12 Rumors About Taylor Swift We Couldn't Ignore

Despite her relatively young age, Taylor Swift has been a prominent figure in the pop culture zeitgeist for the better part of two decades at this point, dating to the release of her eponymous debut country album way back in 2006. She doesn't appear to be showing any signs of slowing down, either, releasing her album "The Life of a Showgirl" to five-star reviews in 2025, continuing to bolster the ranks of her worldwide army of Swifties, and dominating the tabloid discussion with her comings and goings alongside NFL star/husband-to-be Travis Kelce.

But as Swift's star continues to shine, so, too, does the media circus and fan frenzy surrounding her; A phenomenon giving rise to wild tales about what she's up to behind the scenes, who she's getting on with (and who she's not), what her songs are really about, and what skeletons she may have in her closet. From secret marriages and public relations schemes to stolen songs and the Illuminati, here are 12 rumors about Taylor Swift that we simply couldn't ignore.

Over the course of her career, Taylor Swift has been romantically linked to a number of prominent male companions, many of whom she's believed to have written songs about. It's a list that includes the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Joe Jonas, and others. The veritable avalanche of words devoted to her relationships notwithstanding, a segment of the Swift fandom online believes we've yet to fully see the truth of Swift's romantic life. More specifically, claims that the singer has been living a secret double life as a queer woman have proliferated on social media and in the press.

Earlier in her career, it was speculated that she was in a relationship with actress Dianna Agron. Meanwhile, some fans have been shipping Swift and Victoria's Secret Angel Karlie Kloss since the early 2010s. While both women were part of Swift's "1989"-era girl gang, both denied there being anything more than friendship between themselves and Swift. More recently, a treatise on the alleged "implied queerness" in her work was published by The New York Times. Regardless of what's going on with Swift's sexuality, a whole "Gaylor" movement continues to thrive online.

As Pat Benatar sang in the 1980s, "Love is a battlefield," and one where Taylor Swift has endured some highly publicized ups and downs. However, the "Shake It Off" songstress seems to have finally found her other half in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, as the power couple announced their engagement via Instagram in August 2025. "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," read the post's caption, inspiring nearly 40 million double-taps on the platform. That said, some believe that Swift and Kelce's relationship and engagement aren't solely about finding love but also involve significant marketing and public relations.

"When you are one of the top trending news stories, and you have an entire organization [the NFL] that has likely stopped all of their digital campaigns, their advertising campaigns, and have shifted quickly ... to embrace this Taylor-Travis relationship, you know that is a successful public relations relationship," PR expert Molly McPherson told NPR in 2023. For his part, Fox Sports personality Nick Wright criticized those who have questioned the relationship over the years, telling Dan Patrick in 2025, "Is there a moment of public shame? Is there a moment of apology? Is there a moment of, 'You know what, I shouldn't have doubted what is America's greatest love story for my own Twitter gain?' I don't know." In any case, the discussion of red flags in their relationship persists.

The accusations of Taylor Swift exploiting her high-profile romantic relationships as publicity vehicles or fodder for songwriting output have been following her around since long before she cozied up to NFL All-Pro Travis Kelce. Mere weeks into a whirlwind affair with Swift in 2016, actor Tom Hiddleston infamously put on a show for paparazzi during her annual Independence Day beach party while wearing a tank top emblazoned with the phrase, "I ♥ T.S." The blatantly performative nature of the display added fuel to the fire for those who believed their relationship was being orchestrated for the press. Hiddleston later claimed he had borrowed the shirt from one of Swift's friends simply to protect his skin from the sun.

Of course, that's just one example of Swift's relationships being called into question. Mainstream media outlets, tabloids, fans, and non-fans alike have speculated about her myriad couplings over the years. Regarding her relationship with Harry Styles, one Reddit user wrote in 2025, "Fake. Awkward ass kiss in Times Square, plus they seem to be friendly when they run into each other post-breakup. I'm sure One Direction had an album come out in 2012, and Taylor was trying to be an actress." Similar claims were made about her other relationships in the thread, which is just one of many online discussions on the topic.

