Halsey is subtly reacting to Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department album, which appears to include songs about their mutual ex, Matty Healy.
The singer, 29, shared a shirtless photo of their boyfriend, Avan Jogia, wearing gray sweatpants adorned with the TTPD logo via Instagram Stories on Thursday, April 25. Halsey captioned the post with a white heart emoji.
Halsey dated Healy, 35, in 2015, while Swift, 34, seemingly had an on-and-off fling with The 1975 singer — at least, that’s what fans have deduced from her most recent batch of lyrics.
While the most public portion of Swift’s relationship with Healy occurred in spring 2023, Swifties have connected her song lyrics back to 2014 when the duo first met. TTPD tracks like “But Daddy I Love Him,” “Down Bad,” “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” “Guilty as Sin?,” “The Tortured Poets Department,” “Fortnight” and “Fresh Out the Slammer” have all been speculated to be about Healy.
Similarly, Halsey’s 2015 track “Colors” is also rumored to be about the British musician, so it’s no surprise that they feel a kinship with Swift.
In the aftermath of TTPD’s release, Healy was asked if he’s heard the album.
“How would you rate your Taylor diss track compared to the 30 others?” a reporter asked on Wednesday, April 24, according to a video obtained by Entertainment Tonight.
“My diss track?” Healy responded, then the reporter clarified they were referencing TTPD. “Oh, I haven’t really listened to that much of it but I’m sure it’s good.”
A source told Us that Healy was breathing a sigh of “relief” following TTPD’s release.
“Matty still thinks very highly of Taylor but we were all nervous about what she might have said on the album,” the insider explained, noting that the singer’s close friends “couldn’t be happier” with Swift’s album.
Healy’s family had a similar reaction.
“Matty’s family knew about the relationship,” the same source added. “And they were worried that Taylor was going to rip him apart. Matty has struggled with life in the public eye, and he’s been doing really well, but the last thing that he needs is for every Swiftie in the world to think he’s a villain.”
However, Healy’s mom, talk show host Denise Welch, dodged questions about Swift when asked about the new music.
“Taylor Swift has a new album out, have you heard it Denise?” Loose Women cohost Nadia Sawalha asked during the ITV show’s Thursday, April 25 episode.
“I wasn’t aware she had an album out at all, I haven’t heard anything about it,” Welch quipped. “Anyway, I wish her all the best.”
