon a series based on her persona. (The creator of the account didn't respond to a request for comment.)

But its influence has not only spread unverified claims about countless celebrities, some of which could be incredibly damaging to their reputations; it's also spurred thousands of copycats. TikTok, for example, is inundated with celebrity gossip accounts from people who spread all sorts of wild rumors, post completely unverified claims, and, in actuality, could be causing actual harm to the people they are talking about. Celebrities may not be just like us, but they are still human, and the rumor mill content bonanza that Deux Moi is at least partially responsible for is totally out of control.

It means something, therefore, that a star as powerful as Swift is willing to acknowledge these rumors and speak out against it. Online “blind item” bloggers and celebrity gossipmongers like Deux Moi feel like they basically can post with impunity without consequences, but that really shouldn't be the case.

Originally Appeared on Glamour