The Taylor Swift story of the week—and yes, in 2023, we’re taking it as a given that there’s at least one Taylor Swift story a week—was supposed to be about personal triumph and professional solidarity. On Wednesday, she was named Spotify’s Global Top Artist of the Year; on Thursday, she celebrated by showing up for the premiere of Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé in London. (Swift was returning the favor after Beyoncé made an appearance at Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Film premiere last month.) It’s extremely rare to see two pop artists at the height of their powers showing up for each other like that, and any other week, that would’ve been our headline. Instead, the Taylor Swift story of the week is about her romantic life. Again.
How is it still true that Swift’s relationships still manage to so completely captivate the public imagination? It’s a question that many have asked, including, it seems, Swift herself. But the call is coming, at least a little bit, from inside the house. This week’s snowball effect started when the singer celebrated her Spotify milestone by sending the Midnights deluxe track “You’re Losing Me” to streaming. Previously available exclusively for purchase from her web store and on limited-edition discs sold on tour, “You’re Losing Me” is an eviscerating breakup track that raised eyebrows in the wake of her reported split from actor Joe Alwyn. (“And I wouldn’t marry me either/A pathological people pleaser/Who only wanted you to see her.”) Though labeled a “From the Vault” track, many speculated that the song must’ve been penned after the couple parted ways. Except, Swift’s producer and co-writer Jack Antonoff then added fire to the flames by posting on his Instagram story that “You’re Losing Me” was “Written and recorded at home on 12/5/21,” more than a year before Swift and Alwyn supposedly broke up.
Predictably, this sent Swifties, who are obsessed with puzzles, numbers, timelines, and clues, into a total tailspin. The fandom had already largely turned on Alwyn, running with a narrative that the actor was threatened by Swift’s fame and didn’t (publicly) appreciate her enough. The new information about “You’re Losing Me” made matters worse: “Wdym You’re Losing me was written in 2021??????????????? Wdym Taylor stayed with him FOR ANOTHER YEAR after treating her like shit??????????” one fan posted to Twitter/X. “i don’t know how anyone can listen to this song and feel anything other [than] pure, seething, punch him in the face anger for joe Alwyn,” wrote another. As fans reevaluated the relationship timeline, they began to reassess other songs in her repertoire. A “liked” tweet from Swift rewrote the narrative around her track “Sweet Nothing” from being about Alwyn to being about Paul and Linda McCartney. A resurfaced interview about evermore has some stans convinced that “tolerate it” was an indicator of their relationship issues as far back as 2020. Never mind that Swift thanked Alwyn at the Grammys just a few months after that song was released; video of Antonoff standing next to her during the acceptance speech has Swiftie detectives convinced that he was making faces of displeasure at the mere mention of his friend’s long-term partner.
If all of this rabid speculation stayed within niche corners of the Internet, it might not be a story, but Swiftian relationship intrigue is mainstream business. There isn’t a media outlet in existence that hasn’t cashed in on Swiftie fever in some way—but today’s tabloid du jour is DeuxMoi, the anonymous blind item account that has steadily gained popularity and influence in the last three years. Anyone can submit a “tip” to DeuxMoi about pretty much anything, with very little oversight about what is and isn’t completely made up. The anonymous account holder that runs DeuxMoi claims to have their own sources, and they’ve gotten big enough to be on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show to share the so-called “facts” about engagement rumors between Swift and her current boyfriend Travis Kelce. In other words, the same old story that has been following all of Swift’s relationships for almost a decade now, even after she released a song rolling her eyes about how “all they keep asking me is if I’m gonna be your bride.”
The Tree Paine shot heard ’round the world
Here’s where the vicious Swiftie backlash and DeuxMoi intersect. A day after DeuxMoi’s conversation with Seacrest, one brave fan tried to push back on both the fandom and the tabloid. This person submitted a post to DeuxMoi saying that just because the pop star “wrote a sad song about Joe” doesn’t mean she was unhappy for their entire relationship, and just because Jack Antonoff had a passing facial expression doesn’t mean he hated Alwyn, either. This anonymous fan pointed out that DeuxMoi was feeding into the narrative that Swift and Alywn actually broke up earlier, despite having previously claimed the couple secretly got married.