In a life marked by impressive milestones, including the release of 12 original studio albums, four re-recorded albums, millions of records sold, and more than a dozen No. 1 songs, Taylor Swift's forthcoming marriage to Travis Kelce may be the biggest milestone of all for the superstar performer, at least in the personal sense. Given the significance of their union, as well as the fact that she has accomplished as much as anyone could ever dream of as an entertainer, some are convinced that her 2025 album, "The Life of a Showgirl," may just be her last, and that she's set to walk away from her life as a Hollywood A-lister and recording artist and instead focus on being a wife and starting a family. To that end, some, like Jezebel's Lauren Tousignant, have gone so far as to opine that the album features "tradwife lyrics."

Swift has pushed back against the notion that she's ready to close the book on her career, telling BBC Radio 2's Scott Mills in 2025 (via People), "It's not why people get married, so that they can quit their job ... I know they love to panic sometimes, but it's like, I love the person that I am with because he loves what I do and he loves how much I am fulfilled by making art and making music."

While Taylor Swift has been involved in a number of serious romantic relationships since entering the public consciousness, she has never found herself in a place where she could go about starting a family. Moreover, her public statements about wanting to have kids or not have evolved over time. In any case, rumors of her being pregnant with Kelce's child have made the rounds in recent years. In late 2024, for example, a post circulating on Facebook containing a doctored photo of Swift wearing a dress that accentuates a baby bump read, "Taylor Swift Excitedly Announces She's Pregnant With Travis Kelce's Baby Girl – A New Chapter Begins."

As noted by Reuters, the photo that supposedly depicts a pregnant Swift shows the singer posing in front of an Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards; As of that report, Swift hadn't performed at the ACM Awards since 2020 or been nominated for an award since 2021, years before her relationship with Kelce even began. Furthermore, none of the publicly available pictures of Swift attending past ACMs show her wearing the same dress. Nevertheless, fans and casual observers continue to speculate on the status of her womb.

For a musical performer operating at the top of their game on a worldwide stage, the Super Bowl halftime show is the ideal venue for a look at me moment — a place where legends are made or cemented. Michael Jackson's halftime performance at Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena was dubbed by Rolling Stone as the moment he reclaimed his "pop throne," for example. Given her place in the pop culture zeitgeist and the prestige of a Super Bowl halftime performance, Swift would be an ideal candidate for handling the mid-game entertainment for the biggest event on the American sports calendar. However, she's rumored to have turned down the coveted spot.

Swift addressed the rumors during a 2025 appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," saying that there has been no formal offer from Jay Z's Roc Nation, which produces the annual halftime extravaganza. "Jay-Z has always been very good to me," Swift told Fallon (via Deadline). "Our teams are very close. They sometimes will call and say, 'How does she feel about...?' And that's not an official offer or a conference room conversation." For now, it seems, fans will have to settle for Swift sporting staggering looks as a spectator at the big game.

Perhaps more than any singer-songwriter populating the music charts currently, Taylor Swift has offered her followers glimpses into her personal life, relationship history, and innermost thoughts with her incredibly biographical lyrics. Many of her songs are purported to be about past loves — including some rather famous names — her friendships, the tough times, and her evolution into a veritable pop culture icon. Meanwhile, entire treatises have been written about the hidden meaning of songs like "I Can See You." Since "The Life of a Showgirl" was released in 2025, people have been combing through the song lyrics contained therein. To that end, it's believed that her song "Ruin the Friendship" is about her late friend, Jeff Lang.

Lang was a friend of Swift's from her time at Hendersonville High School who passed away in 2010 at the age of 21. In the song, Swift laments never having kissed a high school friend (who later died) out of fear of ruining their friendship. Lang's mother, Susan, believes it's Swift's way of honoring her late son. "She's keeping his name alive," Susan told The Tennessean (via People). "They were really good friends." 

Everyone loves a good diss track, as celebrity beefs and petty wars between performers continue to be hot topics on social media and in the mainstream press alike. And despite her girl-next-door image, Swift has been involved in more than her share of low-key conflicts, perhaps most notably feuding with her former longtime friend and "Roar" singer Katy Perry. Then there's Charli XCX, who once opened shows for Swift during the latter's "Reputation" tour in 2018. Afterward, Charli XCX famously quipped (via Pitchfork) that she felt like she was "getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds." 

