{"id":13414,"date":"2022-08-27T17:40:26","date_gmt":"2022-08-27T14:40:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/selectednews.info\/ru\/taylor-swift-and-joe-alwyn-s-relationship-complete-timeline\/"},"modified":"2022-08-27T17:40:30","modified_gmt":"2022-08-27T14:40:30","slug":"taylor-swift-and-joe-alwyn-s-relationship-complete-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/selectednews.info\/ru\/taylor-swift-and-joe-alwyn-s-relationship-complete-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn\u2019s Relationship Complete Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Taylor Swift first began dating actor Joe Alwyn more than four years ago, it was almost immediately clear the couple had come to an agreement: Their relationship would be an intimate but private one, and they\u2019d be a united front in protecting that privacy. Gone were the paparazzi photo ops of Swift\u2019s days with Tom Hiddleston, and gooey Instagram pics\u2014like the ones she\u2019d posted with Calvin Harris\u2014would no longer populate her social media. Instead, her accounts would focus on promoting her work and sharing photos of her other loves: cats Olivia, Meredith, and Benjamin.Still, a love story like Swift and Alwyn\u2019s couldn\u2019t stay behind closed doors forever, and since 2020, they\u2019ve been more public about their relationship than ever before. This includes Swift\u2019s confirmation that Alwyn co-wrote two songs on folklore under the pseudonym William Bowery and also helped pen three tracks from Swift\u2019s latest record, evermore. As we eke out the details, scroll below for a timeline of their coupledom, leading up to their collaboration on Swift\u2019s ninth album and the brewing engagement rumors.May 2, 2016: They meet at the Met Gala (probably).Nobody knows for sure when Swift and Alwyn first met. But sleuths have determined that the song \u201cDress\u201d on her 2017 album Reputation might refer to their first meeting.The lyrics in question: \u201cFlashback to when you met me, your buzzed cut and my hair bleached.\u201d Swift\u2019s hair was, indeed, bleached at the Met Gala, and Alwyn\u2019s hair was buzzed. Neilson Barnard\/\/Getty ImagesAt the time, Swift was still dating Harris\u2014and this was also the night she met Hiddleston and danced goofily with him in a video that went viral, and later sparked the rebound heard \u2018round the world. It was an eventful night for Tay.Oct. 12, 2016: Swift and Alwyn attend the same Kings of Leon concert.A month after breaking up with Hiddleston, Swift went to a Kings of Leon show with her friends. Online sleuths have since determined that Alwyn was at the show, too.Nov. 12, 2016: Swift attends Alwyn\u2019s movie screening.Swift and a gaggle of squad members went to the premiere of Alwyn\u2019s film, Billy Lynn\u2019s Long Halftime Walk. If she and Alwyn were dating at this point, it was so under the radar that press coverage of the premiere didn\u2019t even mention his name. It\u2019s not clear if he was in attendance.Alwyn at the photo call for Billy Lynn\u2019s Long Halftime Walk.Kris Connor\/\/Getty ImagesMay 16, 2017: Reports emerge that they\u2019re dating.A source close to the pair told The Sun that Swift and Alwyn had been together for a few months, and that their friends and families were in on it:\u201cThis isn\u2019t a new couple alert or a secret relationship — the only people this has been a secret to is the media because all of us, Taylor and Joe\u2019s closest friends and their families, were aware they have been together for several months and have known each other for a long time.\u201cAfter her 1989 tour and all the attention Taylor received, she learned she had to be more protective of her personal life and she and Joe decided early on to keep their private life private.\u201dJune 5, 2017: They\u2019re caught by the paparazzi in Nashville.The paparazzi finally caught the couple in action: sitting on a balcony in Nashville, where Alwyn was allegedly meeting Swift\u2019s parents for the first time.July 25, 2017: They\u2019re caught again, this time in New York.Hoodies pulled tight over their faces, the couple were caught leaving Swift\u2019s apartment. Swift and Alwyn seemed desperate to go incognito in these pics.Oct. 20, 2017: Swift tells fans her new single \u201cGorgeous\u201d is about Alwyn.Swift hosted a \u201csecret\u201d listening session for her new album, Reputation. She allegedly told fans the single \u201cGorgeous\u201d is about Alwyn.