Strange Things About Ed Sheeran And Taylor Swift's Friendship
May 17, 2015, will go down in history as the day that Taylor Swift introduced the world to her now infamous girl squad with the release of her "Bad Blood" music video. Swift then proceeded to turn her 1989 World Tour into a who's who of her famous friends, trotting them out on stage with her for a song or two. These days, the number of Swift's gal pals who would call themselves squad members has taken a hit, but one member of her original friend group has stuck it out with her despite her controversial reputation. That guy is Ed Sheeran.
Through thick and thin, Sheeran has proved himself a loyal friend, and the two have continued to make beautiful music together. Although Sheeran and Swift are still going strong, no celebrity friendship is complete without its share of oddities, and at the risk of Swift filling in one of her blank spaces with our name, here are some strange things about their relationship.
He started as an opening act on her tour
In 2013, Sheeran landed the gig to end all gigs — opening for Swift on her Red Tour. Sheeran wasn't shrouded in obscurity before snagging the slot on her tour, but it wouldn't be a stretch to say that taking the stage before Swift night after night helped boost the singer/songwriter to household-name status. At the time, Sheeran even admitted to MTV News that Swift's tour was his biggest gig to date.
We're not saying these two are only friends because they were forced to see each other almost every day for about six months, but it probably didn't hurt to have a captive audience. Although the two pop stars are now music industry equals, Sheeran certainly had a lot to gain from cozying up to one of the biggest stars in the world.
He hooked up with members of her squad
Sheeran was on one of the hottest tickets in town when he toured with Swift, and he made sure to take full advantage of it. He told MTV News that he planned to grab the opportunity with "both hands," but that wasn't the only thing he was getting handsy with. The singer admitted to Rolling Stone in 2017 that he hooked up with a few members of Swift's infamous squad while on tour.
"I was this 22-year-old awkward British kid going on tour with the biggest artist in America, who has all these famous mates. It was very easy... I would often find myself in situations just kind of waking up and looking over and being like, 'How the f**k did that happen?" he said.
Not a lot of friendships can survive one party sleeping with the other's friends, but we guess that wasn't a make or break for Swift.
He dodged questions about hooking up with her
If he slept with some of her famous friends, it wouldn't be so crazy to think that Sheeran and Swift might have hooked up too. After all, they were on the road together for six months.
During an interview with New York's Power 105.1 radio show, The Breakfast Club, Sheeran said he and Swift never "smashed." At first, he attributed their platonic status to the fact that they met first as professionals. However, when pushed for a better answer by host Charlamagne Tha God, Sheeran shut down the rumor once and for all with a very interesting response: "Too tall," he said. "I feel like we look like cast members of The Hobbit."
So is he saying that if there wasn't a height difference, a secret rendezvous would be a go? Even though we'll probably never get an answer to that question, we can't help but wonder what a Swift song would sound like about Sheeran rather than featuring Sheeran.
She might have written a song about him
Speaking of wondering what a Sheeran song by Swift would sound like, fans think we might have gotten one on her 2017 album, Reputation.
Here's why: in the song "Dress," Swift croons, "Our secret moments in a crowded room / They got no idea about me and you / There is an indentation in the shape of you/ Made your mark on me, a golden tattoo." The telling line? "In the shape of you." Swift has been known to drop clever hints about the subjects of her songs, and no lyric ever seems to be coincidental. It's hard to believe it's an accident that the songstress just so happened to name drop the title of the Billboard Hot 100 song of the year, "Shape of You," which just so happens to be by none other than Sheeran.
Swift also notes in her lyrics that she doesn't want her mystery man "like a best friend." Of course, she's got a lot of famous friends, but it doesn't really seem like Sheeran has much competition in the category of best guy friend—just sayin'.
Always one to avoid romance rumors, Sheeran shut the speculation down by noting that the pop diva also mentions someone with a buzz cut haircut in her son, which he's never had. However, Joe Alwyn, Swift's current boyfriend, did have a buzz cut back when he was filming Billy Lynn's Halftime Walk. That said, we're not entirely convinced Sheeran is in the clear here, but we guess we'll have to let it slide...for now.
He used to third wheel on her dates
Just to further solidify the fact that he's not romantically involved with Swift in any way, shape (of you,) or form, Sheeran has shown that he is totally okay with being a third wheel on his bestie's outings.
