Tragic Details About Taylor Swift's Ex Joe Alwyn

Joe Alwyn may be a star in his own right, but he'll forever be linked to his most famous ex (at least at the time of this writing), Taylor Swift — and because of just how famous Swift is, we know a lot more about the typically private actor than he'd probably like. Sadly for Alwyn, not all of the details we know are happy ones. In fact, a number of them are downright sad. 

We'll start with that detail about preferring to stay out of the limelight. Speaking to Elle in 2022, Alwyn explained that he wasn't exactly on board with the idea that being a public figure meant letting the world into his life. Granted, that wasn't because he wanted to be a recluse. However, he told the outlet, "We live in a culture that is so increasingly intrusive ... the more you give — and frankly, even if you don't give it — something will be taken."

Of course, many will remember that Swift also didn't talk about their relationship, so at the very least, they were on the same page. In fact, in one of the exceedingly rare instances when she did give insight into their relationship, Swift told The Guardian of her decision not to speak about it, "I've learned that if I do, people think it's up for discussion, and our relationship isn't up for discussion." Unfortunately for the former lovebirds, they ended up parting anyway. However, even post-split, Alwyn has made a point of keeping his thoughts to his chest (and out of the press). Speaking to The Times in 2024, he explained, "I'm sure you can appreciate, given the level of noise and scrutiny about my past relationship, why I wouldn't want to open the door to things like that right now." Fair enough.

Sadly for Joe Alwyn, even declining to comment on his breakup from Taylor Swift wasn't enough to stop all the chatter. In fact, some may even remember that in a January 2025 interview with The Guardian, he shared that he thought it was time for the world to move on from his past relationship. 

"That's something for other people to do. We're talking about something that's a while ago in my life. So that's for other people. That's what I feel," Alwyn told the outlet. Though he didn't expressly say so — and given his preference for keeping his feelings about the relationship and his personal life in general out of the public eye, we're not shocked by that — it was pretty clear he was referring to the endless barrage of hate he received from angry Swifties. In fact, he was probably referencing all the chatter over which of the songs on Swift's "Tortured Poet's Department" tracklist pertained to him.

All that said, Alwyn made a point of noting that he had a number of tried-and-tested techniques for not letting the world's opinions get to him. For one, he shared, "I have tried just to focus on controlling what I can control." As for his other coping mechanisms, he explained, "Right from the beginning, [I] tried to focus on the things that are meaningful for me: friends, family, work, of course. So noise outside of that, I think I've done what lots of people who find themselves in the public eye do, which is just try and ignore it. If you don't, and you let all of that other stuff in, and if it starts to affect you and your behavior, you're living from the outside in. And then you're pretty f***ed."

One unfortunate side effect of keeping things private is that in the absence of an official comment, anyone can decide to make up stories. And, when Taylor Swift released "The Tortured Poets Department," many of her fans had a field day with the more overt references to Joe Alwyn. 

While Swift has long made it known that she uses real-life experiences as a springboard to create characters for each of her albums, "So long, London" was hard to separate from the London-based Joe Alwyn. After all, while Swift was still in her "Lover" era with the actor, she'd penned "London Boy," which many saw as a sweet ode to him. Obviously, "So Long, London" had a very different feel — and some even interpreted the lyrics as a description of his mental health. The lyrics in question? "You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days," was one line. " The chorus also seemed to hint at something along those lines, opening with, "So how much sad did you think I had/ Did you think I had in me?/ How much tragedy?"

The fact that Swift had previously said in an interview with Apple Music that she and Alwyn both loved sad songs and enjoyed writing them together didn't exactly help matters, nor did his past interviews about his mental health and feeling unable to express himself at times. Soon enough, tabloids began speculating whether he had depression, and whether it had contributed to his and Swift's split. For the record, Alwyn didn't say so in his own words. As such, many netizens have pointed out that suggesting that depression had anything to do with the breakup is incredibly inappropriate. Many have even reiterated that Swift never officially said that was what the lyrics implied, either. 