\u201cBasically Taylor made us all promise that if anyone made any accusations of who this song is about, we tell them it is 100 percent about her angel boyfriend of one year,\u201d a fan wrote on Tumblr. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a secret. She wanted us to tell people.» Oct. 27, 2017: Ed Sheeran spills the beans on Alwyn.On the heels of Swift\u2019s revelation that \u201cGorgeous\u201d is about Alwyn, her good friend Ed Sheeran was asked about Alwyn on a British radio show.\u201cHe\u2019s really nice,\u201d he said. \u201cReally, really friendly, really good dude.\u201dDec. 11, 2017: The couple is spotted snuggling during an Ed Sheeran performance.Momentarily letting their guard down, Swift and Alwyn engaged in some honest-to-god PDA while Ed Sheeran performed at iHeartRadio\u2019s Jingle Bell Ball in New York City.\u201cTHEY LITERALLY SLOW DANCED TO ALL EDS SONGS WITH THEIR ARMS AROUND ONE ANOTHER AND JUST KEPT LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND KISSING,\u201d a fan tweeted, according to EW.May 8, 2018: They post coordinating cactus photos to Instagram.Both Alwyn and Swift posted photos of themselves, solo, standing next to the same cactus.Alwyn later said they didn\u2019t even realize the photos coordinated.\u201cI didn\u2019t even think of that until I was in New York and someone else mentioned it,\u201d he said, according to ET. «It wasn\u2019t purposeful at all!\u201dThis is the closest we\u2019ve come to an \u201cInstagram-official\u201d moment for the couple.Sept. 19, 2018: Alwyn talks about Swift for the first time\u2014but only to say he doesn\u2019t want to talk about her.\u201cI\u2019m aware people want to know about that side of things,\u201d he said to British Vogue. \u201cI think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people\u2026but I really prefer to talk about work.\u201dOct. 18, 2018: Alwyn speaks very, very briefly about Swift\u2019s newfound political activism.In early October, Swift finally waded into the political world to endorse two Tennessee congressional candidates, after a career-long silence.A few days later, an interviewer asked Alwyn how he felt about Swift\u2019s post.\u201cI think it\u2019s great, and I think it\u2019s important,\u201d he said, before uncomfortably shuffling away.Nov. 23, 2018: Swift acknowledges Alwyn\u2019s existence on social media.After two years of knowing him, Swift finally posted something about Alwyn\u2014or at least, his work\u2014on Instagram.It was a clipped trailer for his new movie, The Favourite, with a caption calling the film \u201cphenomenal\u201d and imploring her followers to go see it. She tagged the movie\u2019s account, plus Alwyn\u2019s and Nicholas Hoult\u2019s.Nov. 25, 2018: Alwyn reiterates that he\u2019d like to keep his private life private.In an interview with GQ, he skirted around the topic of Taylor, saying, \u201cSomeone\u2019s private life is, by definition, private. No one is obliged to share their personal life.\u201dHe also declined to name a favorite Swift song. \u201cI\u2019m just not even going to go into that side of the world,\u201d he said.Dec. 7, 2018: Alwyn opens up a teeny bit about their relationship.Just to mix things up, Alwyn provided a tiny kernel of information about his relationship with Swift, before saying he didn\u2019t want to talk about it.Esquire asked him if he sought out any guidance from friends when he started dating Swift.\u201cI didn\u2019t seek out advice on that,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause I know what I feel about it. I think there\u2019s a very clear line as to what somebody should share, or feel like they have to share, and what they don\u2019t want to and shouldn\u2019t have to.\u201dDec. 11, 2018: Swift attends Alwyn\u2019s movie premiere in London.Swift popped up at the Cineworld Leicester premiere of Mary Queen of Scots as well as an after-party. Jan. 6, 2019: Swift and Alwyn attend the Golden Globes (separately).Alwyn attended the awards show for his nominated film The Favourite, and Swift presented Best Original Score and Best Original Song during the 2019 Golden Globes. Although they didn\u2019t walk the red carpet together, an Us Weekly source claimed the two got quite flirty while she was onstage. \u201cWhile Taylor presented, Joe watched the teleprompter near him and smiled and (his Favourite costar) Nicholas Hoult patted him on the back,\u201d the source said. \u201cAfter Gaga walked on stage, Joe shifted his gaze to the stage near Taylor.