Signs Tom Hiddleston And Taylor Swift Used Each Other For Fame
It seems like the only thing Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift loved more than each other—however briefly—is publicity. In fact, that may be the entire reason they got together in the first place. Despite Swift's camp claiming the Avengers star used her for fame, here are just a few reasons why both parties who comprised "Hiddleswift" may have been motivated by PR.
Their social media presence
Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift became a couple not long after their dancing at the 2016 Met Gala went viral in an Instagram video ripped 'round the world. They soon became Instagram official, cozying up in a carefully-orchestrated couples photo with Blake Lively and a miserable-looking Ryan Reynolds, as well as two of Swift's other pals. For two people who reportedly wanted to keep their romance private, Hiddleswift easily could have opted out of the social media snuggle session.
He was never really photographed before this
Think back to before summer 2016: how often did you see paparazzi photos of Hiddleston outside of red carpet events where he was promoting a movie? Next to never, right? We thought so. How often do you see paparazzi photos of Swift? All the time. That's not a coincidence: the singer's camp is widely rumored to call photographers, making it easy for paparazzi to catch her striking "candid" poses, flashing a smile, dressing up for the gym, and hanging out at media hot spots like Craig's in West Hollywood.
Sources told Page Six that Hiddleston grew tired of the constant photo ops, and we believe them. If you think all of the cameras following the couple around Italy, Rhode Island, Australia, and even to Hiddleston's mom's home in England had nothing to do with Swift, we have some magic beans to sell you.
That infamous T-shirt
Remember how Hiddleston rocked an "I Heart T.S." shirt at her Fourth of July beach party? Remember how the Internet reacted to it? Remember how Robert Downey Jr. reacted to it? Sure, that garb was likely premeditated and caught the media's attention, but not in a good way. The shirt proved pretty darn embarrassing, and Hiddleston bore the brunt of the ridicule for it, which some might argue is unfair, considering his reputation as a sophisticated 35-year-old man and Swift's penchant for coordinated wardrobes.
He spoke to the press about her
Though Hiddleston kept his prior relationships private, he was quick to confirm to The Hollywood Reporter that he and Swift were an item. In fact, he stated explicitly in July 2016, "The truth is that Taylor Swift and I are together, and we're very happy. Thanks for asking. That's the truth. It's not a publicity stunt." Right.
He's private about his relationships; she's not
Hiddleston was previously linked to Jessica Chastain, with whom he co-starred in War Horse (2011) and Crimson Peak (2015), but both stars denied any romance. He was photographed with Thor co-star Kat Dennings, but neither commented on the dating rumors. He was spotted on what looked like dates numerous times with Elizabeth Olsen, with whom he co-stars in the Avengers franchise and in Hank Williams biopic I Saw The Light (2015), but they both demurred any talk of a budding romance. Other than his relationship with Swift, he's kept his private life pretty darn private.
Swift, meanwhile, is active on social media and promoted her relationship with ex Calvin Harris all over Instagram (even using a photo of the DJ in her birthday message to BFF Karlie Kloss). Also, have you seen her lyrics? Or the secret messages she hides in those lyrics? She's made a living off of her love life, so for her to claim "privacy" now isn't just hypocritical, it's also tone-deaf.
He was thirsty for a Bond role
After his star turn in The Night Manager (2016), rumors began swirling that Hiddleston was gunning to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, and the actor made no secret that he'd love the role, telling The Sunday Times, "I simply love the theme tune, the tropes and the mythology. I love the whole thing. If it ever came knocking, it would be an extraordinary opportunity. And I'm very aware of the physicality of the job. I would not take it lightly" (via The Hollywood Reporter).
A higher profile would certainly help him get on Bond producer Barbara Broccoli's radar, and that's exactly what Swift provided for Hiddleston. Even talk show host Wendy Williams accused him of using the songstress to increase his own star power. Unfortunately, Hiddleston's strategy backfired, with numerous blogs pointing out that Swift's PR machine actually hurt his credibility and took away the "sense of mystery" required to carry out the role of the world's most badass spy.
She wanted to get back at Calvin Harris
We all know the Swift narrative of the scorned woman who can't keep a man—she even pokes fun at it herself in her songs "Shake It Off" and "Blank Space." What better way to combat the lovelorn, heartbroken tropes than to move on to a new man immediately? Hiddleston and Swift went public just two weeks after she and Harris confirmed their split, which was an acrimonious one: Harris dissed Swift in the press and on Twitter after the breakup, leading to a bitter back and forth about everything from songwriting credits to her feud with Katy Perry to her control of the media during and after their relationship. If she controlled the media the way Harris said she did, Swift likely had a tight bond with the publication that "caught" her and Hiddleston's romantic debut making out on some rocks at the beach in June 2016.
She needed a distraction from Kimye
E! News points out that Swift and Hiddleston's rocky smooching session photos hit the Web the very same day that Kim Kardashian's scathing GQ interview about Swift was published. In the story, Kardashian claimed Swift signed off on Kanye West's lyrics in his controversial song "Famous," but later lied about it in an attempt to stir up more bad press for West and more self-aggrandizement for Swift. Was the songstress trying to overshadow Kardashian's Snapchat exposé using a lot of PDA with Hiddleston? After the singer failed to spin that disaster in her favor, the couple appeared to lay low, perhaps realizing that not even Hiddleswift is a media match for a vengeful Kimye.
He was still talking about it months later
In the February 2017 issue of GQ, Hiddleston was still discussing the three-month romance.
"Taylor is an amazing woman. She's generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time," he said of the relationship, adding, "Of course it was real... [But] a relationship in the limelight ... A relationship always takes work... And it's not just the limelight. It's everything else."
Hiddleston even discussed his infamous "I Heart TS" shirt, telling the mag, "The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back. And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, 'Does anyone have a T-shirt?' And one of her friends said, 'I've got this,'" he said. "And we all laughed about it. It was a joke. The hardest thing is that that was a joke among friends on the Fourth of July ... I just, I was surprised. I was just surprised that it got so much attention. The tank top became an emblem of this thing."
She references the relationship in a new song ...
In Swift's song "Getaway Car" from Reputation, she references her brief rebound romance with Hiddleston, singing, "The ties were black / The lies were white," likely referencing meeting Hiddleston at the 2016 Met Gala. Later, she warbles, "But you weren't thinking / And I was just drinking / While he was running after us, I was screaming, 'Go, go, go!' / But with three of us, honey, it's a side show / And a circus ain't a love story ... Don't pretend it's such a mystery / Think about the place where you first met me." For someone who doesn't like speculation about her private life, Swift sure does write tracks specific enough to breed it.
... and in her 'Look What You Made Me Do' video
If you blinked, you may have missed Swift's backup dancers in her "Look What You Made Me Do" music video wearing crop tops emblazoned with the same "I Heart TS" that Hiddleston has been trying so hard to make the public forget. Shady!
They've both been lying low ever since
Since Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift split, Hiddleston hasn't been spotted by paparazzi unless he's actively doing press rounds. Meanwhile, Swift reportedly began dating yet another British actor, Joe Alwyn, almost immediately after she and Hiddleston broke up — and they've flown under the radar for more than a year, only being spotted together rarely. A source told People, "Their relationship is very different from Taylor's past ones. They much prefer having dinner parties at home with friends than going out. Just like Taylor, Joe is a homebody. He loves being an actor but doesn't like the celebrity part of it. It's pretty special to find someone you're on the same page with."
A source also dished, "Her decision to keep her relationship with Joe quiet is making her happy." Note that keeping the romance quiet is cited as "her decision." That means if she really had wanted to keep Hiddleswift private, she could have.