Taylor Swift's relationship history: Who has she dated?
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Love it or hate it, the Taylor Swift obsession is real, and whether it's deciphering who her lyrics are about or looking back at her relationship history, we can't get enough. Here's a look back at who the popstar has dated, right back to her high school sweethearts, starting with the most recent update...
Taylor Swift's relationship history
Travis Kelce, July 2023
Speculation that Travis and Taylor were dating started in July when the American football player revealed on his podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, that he had tried to slip the singer his phone number on a friendship bracelet at her Eras gig.
He later expanded in an interview on The Pat McAfee show that he had DMd the singer. "I threw the ball in her court and told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.' We’ll see what happens in the near future," Travis said.
Taylor was then spotted watching Travis's team the Kansas City Chiefs play the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday [24th September], a red-and-white Chiefs jacket and standing next to Travis's mum.
In December 2023, Taylor was named TIME magazine's person of the year, and opened up about how she and Travis connected in the interview. "This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell," she told them. "We started hanging out right after that. So we actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other. By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."
She added, "When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care. The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other."
Brandon Borello - high school
Taylor reportedly dated Brandon Borello while in high school, though he's managed to remain pretty under the radar. Some of Taylor's OG hits - 'Our Song' and 'Fifteen' - are thought to be about Brandon, which makes sense given the fact that 'Fifteen' tells the story of a high school relationship, while 'Our Song' details the very specific teenage experience of sneaking out to see your SO. The joys of young love, right?
Drew Hardwick - high school
Drew is thought to be another one of Taylor's high school boyfriends, and he gets a special mention in 2007 hit 'Teardrops on my Guitar' when Taylor sings, "Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won’t see". Yep, so no disguising that lyric, then.
Joe Jonas - July to October 2008
Joe Jonas was Taylor's first high-profile celeb relationship. Despite only dating for around four months, the pair still managed to have a pretty public breakup, with Taylor confirming that he ended things over the phone.
She told Ellen Degeneres in November of the same year: "When I find that person who is right for me, he’ll be wonderful, and when I look at that person, I’m not even gonna be able to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18."
Taylor later referenced the split again during her 2009 Saturday Night Live monologue, singing, "You might think I’d bring up Joe, that guy who broke up with me on the phone. But I’m not going to mention him in my monologue. Hey, Joe! I’m doing real well and I’m hosting SNL—but I’m not going to write about that in my monologue."
'Forever and Always' is famously thought to be about Joe, and it's still a banger today.
Lucas Till - March to April 2009
You might recognise Lucas from Taylor's iconic music video for 'You Belong With Me'. While the song isn't actually about him, the pair did date very briefly in 2009.
Later that year, Lucas spoke out about the relationship, telling MTV: "We dated for a little bit. But there was no friction because we were too nice. We just really both liked each other." Shedding light on why they split, he added, "I really just liked her as a friend. That’s the only reason that didn’t work out."
Taylor Lautner - 2009
Throwback to Taylor Squared, anyone? Following Lucas Till, Taylor went on to date Twilight star Taylor Lautner after meeting on the set of film Valentine's Day where they played a very cringe teenage couple.
They're thought to have broken up around December 2009, with T-Swift releasing 'Back to December' the following year which fans reckon is about Lautner. Asked about the song six years later in 2016, Lautner simply said, "That’s what she does," according to TIME. Ouch.
John Mayer - December 2009 to February 2010
Who could forget John Mayer? Taylor and John dated briefly between 2009 and 2010, with the relationship leading to the iconic song 'Dear John'. Lyrics include, "Dear John, I see it all now I was wrong. Don’t you think 19 is too young to be played by your dark, twisted games?" and the whole thing was a huge burn.
John didn't take the single lightly though, telling Rolling Stone: "I never got an email. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I’d already been dressed down." He also criticised Taylor's writing, adding, "I will say as a songwriter that I think it’s kind of cheap songwriting."
