Joe Alwyn has finally broken his silence about his breakup with Taylor Swift, more than a year after their split made headlines in April 2023. In an interview with the Sunday Times, published on June 15, Alwyn acknowledged the public’s curiosity about their relationship. The British actor, who is set to star in Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming film “Kinds of Kindness,” revealed that he and Swift were together for over six and a half years before parting ways.
Alwyn clarified that their breakup happened “a little over a year ago,” with news outlets first reporting it on April 8, 2023. He described the breakup as “a hard thing to navigate,” especially given the intense public scrutiny that followed. Swift has since moved on and is now publicly dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Fans speculate that her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” released on April 19, reflects the end of her relationships with both Alwyn and Matty Healy, whom she was rumored to be dating in May 2023.
When asked if he had listened to Swift’s new album, Alwyn didn’t provide a direct answer. Instead, he expressed hope that people could empathize with the difficulties of ending a long, loving relationship. “I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years,” he said. “That is a hard thing to navigate. What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it’s suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in.”
Alwyn mentioned that he has made “peace” with how their relationship was portrayed in the media, noting that the reality and the public narrative were often very different. “So you have something very real suddenly thrown into a very unreal space: tabloids, social media, press, where it is then dissected, speculated on, pulled out of shape beyond recognition. And the truth is, to that last point, there is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said,” he explained.
Throughout their relationship, Alwyn and Swift kept their romance private, a decision they made mutually. “As everyone knows, we together — both of us, mutually — decided to keep the more private details of our relationship private. It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now,” Alwyn said. Reflecting on the breakup, he added that he feels “fortunate to be in a really great place in my life, professionally and personally.”
Swift and Alwyn’s relationship began in late 2016 and remained largely out of the public eye. In Swift’s 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,” Alwyn is referenced but not named. The couple also collaborated on music, with Alwyn co-writing songs for Swift’s 2020 albums “Folklore” and “Evermore” under the pseudonym William Bowery. Their relationship faced various speculations, including rumors of a secret wedding, which Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, dismissed as “fabricated lies” in November 2023.
Alwyn’s comments come as he prepares for the release of “Kinds of Kindness,” where he stars alongside Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Jesse Plemons. The film is set to hit theaters on June 21. Despite the breakup, Alwyn refrained from sharing details about his current dating life or whether he remains in contact with Swift. “I’m sure you can appreciate, given the level of noise and scrutiny about my past relationship, why I wouldn’t want to just open the door to things like that right now,” he explained.
Swift’s album “The Tortured Poets Department” has been a topic of much speculation among fans, who believe it chronicles her relationships with Alwyn and Healy. One song, “The Black Dog,” is thought to be about Alwyn, referencing a pub in London and reminiscing about a past relationship. The pub, located in Vauxhall, has even capitalized on the attention by selling merchandise and renaming menu items. However, Alwyn clarified, “I’ve never been to Vauxhall.”
In the wake of their breakup, Swift has been seen out with friends like Blake Lively and Gigi Hadid, and has been rumored to be dating Matty Healy. Meanwhile, Alwyn continues to focus on his acting career, with his next film project, “The Brutalist,” announced on April 11. The film, which also stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, is currently being filmed in Hungary.
As both Swift and Alwyn move forward in their respective careers and personal lives, the public remains fascinated by the details of their long-term relationship and its impact on their art.