\u201d The insider added, \u201cShe was smiling at him while she walked off the stage. She looked over her shoulder and gave a sassy cute little smile at his table\u2019s direction.\u201d Handout\/\/Getty ImagesFeb. 10, 2019: Swift and Alwyn step out at a BAFTAS after party.Swift skipped the Grammy Awards in favor of attending a BAFTAs after party with her beau. Clad in a pale blue Stella McCartney gown, Swift gave off major Cinderella vibes alongside Alwyn. The two were even photographed walking together hand-in-hand. (A rare occurrence for this secretive duo!)GOR\/\/Getty ImagesMarch 2019: Engagement rumors begin.As Swift continued filming the big screen version of Cats in London, reports swirled that getting engaged to Alwyn was not far off. \u201cTaylor\u2019s friends are all talking about a proposal and how she really wants to marry Joe,\u201d an Us Weekly source shared. \u201cHe\u2019s her dream guy.\u201dA People source echoed those sentiments, saying, \u201cTaylor really got lucky to meet Joe, and she is the first one to say it. Joe really is one of a kind.\u201dMay 2019: The couple is spotted on a couple dates. Swift and Alwyn ate breakfast at Caf\u00e9 de Flore and then took a stroll through the city of Paris in a rare public outing.Later in the month, the couple made it a double date with similarly private pair Robert Pattinson and Suki Waterhouse. Per an Us Weekly onlooker, the four low-key celebs dined at San Vicente Bungalows in Hollywood, spending the night laughing and talking. August 2019: Swift releases Lover\u2014and fans go nuts dissecting the lyrics.Ahead of the August 23 release of her album Lover, Swift revealed to fans that new music would address her current relationship\u2026in so many words. During a YouTube Live, she explained, \u201cIt\u2019s a really romantic album, but it really celebrates love in all its complexity. Not just flowers and sunshine but the patchwork emotions that go into any love you feel.\u201dOnce the album dropped, fans began dissecting every song for hidden clues about the couple. Some were even convinced the songs \u201cLover\u201d and \u201cPaper Rings\u201d were Swift\u2019s big marriage reveal.Swift continued to avoid talking about Alwyn in interviews. While speaking to The Guardian about why she wouldn\u2019t speak on her relationship, she said, \u201cI\u2019ve learned that if I do, people think it\u2019s up for discussion, and our relationship isn\u2019t up for discussion,\u201d she said with a laugh. \u201cIf you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we\u2019d be talking about it\u2014but it\u2019s just that it goes out into the world. That\u2019s where the boundary is, and that\u2019s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.\u201d Shortly after a People source gave an update on the relationship saying, \u201cJoe\u2019s personality is great for Taylor. He is very calm and always very supportive. He\u2019s sympathetic and understanding and supports her speaking out about things that she doesn\u2019t agree with.\u201dEven her inner circle likes Joe, the source added: \u201cThere\u2019s something refreshing and different about their relationship. Joe makes Taylor very happy, and it\u2019s hard to picture her not spending the rest of her life with him. Her family loves him. He seems older than he is and is a fantastic guy.\u201dAs for future comment from either party regarding the romance? The source says it\u2019s unlikely: \u201cJoe loves acting but doesn\u2019t want to be a celebrity,\u201d the source said. \u201cThey both agree that for their relationship to keep working, they want to keep things more quiet. She\u2019s the happiest she\u2019s ever been.\u201d September 2019: The couple is photographed on a private plane.The two were photographed boarding Swift\u2019s private plane after a low-key trip to her beach house in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. October 5, 2019: They\u2019re seen together after SNL.In a rare sighting for the couple, Alwyn and Swift were seen holding hands after the singer\u2019s Saturday Night Live performances. They headed to New York\u2019s Zuma for the show\u2019s after party.Jackson Lee\/\/Getty ImagesNovember 2019: Swift joins Alwyn for Thanksgiving.Swift celebrated Thanksgiving in London with Alwyn, according to E!, but not before hosting a splashy American Friendsgiving with friends including Gigi Hadid, Antoni Porowski, and Martha Hunt.InstagramEarly December 2019: The lovers spend time in London. Us Weekly and E! both ran reports early in the month stating things between the couple are still going well. \u201cTaylor has had a tough year and Joe has been a rock for her,\u201d a source told Us. \u201cThey are still going very strong.