Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department drops is among us, and Swifties largely think it's about her ex Joe Alwyn. You know, based on literally nothing but the title, the track list, and the bonus songs...actually, there's a lot of evidence. But some fans think there's also reason to believe Taylor's brief relationship with Matty Healy could be a source of inspiration for this album.
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Though, straight up? Taylor's been working on Tortured Poets for two full years and she and Matty dated for a hot second last spring. But hey, Taylor certainly could have added some last minute ~bonus tracks~ into the mix! Point is, the time has come to revisit Taylor and Matty's slightly messy split, so let's get into it.
Which brings us to the drama!
December 12, 2022
Matty posts a photo of himself and Phoebe Bridgers kissing with Bo Burnham in the background, which he captioned "Gay Poets Society." The post has since been deleted, but the caption is obviously what matters here due to Taylor Swift's upcoming album (which we'll get to in a minute!).
January 13, 2023
Taylor makes a surprise appearance at The 1975's show at the O2 Arena in London, where she performed an acoustic version of "Anti-Hero" for the very first time. She also paid homage to the band with a cover of "The City" and even snapped a pic with Matty's mom, Denise Welch, backstage.
May 4, 2023
Amid Taylor and Matty dating, Page Six dusts off that aforementioned interview from 2016 in which he calls dating Taylor "emasculating." Which...doesn't exactly please fans!
Here's the full quote:
âShe wasnât a big impact on my life. Itâs just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift. The reason I mention that is because if I had [properly] gone out with Taylor Swift, I wouldâve been, âFucking hell, I am not being Taylor Swiftâs boyfriend.â You know, âFuck. That.â Thatâs also a man thing, a demasculinating [sic], emasculating thing.â
May 27, 2023
Matty cryptically addresses his relationship with Taylor on stage, saying, âIs it all a bit? Is it sincere? Will he ever address it? All of these questions and more will be ignored in the next hour."
May 29, 2023
Matty's controversies grow, and fans get more upset when he makes it clear he doesn't care.
June 5, 2023
TMZ speaks to a âfriend close to the situationâ who confirms Tay is âsingleâ and she and Matty are over. Meanwhile, a People source says âshe had fun with him, but it was always casual,â while an Entertainment Tonight insider adds, âTaylor and Matty broke up. They are both extremely busy and realized theyâre not really compatible with each other. Taylorâs friends want whatâs best for her and arenât shocked that their relationship fizzled out since she recently got out of a long-term relationship.â
Taylor says nothing publicly, but Matty implies things are done in a showâsaying âIâve not been online but what I have been with is my boys.â
June 6, 2023
A source tells People, âThey were never boyfriend-girlfriend or exclusive and were always just having fun. There is no drama, and who knows what could happen again. It was a good time and ran its course.â
August 11, 2023
A DeuxMoi tipster claims Matty and Taylor aren't really broken up, and it's honestly all very confusing.
December 26, 2023
A fan discovers that her copy of 1989 (Taylor's Version) has an...interesting...detail on the back: Matty Healy is credited as a writer on "Slut!" and the song seemingly has an alternate second verse...the implication being that Matty and Taylor recorded a version of the song together before their breakup.
February 4, 2024
Taylor announces her new album The Tortured Poets Department at the 2024 Grammys, and people immediately clock the title as a reference to Joe Alwyn's group chat with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called "The Tortured Man Club."
However....just wanna also circle back to this:
February 8, 2024
Matty goes on a mid-show rant that people speculate is about Taylor/Tortured Poets. âDo not come for me,â he says. âTrust me. You know who Iâm talking to. Honestly, you know who you are. Iâm as mental as I seem. I have the receipts. Donât fuck with me. Trust me.â
April 17, 2024
A few days ahead of The Tortured Poets Department's release, massive murals of QR codes began showing up in major cities like Chicago and London. Speaking of the latterâwhich is in the UK, where Matty hails fromâit's literally plastered on the side of a building with the same name as The 1975 frontman's alias and Instagram handle. Naturally, fans spiraled over this detail as they put in the work:
Truly iconic/insane/all the things if it is a Matty reference.
April 18, 2024
The Tortured Poets Department drops, and um...turns out it's largely about Matty Healy. Just gonna....
April 19, 2024
An Us Weekly source says Tay gave Matty a heads up on the album, which he was âreally appreciativeâ of. âHe was worried that their story would be shed in a negative light,â the source adds, going on to say that Matty had concerns âthe public wouldnât get the full story" and was âalso very nervous about the Swifties."
April 24, 2024
A few days after Tortured Poets hit streaming services, paparazzi tracked down Matty and asked him what he thought of the album. In a clip posted by Entertainment Tonight, the photographer asked, "How would you rate your Taylor diss track compared to the 3o others?"
"I haven't really listened to that much of it, but I'm sure it's good," Matty replied.
And that brings us up to date! But something tells us this timeline will get longer....
Your Essential Guide to 'The Tortured Poets Departmentï»ż'
Taylor Swift Announces New Album, âThe Tortured Poets Departmentâ
Taylor Swift Reveals Bonus Track Title and New Album Cover for 'The Tortured Poets Department'
Taylor Swift Reveals Exact Timeline of When She Wrote 'The Tortured Poets Department'
Joe Alwyn Posts on Instagram for the First Time in Months Amid âTortured Poetsâ Speculation
All the Clues and Easter Eggs About Taylor Swiftâs New Album, âThe Tortured Poets Departmentâ
Fans Think ï»ż'Tortured ï»żPoets' ï»żIs a Sister Album to 'Midnights' Thanks to ï»żTaylor ï»żSwift's Visual Easter Eggs
Swifties Spiral Over Potential Joe Alwyn Refs in the Tracklist for 'The Tortured Poets Department!'
Taylor Swiftâs April 19 Album Release Date Makes So Much Sense Based on What Happened With Joe Alwyn That Day
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