Matty Healy Claimed He Would Never Date Taylor Swift Long Before Their Fling

Taylor Swift has been having quite a year from kicking off her "Eras" tour to ending her relationship with Joe Alwyn. As the superstar continues to wow crowds in stadiums all over the country, her personal life has continued making headlines. Interestingly enough, Swift hasn't commented on any of it — which isn't all that uncommon. Swift generally lets her song lyrics do the talking when it comes to her romantic relationships, and this time is no different. As reports swirled that Swift and Alwyn broke things off after six years together, she went ahead and released the song "You're Losing Me," which fans are convinced is about her split from Alwyn. 

As Swifties were just getting over the news that their idol was single again, rumors suggested she had a new flame with Matty Healy — the lead singer of the group The 1975. In May, fans noticed that Healy was in the crowd at Swift's shows in Nashville, according to People magazine. Days later, the two were seen holding hands in New York City. "They're hanging out and having a good time. It's not just platonic," a source told People of the apparent new romance. However, things don't appear to have lasted long, with several outlets reporting on Swift and Healy's split in June. A source told TMZ that Swift was "single" again. Their romance may have been doomed from the start based on some comments that Healy had previously made.

Taylor Swift & Matty Healy have known each other for years

Way back in 2014, Taylor Swift attended a concert with her pal Selena Gomez, but it wasn't just any concert. According to Billboard, the girls jammed out to The 1975 during their show in Los Angeles. At the time, Swift and Matty Healy weren't at all romantically linked, but Swift's apparent love for the band did stir up some rumors. The two did end up exchanging numbers, E! News reported at the time, and when he was asked if he'd go out with her, he played it cool. "Let's just see what happens," he said, adding, "She's a sensation, I wouldn't say no." A few years later, however, Healy completely changed his tune.

The year was 2016, and the interview was with Q magazine. Healy debunked any Swift dating rumors and made it clear that he's glad they never got together. "If I had gone out with Taylor Swift I would've been, 'F**king hell! I am NOT being Taylor Swift's boyfriend.' You know, 'F**K. THAT.' That's also a man thing, a de-masculinating, emasculating thing," he told the outlet, according to NME.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Healy's comments went viral, leaving him in hot water with Swifties around the globe — and so he clarified things. 

Matty Healy didn't really mean it

Evidently, Matty Healy really didn't mean what he said to be taken so negatively, and he says that his words were taken out of context. "I was for a very short time immersed in a celebrity world that I found confusing and scary. At that time, I had fears of being 'somebody's boyfriend' (remember this is all speculation as we never dated!) before even being recognized for my music or presence as a person in my own right," he wrote on Twitter (per Elle). "Now I don't pride myself on being more intelligent, or worldly, or wise, or progressive, or even regressive than the next man but I DO pride [myself] on being honest. I was being HONEST about all the thoughts, feelings, and situations that come along when people ASSUME you are dating the most famous woman on the planet. I am telling you from experience it's an all-consuming whirlwind and something that for me elicited a lot of self-exploration," he added.

Flash forward about eight years, and it appears Healy got his moment with Swift, though it was short-lived — and we can't help but wonder why. As it turns out, a source told ET that the two found out rather quickly that they were better off as friends. "They are both extremely busy and realized they're not really compatible with each other," the source shared. So there you have it. And, if nothing else, we expect a new Swift track out of all of this.