Impropriety of mental health discussions aside, there's no question that Joe Alwyn's career was impacted by his breakup from Taylor Swift. Of course, that's not to say he hasn't been cast (quite the contrary, he's remained booked and busy, and even secured roles in award-winning films such as "Kinds of Kindness" and "The Brutalist"). However, speaking to the Daily Mail, an insider claimed that all the questions he got about the breakup while doing press for the films became a major source of frustration for him. 

Speaking of the comments Alwyn had made in his interview with The Times, the insider told the Daily Mail, "Joe wanted to get this over with once and for all so he can move forward with his life and his career. ... He never wanted to say anything and was hoping it would all blow over, but it hasn't." They went on to point out that it was difficult that he was constantly facing questions about it while Swift was profiting from the breakup — and though they didn't expressly bring it up, it did have us thinking of another statement he'd made in his interview with The Times. That is, "It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now."

Back to the Daily Mail's source, they told the outlet of his decision to make any comments on the matter, "He never wanted to say anything and was hoping it would all blow over, but it hasn't." They also noted that the actor "needed her to know that appearing to address their relationship without confirming who she is singing about can have a lasting and hurtful effect on the people/men involved." Even so, they confirmed, "He wishes her no ill will."

Unfortunately for Joe Alwyn, the news of his ex's engagement to someone else was hard to miss. That would be tough in itself, but making matters worse, the engagement didn't mark the end of all the attention paid to him. Instead, things actually ramped up a notch, and he ended up being dragged on social media. 

Taking to X, several Swifties used Taylor Swift's "Paper Rings" lyrics to poke fun at him. ICYMI, "Paper Rings" has long been said to be about Alwyn, with the chorus seeing her croon, "I like shiny things, but I'd marry you with paper rings." Ofc, the ring Travis Kelce proposed with was notably not paper, with one diamond pro telling Nicki Swift the diamond looked to be around 10 carats. Enter, the Alwyn haters. "Hi Joe Alwyn the beating is on you and your paper rings," wrote one X user, alongside pictures from Kelce's proposal. "Travis Kelce did in 1 year what Joe Alwyn couldn't do in 6 years," quipped another. Still another was a touch more brutal, writing, "Today's lesson: never settle for a Joe Alwyn, find yourself a Travis Kelce." 

Others weren't quite as harsh. On the contrary, a number of X users actually shared that they felt bad for Alwyn. That said, given everything he's said about wanting to keep his personal life private, we're not sure he was particularly happy to be receiving the public's pity either. 

Sadly, Swifties on social media weren't the only ones who had a field day with Joe Alwyn after Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce. Far from it, the paparazzi managed to get pictures of him walking in London the next day. As luck would have it, he was kitted out in various shades of blue, which prompted countless outlets to muse that it may have been a reflection of his mood in the wake of his ex moving on in such a public way. Granted, if there was any intention behind the blue ensemble, perhaps that had more to do with his feelings about once again being asked about his ex. 

Taylor Swift's ex Joe Alwyn seen in first outing since Travis Kelce engagement https://t.co/GvGTibUj40 pic.twitter.com/Y14wXzTvhW

— New York Post (@nypost) August 28, 2025

Unsurprisingly, Alwyn didn't issue any kind of statement about Swift's engagement. If sources are to be believed, he probably hasn't spoken to Swift herself, either. Speaking to the Daily Mail, one insider claimed, "He genuinely hopes she is in a good place and doing well, but he doesn't think about her anymore on any consistent basis and hasn't reached out, nor will he, to offer congratulations." That wasn't because Alwyn wanted to be shady, though. In fact, the source revealed that Alwyn simply didn't believe there was any reason to do so. More than that, they added, "He feels she wouldn't want to hear from him anyway."

Considering how private Alwyn likes to keep his life, it is unfortunate that he'll forever be linked to such a famous face, not just through Swifties' collective memory, but also in her music. That said, perhaps someday all the chatter surrounding him will die down, and he'll be able to do an interview without being asked about his ex. Heaven knows, he's probably waiting for that day to come.