In early October, Swift finally waded into the political world to endorse two Tennessee congressional candidates, after a career-long silence.Ī few days later, an interviewer asked Alwyn how he felt about Swift’s post. 18, 2018: Alwyn speaks very, very briefly about Swift’s newfound political activism. “I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people…but I really prefer to talk about work.” Oct. “I’m aware people want to know about that side of things,” he said to British Vogue. 19, 2018: Alwyn talks about Swift for the first time-but only to say he doesn’t want to talk about her. This is the closest we’ve come to an “Instagram-official” moment for the couple. “I didn’t even think of that until I was in New York and someone else mentioned it,” he said, according to ET. May 8, 2018: They post coordinating cactus photos to Instagram.īoth Alwyn and Swift posted photos of themselves, solo, standing next to the same cactus.Īlwyn later said they didn’t even realize the photos coordinated. “THEY LITERALLY SLOW DANCED TO ALL EDS SONGS WITH THEIR ARMS AROUND ONE ANOTHER AND JUST KEPT LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND KISSING,” a fan tweeted, according to EW. Momentarily letting their guard down, Swift and Alwyn engaged in some honest-to-god PDA while Ed Sheeran performed at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Bell Ball in New York City. 11, 2017: The couple is spotted snuggling during an Ed Sheeran performance. “Really, really friendly, really good dude.” Dec. On the heels of Swift’s revelation that “Gorgeous” is about Alwyn, her good friend Ed Sheeran was asked about Alwyn on a British radio show. 27, 2017: Ed Sheeran spills the beans on Alwyn. “Basically Taylor made us all promise that if anyone made any accusations of who this song is about, we tell them it is 100 percent about her angel boyfriend of one year,” a fan wrote on Tumblr. She allegedly told fans the single “Gorgeous” is about Alwyn. Swift hosted a “secret” listening session for her new album, Reputation. 20, 2017: Swift tells fans her new single “Gorgeous” is about Alwyn. Swift and Alwyn seemed desperate to go incognito in these pics. Hoodies pulled tight over their faces, the couple were caught leaving Swift’s apartment. July 25, 2017: They’re caught again, this time in New York. The paparazzi finally caught the couple in action: sitting on a balcony in Nashville, where Alwyn was allegedly meeting Swift’s parents for the first time. “After her 1989 tour and all the attention Taylor received, she learned she had to be more protective of her personal life and she and Joe decided early on to keep their private life private.” June 5, 2017: They’re caught by the paparazzi in Nashville. “This isn’t a new couple alert or a secret relationship - the only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us, Taylor and Joe’s closest friends and their families, were aware they have been together for several months and have known each other for a long time. Kris Connor // Getty Images May 16, 2017: Reports emerge that they’re dating.Ī source close to the pair told The Sun that Swift and Alwyn had been together for a few months, and that their friends and families were in on it: The lyrics in question: “Flashback to when you met me, your buzzed cut and my hair bleached.” Swift’s hair was, indeed, bleached at the Met Gala, and Alwyn’s hair was buzzed.Īlwyn at the photo call for Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. But sleuths have determined that the song “Dress” on her 2017 album Reputation might refer to their first meeting. Nobody knows for sure when Swift and Alwyn first met. May 2, 2016: They meet at the Met Gala (probably). As we eke out the details, scroll below for a timeline of their coupledom, leading up to their collaboration on Swift’s ninth album and the brewing engagement rumors. This includes Swift’s confirmation that Alwyn co-wrote two songs on folklore under the pseudonym William Bowery and also helped pen three tracks from Swift’s latest record, evermore. Still, a love story like Swift and Alwyn’s couldn’t stay behind closed doors forever, and since 2020, they’ve been more public about their relationship than ever before. Instead, her accounts would focus on promoting her work and sharing photos of her other loves: cats Olivia, Meredith, and Benjamin. Gone were the paparazzi photo ops of Swift’s days with Tom Hiddleston, and gooey Instagram pics-like the ones she’d posted with Calvin Harris-would no longer populate her social media. When Taylor Swift first began dating actor Joe Alwyn more than four years ago, it was almost immediately clear the couple had come to an agreement: Their relationship would be an intimate but private one, and they’d be a united front in protecting that privacy.