Taylor Swift and The 1975 frontman Matty Healy have broken up after a brief but whirlwind romance that enraptured the tabloids and divided much of Swift’s massive fandom.
The two musicians, who’ve known each other for years, allegedly started dating shortly after the end of Swift’s six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn, and Healy attended many of Swift’s shows on her Eras tour. Other photos, which featured the duo holding hands or going on double dates, subsequently went viral. According to TMZ, which first posted about the breakup, a “friend close to the situation” confirmed that Swift is now “single” and pointed to Healy resuming his tendency to kiss someone in the crowd during The 1975 concerts.
A report from People also confirmed the relationship had reached its end, with a source noting, “She had fun with him, but it was always casual.”
“They are no longer romantically involved,” the source said.
Swift’s relationships have been a source of curiosity and ridicule (depending on who you’re asking) for much of her music career because of how those relationships would eventually inspire some of her most famous songs. After mostly keeping her relationship with Alwyn private, the flurry that was the alleged, short-lived relationship with Healy was like a return to a different era.
But dating Healy also brought another wrinkle that’s popped up with as much frequency, if not more, than paparazzi photos. Healy has a long history of making offensive remarks, including racist comments, and after posting a mocking non-apology, he later called people who were offended by his comments about Ice Spice (whose ethnicity he mocked in a podcast) “either lying that you are hurt, or you’re a bit mental for being hurt.” (He also scoffed at the idea of dating Swift years ago, calling it “emasculating for me.”)
Multiple celebrities, including the likes of Azealia Banks and Noel Gallagher, openly criticized Healy, while fans’ disdain for Healy was apparent on social media. For some, the move for Swift to date Healy didn’t make sense, not because of any personal preference. Rather because Healy’s controversial past made for a bad look. If you prescribe to the belief that dating someone is an endorsement of their ideals, Swift dating Healy would feel like a personal betrayal. But if you’re more cynical about it, you could argue that Healy wouldn’t make sense because of the amount of scrutiny that would befall her by association; in her 2020 Netflix documentary, Swift noted that she’s self-aware of how any of her choices are perceived by the public.
Healy was so despised by swarths of Swifties that when the news broke that she and Healy broke up, they started celebrating.
“This should have been delivered to our phones like an amber alert,” @wowihatemen tweeted.
While some people thought the entire thing was hilarious.
The phrase “WE’RE FREE” also started trending on Twitter partially because of the breakup, showing just how elated some fans were about the news.
Swift, however, has yet to say a word. Shortly before the TMZ story broke, she revealed the vault tracks that come with the release of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) next month, which includes collaborations with Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Fallout Boy.