“She DID have a ceremony in either 2020 or 2021 in the UK and it was described to me as a “marriage” by more than one person. It was NEVER made legal,” the DeuxMoi account runner posted in response. “I will die on this hill! Put it on my tombstone! I have no reason to lie, I could give a shit what she does!!!!! I’m sorry she didn’t tell you guy about it in a song but just because she doesn’t sing about something doesn’t mean it didn’t happen!!!”
Unfortunately for DeuxMoi, this is the post that broke the mainstream, catching the attention of Swift’s infamous publicist, Tree Paine. Paine is typically the quiet force behind Swift’s precision PR machine, rarely making her presence known but obviously working hard behind the scenes. The last time Paine made a direct statement on a Swift situation was in 2020, when the Kim Kardashian/Kanye West feud flared up again. One can only surmise that the fact that she chose to post a statement (while attending the Renaissance premiere) on this subject means Swift’s camp views DeuxMoi as a significant nemesis.
“Enough is enough with these fabricated lies about Taylor from Deuxmoi,” Paine posted on Twitter/X. “There was NEVER a marriage or ceremony of ANY kind. This is an insane thing to post. It’s time for you to be held accountable for the pain and trauma you cause with posts like these.”
For Swifties, a Tree Paine post is like a shot heard ’round the world, and they immediately rallied to arms. “deuxmoi calling tree a liar ??? on main ??? you seriously want to start a PR battle with TREE PAINE ??????? wow that’s even more dumb than thinking taylor and joe got married in the first place,” posted one stan. Another stated, “idk I think it’s pretty simple. Taylor is being very vulnerable [right now] about what made her relationship fall apart so this rumor that he actually did ‘marry’ her is absolutely painful and making her livid.” And, tip-toeing closer to the realm of conspiracy, another speculated: “something definitely happened recently to make tays circle start emphasizing how little that man means to her…”
Gossip vs. fan fiction
What conclusions, if any, can be drawn from this latest chapter of Taylor Swift relationship drama? Swift has criticized her the media repeatedly for focusing too heavily on her romantic relationships, for “The trivialization of my songwriting as if it were a predatory act of a boy crazy psychopath,” as she put it in the 1989 (Taylor’s Version) prologue, for the obsessive way listeners have made her career about men. The rumor mill has apparently affected Swift so deeply Tree Pain has labeled it as a “trauma.”
Yet in some ways, Swift does seem to encourage it, at least among her fans. She made it clear during her relationship with Alwyn that she was taking a conscious step back from the spotlight, that it was her choice to dodge the constant media attention. Similarly, it’s obviously her choice to make her current relationship with Kelce a public affair, showing up to his football games and kissing him in full sight of fans at the Eras Tour. It’s always been clear that Swift likes to have complete control over her narrative, and she seems to be spinning one now. At least, that’s what Swifties are taking away from it: “they clearly see everything that’s being said and they don’t care,” one fan posted regarding the waves of hate being directed at the singer’s ex-boyfriend. “if anything they encourage it as they should…more joe alwyn lashings to come, TRUST !”
And there’s the crux of the issue. Swifties feel empowered to run with their own invented narratives based on breadcrumbs of evidence that may or may not mean anything. Their assertions are hardly different from writing fanfiction—hardly different from DexuMoi posting its barely credible assertions about Swift’s personal life. The only true difference is that Swifties feel they’re truly on her side, and the speed with which they’re willing to turn on one romantic partner (the fandom used to call Alwyn “dad”!) for another. Tree Paine could never call out the fans like she called out DeuxMoi—the fans are the ones that put food on the table, after all. But at the end of the day, the behavior is two sides of the same coin.