Jake Gyllenhaal - October 2010 to January 2011
Ah, Jake Gyllenhaal. Anyone not living under a rock will know the majority of songs on Taylor's 2012 album Red are thought to be about Jake - thanks to its recent resurgence in the re-released Red (Taylor's version).
Of course, the single we're all talking about is 'All Too Well', with the 2021 All Too Well: The Short Film supposedly telling the story of Jake and Taylor's age gap relationship (Jake was 29 and Taylor was 20 when they dated).
The real question though: did Taylor ever get her scarf back?
Connor Kennedy - July to October 2012
Taylor and Connor, a member of the famous US Kennedy family, were first reported to be dating after being pictured together in Massachusetts in 2012. They called time on their romance after just a few months, though the split is thought to have been amicable.
Harry Styles - November 2012 to January 2013
These two very famously dated for a brief but drama-filled few months. They were first pictured together on an autumn walk around Central Park, followed by a (slightly cringe) New Year's kiss in Times Square. The pair later split, with the songs 'Out of the Woods' and 'Style' thought to be very obviously about Harry.
Calvin Harris - February 2015 to May 2016
Calvin and Taylor were pretty wholesome vibes for a while, pictured out and about in matching outfits and sharing some cute PDA at the 2016 Billboard Awards.
Plus, there's even a picture of the moment they met in 2015, and we're obsessed.
However, things didn't stay rosy for long. The pair split in May 2016, with Calvin even supposedly referencing Taylor in some cryptic song lyrics.
Tom Hiddleston - May to September 2016
News of Taylor and Tom's relationship first broke when they were pictured kissing in some very unexpected PDA.
Things seemed to get serious from there, with Tom famously pictured wearing an 'I HEART TS' vest during the couple's 4th July beach trip with a long list of famous friends. Well, that's one way to show you're committed.
Sadly, it didn't last, with the pair splitting after around four months. Tom still appeared to inspire a few T Swift songs though, with Reputation's 'Getaway Car' thought to be about Tom helping Taylor to escape her relationship with Calvin Harris.
See lyrics: "The ties were black / the lies were white / I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason." Fans reckon the black tie description refers to the night Tom and Taylor reportedly first met at the Met Gala in 2016, with the rest of the lyric referring to Taylor's decision to leave Calvin (dating Tom soon after).
Joe Alwyn - May 2017 to April 2023
Taylor and boyfriend Joe Alwyn were in a six-year relationship, with many of Taylor's love songs from her past four albums - including Reputation, Lover, Folklore and Evermore - thought to be about Joe. She spent plenty of time with Joe in his native London - with Lover album track 'London Boy' telling you everything you need to know, with the pair keeping their relationship fairly hidden from the public eye, rarely being spotted or walking red carpets.
But sadly it wasn't to be - news broke on 8th April 2023 that they had broke up, when sources spoke to Entertainment Tonight to confirm a split. "The relationship had just run its course. It's why [Alwyn] hasn't been spotted at any [Eras] shows.
"They've had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together," the source said, noting that "ultimately" the pair "weren't the right fit for one another."
Matty Healy - May to June 2023
Following her split from Joe, Taylor was linked to Matty Healy, when the pair were photographed out on a number of dinner dates in New York City, while Matty was also photographed in the crowd at Taylor's Eras tour gigs.
According to an Entertainment Tonight source at the time, "Taylor and Matty like each other... Taylor has a crush on Matty and they are having a good time hanging out."
"Matty also thinks Taylor is awesome and incredibly talented," they added, before revealing that the pair reconnected thanks to a mutual friend, musician, Jack Antonoff.
But sadly, it wasn't to be - break up reports first surfaced on the 4th June 2023, with an insider telling Entertainment Tonight, "Taylor and Matty broke up. They are both extremely busy and realised they're not really compatible with each other. Taylor's friends want what's best for her and aren't shocked that their relationship fizzled out since she recently got out of a long-term relationship."
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