A Relationship Timeline: How Joe Alwyn Joined Taylor Swift's Long List of Ex-Lovers

The Gist:

• Taylor Swift's relationship with actor Joe Alwyn was one of her longest yet.
• Fans adored them together and throughout their years-long relationship, there was speculation that they were engaged.
• In 2023, reports surfaced that Taylor and Joe had broken up.
• But evidence suggests that they have may have split long before that.

Fans lost their minds when Taylor Swift started dating actor Joe Alwyn in 2017. The Grammy-winning musician has been subject to speculation, ridicule, and sometimes even vitriol over her romantic choices, even if she ended up hurt in the relationship.

Following her album "Reputation" and her public declaration of undying love for Joe, Swifties were thrilled that she had found someone deserving of her affection. The pair quietly dated for years, and things seemed pretty serious. However, in early 2023, reports surfaced that Taylor and Joe had broken up. Fans were devastated.

It's not uncommon for Taylor to embed secret clues and/or Easter eggs in her music about her exes. And like clockwork, her November 2023 song release titled, "You're Losing Me", was seemingly very Joe Alwyn-coded. But Taylor's good friend and songwriting partner Jack Antonoff seemingly dropped a major truth bomb about Taylor and Joe's breakup that drastically alters their relationship timeline.

Here's a look at Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn's relationship timeline, along with evidence suggesting they may have actually broken up in 2021 as opposed to 2023.

It has never been clear exactly how Joe and Taylor met. There has been heavy speculation from fans and hints from Taylor herself that the pair crossed paths when Taylor was the co-chair of the 2016 Met Gala, but these rumors have never been fully confirmed. In her song "Dress" on the "Reputation" album, she seemingly references their meeting with the lyric, "Flashback when you met me / Your buzzcut and my hair bleached." Taylor rocked a bleached hair look at the Gala, while Joe had a buzz cut.

Despite the speculation, The Sun officially reported their relationship for the first time in May 2017. A source had previously told the outlet that the duo had been dating in secret for a few months. Taylor had previously ended her relationship with actor Tom Hiddleston in September 2016.

Throughout 2017, Joe was spotted visiting Taylor's parents in Nashville and attending her show when she performed at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball. Then, just before the "Reputation" World Tour kicked off, Taylor and Joe posted matching photos standing next to cacti on May 18, 2018, seemingly confirming their relationship.

The same night, Joe was photographed in attendance at Taylor's first stop on her tour. Later in 2018, the duo took time away from Taylor's busy tour schedule to take a vacation in Turks and Caicos, as reported by People Magazine.

Taylor and Joe's relationship continued to flourish. The pair were photographed on dates throughout 2019, and Taylor even skipped the Grammys for the second year in a row to attend the British Academy Film Awards with Joe. However, in August 2019, she spoke to The Guardian to explain why her relationship would remain ultra-private.

Taylor explained, "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."

Following the release of Taylor Swift's Netflix documentary, Miss Americana, Joe was featured in a few sweet moments that hinted at their relationship. His inclusion in the story served as a brighter highlight of Taylor's life, especially as the documentary discussed the "Delicate" singer's struggles with body dysmorphia, high-profile political stances, leaving the spotlight, and Kanye West.

November 2020 was a busy month for fans of Joe and Taylor! First, Taylor addressed her relationship with Rolling Stone, saying it was very grounding to be in a relationship with someone "normal." She explained, "But I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids."

Then, with the release of her Disney Plus documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Taylor finally revealed what fans had long speculated: that Joe, under the alias William Bowery, co-wrote several songs on the album. "There's been a lot of discussion about William Bowery and his identity, 'cause it's not a real person," Taylor said. "William Bowery is Joe, as we know."

In an interview with Wall Street Journal Magazine in April 2022, Joe admitted that even if he and Taylor were engaged, he would likely not say. "If I had a pound for every time I think I've been told I've been engaged, then I'd have a lot of pound coins. I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn't say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn't say."

Additionally, Joe's "William Bowery" persona is credited on Taylor's recent album "Midnights" under the track "Sweet Nothing."

On April 8, Joe joined Taylor's long list of ex-lovers. Entertainment Tonight broke the news that Taylor and Alwyn had broken up but "it was not dramatic," the publication was exclusively told "The relationship had just run its course. It's why [Alwyn] hasn't been spotted at any shows."

A source close to the people reportedly told People the split was due to "differences in their personalities."

"They've had rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together," the source said, adding that they simply "weren't the right fit for one another."

On May 26, 2023, Taylor released 'Midnights (Till Dawn Edition)' which included "Karma" feat. Ice Spice and a re-record of "Snow on the Beach" feat. Lana Del Rey. That weekend, Taylor had touched down in New Jersey as part of her Eras Tour. While performing at Met Life Stadium, concertgoers were given the opportunity to purchase a physical copy of the CD on site, which featured an exclusive from the vault track titled "You're Losing Me."

This song had not been released anywhere online and the only way to listen to it was to obtain a copy of the CD being sold at Met Life.

"You're Losing Me" seemingly discussed the end of her and Joe's relationship with lyrics like "Stop, you're losin' me. I can't find a pulse. My heart won't start anymore for you. 'Cause you're losin' me." Another line read: " I wouldn't marry me either," suggesting that Joe did not want to marry Taylor.

Other lyrics alluded that Taylor felt their relationship needed to end as it was painful to keep pretending things were OK, but it was Joe who kept sweeping their problems under the rug.

Given that Taylor and Joe were reported to have broken up in April of that year, the timing of the song checked out. They broke up, she wrote the song right after, and recorded it all before the end of May.

But weirdly enough, after wrapping up her shows at Met Life, Taylor didn't mention "You're Losing Me" again for some time. Her silence perplexed fans: Why would one of the world's biggest popstars share such a telling and powerful song with only a small percent of fans?

On Nov. 29, 2023, Taylor did fans a solid and released "You're Losing Me" after being named Spotify's Global Top Artist of the year. That day, Jack Antonoff took to Instagram Stories to promote the song. Alongside a photo of Taylor eating a snack, he wrote "'You're Losing Me' is out today. A very special track from the 'Midnights' sessions that's finally streaming!” Written and recorded at home on 12/5/21 right after Taylor ate those raisins.”

While it sounded like a pretty innocuous statement, fans immediately went into a tailspin as Jack was claiming that Taylor wrote the song in December 2021, and not in early 2023 as fans were led to believe. Did that mean they broke up around December 2021?

Suddenly, the reports that Taylor and Joe split in April 2023 didn't make sense. If Taylor was feeling so broken by Joe in 2021, it just didn't seem plausible that they stayed together that much longer. Hopefully, Taylor will hop in the convo soon to give more details.