A Timeline of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Super Private Romance

At this point, it’s no secret that Taylor Swift is dating British actor Joe Alwyn. What is a secret, though, is… well, basically everything about their entire relationship. While we all know the two are together, no one can confirm exactly how long they’ve been together, what they do together, and how they really feel about each other. Swift, who has always been quite open and honest about her past relationships, has chosen to keep this one super private, and while we respect her decision, but that doesn’t make us any less curious.

Evidence collected online a by sneaky fans show us that Swift and Alwyn likely met around 2016, and probably started dating some time after that. Years later, the two have yet to do much of anything publicly: no social media posts, they’re very rarely photographed together, and they barely speak about each other in interviews. So what’s really going on there? Here’s a look at a timeline of their romance:

May 2, 2016: Fans think the two met at the Met Gala.

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While we don’t know for sure when Swift and Alwyn met, but fans believe it was the 2016 Met Gala. Fans think the song “Dress” from her 2017 album Reputation is about the first time the two met, due to these lyrics: “Flashback to when you met me, your buzzed cut and my hair bleached.” At the event, Swift’s hair was bleached, and Alwyn’s was buzzed.

However, at the time, Swift was still dating Calvin Harris.

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That also happens to be the same night Swift was captured on video dancing with Tom Hiddleston, and many believe that was the start to their relationship. It was clearly a pretty epic night for Swift!

October 12, 2016: Swift and Alwyn were both at the Kings of Leon concert.

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Swift was seen at a private Kings of Leon show with her friends a month after ending things with Hiddleston, and afterwards, went to the Bowery Hotel for an afterparty. While Alwyn wasn’t pictured at the party, one fan website caught a glimpse of him entering the Bowery that very night. Coincidence or not?

November 12, 2016: Swift went to Alwyn’s movie screening.

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Exactly a month after their possible hangout session at the Bowery, Swift and a few of her friends went to the premiere of Alwyn’s film, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which also starred Kristen Stewart. There was no mention of the two hanging out or anything like that.

May 16, 2017: Rumors start to swirl that the two are dating.

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Suddenly, in the spring of 2017, reports began to come out that Swift and Alwyn were dating. A source that claimed to be close to both of them told The Sun that the couple had been together for a few months. They said, “Taylor and Joe are the real deal, this is a very serious relationship. But after what happened with Tom Hiddleston, they were determined to keep it quiet.”

The source claimed that Swift was doing everything possible to keep the relationship private.

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They said, “Taylor has flown in via private jets and her security has made it a military-like mission to prevent her from being seen. She’s been walking around with Joe in London using disguises, like scarves and hats, to keep her identity under wraps. Nobody has a clue they’ve been walking past a music superstar – not even her new neighbors.”

June 5, 2017: The paparazzi finally spotted the two in Nashville.

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About a month after reports of their secret relationship, the paparazzi finally managed to catch up to the couple. The two were photographed sitting on a balcony in Nashville, Tennessee looking happy and relaxed.

July 25, 2017: The two were spotted in New York.

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It doesn’t seem like Swift or Alwyn were very happy that their relationship was revealed to the public. In July, they were photographed in New York leaving Swift’s apartment. They were clearly trying to keep a low profile with hoodies pulled over their faces.

October 20, 2017: Swift supposedly admitted that one of her new songs was about Alwyn.

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It took a while, but in October 2017, Swift was said to have spoken about Alwyn publicly for the first time. During a “secret” listening session for her new album, Reputation, Swift allegedly told fans that the single “Gorgeous” is about him.

If “Gorgeous” really is about Alwyn, it definitely makes sense – the lyrics are pretty on point.

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Swift sings, “You should take it as a compliment / That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk.” Alwyn is British. She also sings, “And I got a boyfriend, he’s older than us / He’s in the club doing, I don’t know what.” This could easily have referred to Harris or Hiddleston, who are both older – and Harris is a DJ.

October 27, 2017: Ed Sheeran alluded to the fact that Swift and Alwyn were dating.

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Everyone knows that Sheeran and Swift are close, so if he was going to say something about Alwyn, that would make it seem pretty obvious that the two were dating. During a British radio show, he was asked about Alwyn and replied, “He’s really nice. Really, really friendly, really good dude.”

December 11, 2017: The two were spotted engaging in some PDA at a concert.

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In December, Swift and Alwyn clearly decided that they really didn’t care if people knew they were dating. They were spotted cuddling and dancing together by eagle-eyed fans at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball in New York City. Fans took to Twitter to post blurry photos and videos.

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May 8, 2018: They kind of went Instagram official.

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We have yet to see a photo of these two together on Instagram, but… we almost did? In May, they both posted almost the exact same photo of themselves standing alone next to the same cactus. The photos were posted on the same day, so they were obviously there together.

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September 19, 2018: Alwyn mentions Swift in an interview for the first time ever.