In 2015, when T. Swift was in a relationship with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris, Sheeran stepped out with the pair for a lunch date. While the loved-up couple held hands, Sheeran looked more than happy to tag along behind them as the planet's most relatable third wheel.
Guess that's one way to avoid show up on Swift's long list of ex-lovers.
They meddle in each other's love lives
When he isn't playing sold-out stadiums, Sheeran enjoys playing love guru. In 2015, Swift told InStyle that the best love advice she'd ever gotten was from Sheeren. "[Ed] says there are different kinds of love: There's physical attraction, mental attraction, and emotional attraction; there's also comfort and obsession. You need to have all of those things in one person. You have to mentally respect them, be physically attracted, and have a comfort level. You're obsessed with them, yet you also know they're going to stay. I've never had that in one person."
Apparently, the advice "really resonated" with the pop star, which also supports the theory that the "Perfect" singer may be confined to the friend zone. These two have even reportedly tried setting each other up in the past. If that doesn't say BFF goals, we don't know what does.
She wrote a weird, public ode to him
In April 2017, Sheeran made Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People list...because 2017 was clearly Sheeran's year and we were just living in it. Swift was tasked with penning a few words in honor of her long-time friend and what she came up with was interesting, to say the least.
She describing her pal as a "precocious redheaded boy" and as a "tank." Maybe she was just referencing some classified, inside jokes that we, as mere mortals, could only wish to understand.
They encourage each other's cat obsession
There are two indisputable things that can be said about Swift: 1) she's one of the biggest pop stars in the world and 2) she's 100 percent a cat person.
Back when the old Taylor Swift was alive and well, there were tons of pictures of her cats across her social media platforms. Despite the old Taylor being dead, it seems like the new Taylor is still very much a fan of felines. And how do we know this? Because in "Gorgeous," Swift sings about stumbling home to her cats, which is pretty much the most Taylor Swift line of all time.
Sheeran revealed to Rolling Stone that he and Tay got matching Scottish Fold cats together. That would be all fine and good except that, according to BBC, animal welfare campaigners have been calling for the breeding of these cats to be banned because the gene mutation that gives them their signature look causes animal health issues. Maybe next time, these two can decide on a less controversial way to twin with each other.
They bond over being 'underdogs'
In an interview with British GQ in February 2017, Sheeran opened up about how being an underdog in high school has shaped both him and his bestie.
"There's an underdog element to it," Sheeran said. "Taylor was never the popular kid in school. I was never the popular kid in school. Then you get to the point when you become the most popular kid in school–and we both take it a bit too far."
"She wants to be the biggest female artist in the world and I want to be the biggest male artist in the world," he continued. "It also comes from always being told that you can't do something and being like, 'F**k you. I can.'"
While we're not entirely sure what Sheeran means by taking things a "bit too far," there are few, if any, situations these days where either of these singers would be considered an underdog.
He doesn't defend her very public feuds
In addition to her long list of ex-lovers, Swift has a growing list of current enemies, including KimYe and Katy Perry. As a former high school underdog, you would think Sheeran would jump at the chance to back up his BFF against her "mean girl," but as it turns out, Sheeran has no interest in getting anywhere near Swift's beefs—especially the Swift/Perry debacle.
According to People, when asked about whether he felt the need to defend Swift in light of Perry's alleged diss track, "Swish Swish," he simply said, "I don't think she needs that at all."
We're not suggesting Sheeran insert himself into the middle of all of Swift's feuds, because that could get a little messy, but a little show of support here or there for his bestie doesn't seem like too much to ask. Alas, Ed is so not here for the drama!
He's never featured Taylor on one of his albums, but he sang on two of hers
At the time of writing, Sheeran has been featured on two of Swift's songs: "Everything Has Changed" and "End Game." Two features with Swift is definitely a feat considering collaborations on her albums are few and far between. No other artist has sung on two of Swift's songs. Seeing as these two are all buddy-buddy and have known each other for years, you would think Sheeran would return the gesture, right?
Wrong. Swift has yet to be featured on any of Sheeran's albums, and there's just something kind of shady about that. It would be different if Sheeran just didn't do song features, but as we saw from his recent "Perfect" remix with Beyoncé, that's definitely not the case.
It's also quite possible that Swift isn't interested in a feature or simply doesn't have the time, but a Queen Bey feature before a BFF feature just doesn't seem right. Sheeran might have opened for Swift in 2013, but it seems he's now confident that he can shine with or without Tay Tay.