It was the breakup that shocked basically everyone online, and now people are wondering if Joe Alwyn cheating on Taylor Swift was the reason for their split after six years together.
Swift and Alwyn met at the 2016 Met Gala. The two sparked dating rumors in October 2016 when they both attended a Kings of Leon concert. A month later, Swift was seen attending the premiere of Alwyn’s movie, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
In an interview with Esquire in 2018, Alwyn revealed if he sought advice about dating a celebrity. “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.” Alwyn, who co-wrote a few songs on Swift’s 2020 album Folklore, is believed to have inspired several of Swift’s tracks, including “Gorgeous,” “Call It What You Want” and “Cardigan.”
After more than six years together, Entertainment Tonight reported in April 2023 that Swift and Alwyn had broken up. “It was not dramatic,” a source told the site at the time. “The relationship had just run its course.” The insider explained that the breakup is why Alwyn had not attended any of Swift’s Eras Tour at the time. “It’s why [Alwyn] hasn’t been spotted at any shows,” the source said.
Did Joe Alwyn cheat on Taylor Swift?
There’s a rumor circulating on TikTok that Joe Alwyn cheated on Taylor Swift. Emma Laird, who is Alwyn’s The Brutalist co-star, posted a photo of him (among others) on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, to Instagram captioned “Moments in March” with a heart emoji. It showed Alwyn standing with a green electric scooter. The reaction from Swift’s fanbase was so strong that Laird was forced to turn off the comments.
Emma Laird. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Before the comments were disabled, however, fans noticed how the pic looked like it was taken at the same time as a previous one she’d posted on January 30, 2023, with what looks to be the same electric scooters. “January or March?” questioned one follower. Some fans jumped to Laird’s defense, saying that her relationship to Alwyn is none of their business. “As someone who has been a fan of taylor my entire life, these comments are embarassing. 2016 taylor just called and said this behaviour is not it. Leave this poor woman alone! We don’t know anything, and it’s none of our business. Stop coming to Emma’s page just to hate on her for no actual reason when you have no proof. Go live your lives instead of invading someone else’s,” (sic) one user wrote.
Another wrote: “Everyone needs to stop. Taylor would NEVER support this. Remember her speech about females empowering each other instead of bringing each other down? They are co-stars and much like hanging out with work friends, these 2 are hanging out. Just because they are different sex’s it doesn’t mean they are hooking up. It is absolutely unnecessary to gossip and speculate like this. It’s not fair or entertaining on anyone (sic).”
A source told The Sun on April 22, 2023, that: “Emma has been there for Joe since news of his split from Taylor emerged … Joe struggles with fame and enjoyed hanging out with Emma in Hungary, where he wouldn’t be recognized.”
In another moment of controversy, Laird liked an Instagram post made by JustJared which mentioned Swift and Alwyn’s breakup, specifically how many of her songs are said to be inspired by their former relationship and what they mean now that they’re no longer a couple. Now, both Swift’s brother Austin and her BFF Gigi Hadid have unfollowed Alwyn on Instagram, while Alwyn still follows both of them. Then, after Swift hung out with another of her friends, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, each of them unfollowed Alwyn on Instagram, which led fans to believe that Swift is spilling major tea about their breakup.
Why did Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn break up?
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn broke up because, according to ET, the relationship “had run its course.” A source told the site that the breakup “was not dramatic.” and “it’s why [Joe] hasn’t been spotted at any shows.”
A source told gossip Instagram Deux Moi on the Tuesday before the news broke, “They broke up a few weeks ago, that’s why he hasn’t been at shows and you won’t see him at any. They weren’t married either so you won’t see him at any. They weren’t married either so you won’t see a divorce. It wasn’t dramatic it just ran its course and she’s clearly in a good place with it.” Eagle-eyed Swifties who love their Easter eggs also noticed that Taylor swapped out a song on her setlist “Invisible String” with “The 1” which points to further proof of the breakup. “You think you can just scroll the setlist? You think you can just come prepared?” Taylor said after her first performance of the song in Texas. “Let it be said about the Eras Tour … there’s high jinks.”
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Other sources told People that the two simply outgrew each other. “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,” one source said noting that they “weren’t the right fit for one another.”
“They had plenty in common and fell in love in a safe bubble while she was retreating from the world during Reputation,” the source added. “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 continued, “Joe has struggled 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 source also said that the singer and actor were “talking about marriage as recently as a few months ago.” “Taylor didn’t see them working out in the long run,” says the insider, who adds that the split happened “recently” and was “not dramatic.” Page Six confirmed that the two never married despite speculation. They also confirm that Taylor is “100% single.” The two have yet to comment publicly on the breakup but, as mentioned, it certainly seems as though the word is getting around within Swift’s inner circle.
In her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department, released on April 19, 2024, Taylor hinted at the reason herself. Fans dissected the “Fortnight Lyrics” and what they could mean. First off, the word “fortnight” is a word commonly used in British English—it means two weeks. The use of British English is interesting because, as we all know, her most serious relationship was with English actor Joe Alwyn; they dated for 6 years and broke up in 2023.
Some fans have speculated that this song is in reference to the two-week period where Taylor and Joe’s relationship began to disintegrate. Or perhaps it’s about Taylor imagining what their life would be like if they’d stayed together and how mundane their existence would be because he wanted a life out of the spotlight.