Later, she seemingly referenced Swift and not wanting to "see her backstage at my boyfriend's show" in the song "Sympathy Is a Knife" after both women had been involved with members of The 1975. Swift's song "Actually Romantic" is believed to be a response to "Sympathy Is a Knife." In the opening verse of "The Life of a Showgirl" track, Swift croons, "I heard you call me 'Boring Barbie' when the coke's got you brave/High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me." Meanwhile, other lines of the song have a distinct call-and-response vibe when compared to Charli XCX's song.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce practically broke the internet with their 2025 engagement announcement, seemingly bringing an end to Swift's epic misadventures in serial monogamy. However, if social media is to be believed, the top-selling recording artist actually said goodbye to her single days several years earlier. In a 2023 Instagram Story, the celebrity gossip account Deuxmoi shared an anonymous submission claiming that Swift and "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk" star Joe Alwyn — who Swift was formerly attached to for six years — were wed in secret in a non-legal ceremony in either 2020 or 2021, as relayed by The Los Angeles Times. "I will die on this hill! Put it on my tombstone!" the post read. "I have no reason to lie, I could give a s— what [Swift] does!!!!!"

Meanwhile, some of Swift's song lyrics have been interpreted as confirming a marriage of some kind. One such song is "It's Nice to Have a Friend," in which Swift sings, "Church bells ring, carry me home. Rice on the ground, looks like snow." In any case, no solid proof of nuptials, legal or otherwise, has been offered, and Swift's publicist, Tree Paine, denounced Deuxmoi's post. As for Alwyn, he seemingly gave Swift a middle finger recently with a drool-worthy GQ cover.

Way back in 2012/13, Taylor Swift briefly dated One Direction singer Harry Styles, and the two have seemingly remained friendly ever since. It's believed that much of Swift's iconic "1989" album was inspired by her relationship with the superstar Brit. However, some believe that there's more than their on-off relationship of years passed holding Swift and Styles together; Something far more sinister. Specifically, they think that Styles and Swift killed somebody in a hit-and-run crash.

In December 2012, Swift and Styles were reportedly involved in a snowmobiling accident while on a ski trip in Park City, Utah. Swift hinted at the accident in the songs "Is It Over Now?" and "Out of the Woods," the latter of which includes the verse, "Remember when you hit the brakes too soon/Twenty stitches in a hospital room." She later confirmed the crash during a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone. However, lines including "Are we in the clear yet?" and "Are we out of the woods yet?" from the latter song, along with other lyrics on the album, have left some to wonder whether it wasn't simply a victimless snowmobile crash that occurred. In any case, Styles has offered his own commentary on his relationship with Swift.

While Taylor Swift has been lauded for her acumen as a songwriter and her ability to reinvent herself as an artist over the years, questions about the originality of her work have nonetheless cropped up throughout her career. Much of that discourse is standard fare for any musical artist; After all, there are only so many chords played in popular music, and parallel life experiences can lead to similar takes when translating those experiences into lyrics. However, there have been situations in which Swift has been placed in the proverbial crosshairs by people who believe that the crossover star went beyond mining similar topics and themes and instead stole their art for her own benefit.

In November 2015, R&B singer Jesse Braham unsuccessfully sued Swift, alleging that she plagiarized his 2013 song "Haters Gonna Hate" in the crafting of her hit "Shake It Off." More recently, songwriters Sean Hall and Nathan Butler made a similar accusation, referencing their track "Playas Gon' Play" (which was sung by the girl group 3LW). The case was dismissed in 2022 following a settlement. In 2025, a lawsuit initiated by a Florida woman alleging that Swift mined her poems for song lyrics used in more than a dozen songs was also dismissed by a federal judge.

Perhaps the wildest of all the Taylor Swift rumors out there are the ones that suggest she's part of some kind of malevolent movement or secret society, or has otherwise been unleashed upon the world to further some dark end. Since the 2010s, Swift has been linked to the Illuminati — a blanket term used by conspiracy theorists to describe clandestine organizations governing our actions from the shadows. Everything from her song lyrics and the imagery in her music videos to the very clothes she wears, and more, has been used by observers to link her to these shadow organizations.

Some are even of the belief that Swift isn't who she appears to be, claiming that she's actually a clone of Zeena LaVey, who was raised in the Church of Satan during the 1960s and '70s by her parents, Anton LaVey and Diane Hegarty; co-founders of the church (Zeena later became a Satanic high priestess and church spokesperson). Setting the internet myths aside, that level of cloning isn't currently possible for a variety of reasons. That said, there's definitely a resemblance between the two women. Swift hasn't directly responded to either rumor.