Taylor Swift moved on with Matty Healy following her split from Joe Alwyn, but the duo’s relationship fizzled out as quickly as it began.
Swift dated Alwyn for six years before Us Weekly confirmed their breakup in April 2023. One month later, the pop star was linked to Healy, the lead singer of The 1975.
“They’re looking to give things a second chance,” an insider exclusively told Us in May 2023, referring to Swift’s “brief” fling with Healy years prior.
The twosome, who both count Jack Antonoff as a friend and collaborator, were “having a good time reconnecting,” per the source.
Healy’s history with Swift dates back to 2014 when the pair sparked romance rumors after they were spotted wearing each other’s merch. Healy later found himself in hot water for claiming it was “emasculating” to date someone more famous than him.
“It’s just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift,” he told Q Magazine in 2016. “The reason I mention that is because if I had [properly] gone out with Taylor Swift, I would’ve been, ‘F–king hell, I am not being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.’ You know, ‘F–k. That.'” (He walked back his comments soon after.)
The pair’s second attempt at a relationship came with even more controversy when comments Healy made about Ice Spice — who worked with Swift on a remix of her song “Karma” — and her ethnicity during a February 2023 podcast interview resurfaced online. Amid the scandal, Swift and Healy called it quits. (Ice Spice revealed to Billboard later that year that Healy apologized “a bunch of times” for his offensive remarks.)
Keep scrolling to revisit Swift and Healy’s relationship timeline:
November 2014
Rumors first began to swirl about the pair when Swift was spotted at a handful of The 1975 shows. She was later photographed wearing his band’s merch, and Healy sported a 1989 T-shirt on stage.
One month later, Swift appeared to hint at the theories about her love life via social media. “As my 25th birthday present from the media, I’d like for you to stop accusing all my friends of dating me,” she tweeted, adding “#thirsty.”
January 2015
“We met each other, we exchanged numbers in the same way that a lot of people in this kind of world do, and we spoke occasionally,” Healy said in an interview, shooting down the romance speculation. “She’s the biggest pop star in the world and I’m in Australia. There’s no relationship or anything happening. It’s just funny how people really, really buy into that.”
Though the rumors eventually died down, Healy raised eyebrows while discussing his “flirtation” with Swift in a 2016 interview, claiming it was “emasculating” to be associated with the pop star. He subsequently clarified his comments, telling Elle that he has “a lot of respect and admiration” for Swift.
November 2022
Healy hinted that his band “worked a bit” on Swift’s 2022 album, Midnights, but the collaboration was never released. “It was for reasons that are not to be criticized. She’s amazing,” he told Audacy’s DTS Sound Space.
January 2023
Swift made a surprise appearance at The 1975’s concert at London’s O2 Arena, crashing the show to perform an acoustic version of her song “Anti-Hero.” She also covered The 1975’s hit “The City.”
April 2023
Us confirmed Swift’s split from Alwyn, with a source exclusively revealing that “fame factored into” the breakup. “Joe is very shy and never liked all of the attention that came with dating one of the most popular singers in the world,” the insider added. “He just didn’t like having to be on all of the time.”
Early May 2023
Swift and Healy were linked again weeks after her breakup. Healy was spotted in the VIP section of Swift’s Nashville Eras Tour concerts, joining opener Phoebe Bridgers on stage at the May 6 show.
While the pair didn’t directly address their status at the time, they seemingly sent each other cryptic messages during their respective tours. During one of her Nashville shows, Swift mouthed, “This is about you. You know who you are. I love you,” to the camera. Healy pulled the same stunt days prior when The 1975 performed in the Philippines.
Mid-May 2023
The twosome were spotted getting cozy at dinner in New York City with mutual friend Antonoff. Healy later supported Swift at an Eras Tour stop in Philadelphia and was seen jamming with her dad in a stadium suite.
During a break in Swift’s tour, she was photographed leaving Electric Lady recording studio in Lower Manhattan with Healy on May 15. Swift later told the audience at her May 20 concert in Massachusetts, “I don’t know, I’ve just never been this happy in my life — in all aspects of my life — ever before.”
June 2023
Less than two months into their relationship, the pair called it quits. “Taylor and Matt are no longer romantically involved,” a source told Us. “They had fun together, but it was never serious.”
Despite their split, the connections continued. When 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was released in late 2023, a misprinted version of the vinyl included an alternate verse in the lyrics to the vault track “Slut!” — and listed Healy as a cowriter.
April 2024
Swift released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which featured many songs — both positive and negative — rumored to be about her romance with Healy.
The pop star seemingly slammed critics of their brief relationship on the track “But Daddy I Love Him,” singing, “I’ll tell you somethin’ right now / I’d rather burn my whole life down / Than listen to one more second of all this bitchin’ and moan.’”
On the flip side, Swift appears to point out flaws in their relationship in the song “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” with lyrics such as, “You hung me on your wall / Stabbed me with your push pins / In public, showed me off / Then sank in stoned oblivion.”
Despite the mixed messages Swift’s lyrics sent, a source exclusively told Us at the time that Healy “couldn’t be happier” with how the album turned out.
“Matty still thinks very highly of Taylor but we were all nervous about what she might have said on the album,” the insider shared, adding that his family were pleased at how he was portrayed on the record. “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.”
A separate source also told Us that Healy was “really appreciative” to get a heads-up from his ex’s team about TTPD. Though he and Swift “don’t speak anymore,” the insider noted that Healy will “always hold a special place for her.”