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In an interview with British Vogue, Alwyn pretty much confirmed their relationship, but quickly went on to say he didn’t want to discuss it. He explained, “I’m aware people want to know about that side fo things. I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people… but I really prefer to talk about work.”

October 18, 2018: Alwyn publicly commented on Swift’s political Instagram post.

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Despite the fact that Alwyn made it pretty clear that he didn’t want to talk about Swift publicly, he was still being asked about her a lot. After Swift made her Instagram post endorsing two Tennessee congressional candidates, an interview asked Alwyn for his thoughts.

Alwyn said, “I think it’s great, and I think it’s important.”

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November 23, 2018: Swift kind of posted about Alwyn on social media.

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Okay, so Swift didn’t actually mention Alwyn’s name or post any kind of photo of him, but she did endorse his film, The Favourite. She posted a clipped trailer with the caption, “The Favourite is absolutely phenomenal, and it opens in NY and LA tomorrow— Swipe to see cities and dates!” She did tag Alwyn, though!

November 25, 2018: Alwyn refused to talk about Swift in an interview.

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In an interview with GQ, Alwyn was again questioned about Swift, and that time, he wouldn’t say much of anything at all. He stated, “Someone’s private life is, by definition, private. No one is obliged to share their personal life.” When asked if he had a favorite Swift song, he said, “I’m just not even going to go into that side of the world.”

December 7, 2018: Alwyn sort of answered a question about his relationship with Swift.

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Esquire had a bit more luck getting Alwyn to open up about Swift. During an interview, he was asked if he got any help from friends when he started dating Swift. He replied, “I didn’t seek out advice on that. Because I know what I feel about it. I think there’s a very clear line as to what somebody should share, or feel like they have to share, and what they don’t want to and shouldn’t have to.”

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December 11, 2018: Swift was spotted at Alwyn’s movie premiere in London.

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Although the two weren’t photographed together, Swift was seen at the premiere of Mary Queen of Scots and at the after-party. She was photographed by Alwyn’s co-star, Izuka Hoyle, who posted a photo with her with the caption, “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone.”

January 6, 2019: Swift and Alwyn were supposedly very flirty at the Golden Globes.

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Fans hoped to see Swift and Alwyn together at the Golden Globes, since Alwyn’s film was nominated and Swift was presenting, but the two did not walk the red carpet together. However, Us Weekly reported that they were very flirty, saying, “While Taylor presented, Joe watched the teleprompter near him and smiled and (his Favourite costar) Nicholas Hoult patted him on the back. After Gaga walked on stage, Joe shifted his gaze to the stage near Taylor.”

The insider added, “She was smiling at him while she walked off the stage. She looked over her shoulder and gave a sassy cute little smile at his table’s direction.”

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February 10, 2019: Swift and Alwyn were photographed holding hands.

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Holding hands is basically considered major PDA for this very private couple, so it was a big deal when they were photographed doing exactly that after a BAFTAs after party.

February 24, 2019: The couple were seen at the Oscars Vanity Fair party.

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Swift and Alwyn did not attend the Oscars together, but he was supposedly hanging with Swift at the Vanity Fair afterparty. There was even a video of the two engaging in some very cute PDA.

August 8, 2019: Fans start to believe Swift and Alwyn are engaged.

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When Swift revealed some of the lyrics from her album Lover, many fans took them as an admission that her and Alwyn were engaged. The lyrics were, “My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well, to end up with you.” It does kind of sound that way!

August 23, 2019: Fans become convinced that three of Swift’s new songs from Lover were written about Alwyn.

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When Swift released her new album Lover, it was inevitable that fans would try to decipher the lyrics. Many believe that the songs “Lover,” “I Think He Knows,” and “London Boy” were written about her relationship with Alwyn.

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And the songs couldn’t be more romantic.

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The third single, which shares the name of the album, has lyrics that can only be written by someone who has found their soulmate.

Here are a few more swoon-worthy lyrics.

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And we need a moment to talk about the song “Cornelia Street.”

She sings: “You hold my hand on the street / Walk me back to that apartment / Years ago, we were just inside / Barefoot in the kitchen / Sacred new beginnings / That became my religion, listen.”

She rented this apartment right at the beginning of their relationship and the chorus is basically says if they ever ended all her memories at Cornelia Street would be ruined forever.

In the second verse, we get a little more insight on their relationship.

Read the lyrics:

“We were in the backseat / Drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar / “I rent a place on Cornelia Street” I say casually in the car / We were a fresh page on the desk / Filling in the blanks as we go / As if the street lights pointed in an arrowhead / Leading us home…”

She’s inviting him home with her. She says “leading us home” implying it’s a shared space. She goes on to share sweet antidotes about memorizing the creaks in the floor and playing cards together, which is freaking adorable.

August 24, 2019: Swift brought up Alwyn in an interview.

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In an interview with The Guardian, Swift explained exactly why she keeps her relationship with Alwyn private. She said she doesn’t discuss it because, “I’ve learned that if I do, people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion. If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it – but it’s just that it goes out into the world.” She added, “That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”