\u201dMeanwhile, E! reported that,\u201cTaylor has been spending a lot of down time in London,\u201d per a source. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t go out much other than to take a walk with Joe or go to the local pub. They spend a lot of time with Joe\u2019s family and friends. All weekend they had people come over or they went to family members\u2019 homes.\u201dFurther proving the couple is doing just fine, Swift shared a photo of her Vogue UK cover on Instagram, which Alwyn liked right away.December 16, 2019: Alwyn supports Swift\u2019s acting career.Alwyn was on hand to subtly support Swift at the NYC premiere of her new movie, Cats.Jose Perez\/Bauer-Griffin\/\/Getty ImagesDecember 26, 2019: The couple spends Christmas together.After spending Thanksgiving together, E! reported that Swift spent her Christmas holiday in London, too. \u201cTaylor spent the holidays in England with Joe,\u201d a source told the outlet. \u201cShe was there for the week leading up to Christmas and spent time with Joe\u2019s family and friends. Some of Taylor\u2019s family also flew in from Nashville to spend time with them.\u201d January 1, 2020: The duo are serenaded in the Maldives.Alwyn and Swift rang in New Year\u2019s Eve with a concert in the Maldives. Although neither party revealed the travel plans themselves, singer Matthew Crane posted the news himself on Instagram. \u201cSo I can now finally reveal who I sung to on New Year\u2019s Eve in the Maldives, probably the most notable Pop Star at the moment, the one and only @taylorswift and @joe.alwyn,\u201d he wrote on his Instagram. \u201cThey were both so friendly and kind to me when I performed, they even gave me a standing ovation and complimented on my voice. It was truly an honor and an experience that I will never forget. ??\u201dJanuary 5, 2020: Alwyn and Swift sit together at the 2020 Golden Globes.The couple had their most public outing to date at the 2020 Golden Globes, where Swift was a presenter and nominee for Best Original Song — Motion Picture for her and Andrew Lloyd Webber\u2019s new original song for Cats, \u201cBeautiful Ghosts.\u201d While they didn\u2019t walk the red carpet together, onlookers captured Swift and Alwyn taking their seats next to each other inside the ballroom:E! also tweeted out a photo of the pair sitting side-by-side, Alwyn in a tux and Swift in an Etro gown:Next, the couple of more than three years was spotted at the Golden Globes CAA after party. A source told E! that Swift (in a a sparkly navy Alexandre Vauthier dress) wasn\u2019t afraid to show PDA with Alwyn. \u201cThey looked inseparable and really in love,\u201d the source noted. \u201cTaylor had her arm on Joe, and she leaned in to kiss him several times.\u201dJanuary 31, 2020: Miss Americana drops on Netflix.With the release of Swift\u2019s documentary Miss Americana, came new insight into her romance with Alwyn. She spoke vaguely about why she fell for Alwyn in the fall of 2016, after her Kim Kardashian Snapchat drama had tarnished her reputation. \u201cI felt alone, I felt really bitter,\u201d she explained. \u201cI felt sort of like a wounded animal lashing out. I figured I had to reset everything. I had to reconstruct an entire belief system for my own personal sanity. I also was falling in love with someone who had a wonderfully normal, balanced life.\u201dSwift also revealed why she and Alwyn chose to keep their relationship quiet. \u201cWe decided together we wanted our relationship to be private,\u201d she said. \u201cEven though it [Swift\u2019s public image in 2016] was really horrible, I was happy. But I wasn\u2019t happy in the way I was trained to be happy. It was happiness without anyone else\u2019s input. We were just\u2026happy.\u201dThose searching for Alwyn appearances won\u2019t find much. He kissed her hand in the car at one point and hugged her backstage after a performance of \u201cGetaway Car\u201d on tour. Swift also serenaded Alwyn with a song believed to be about him from her album Reputation. She sang the song \u201cCall It What You Want\u201d to him while he filmed her. February 12, 2020: They\u2019re spotted at the NME Awards.Just before Valentine\u2019s Day, Swift and Alwyn got close in the audience of the NME Awards in London. An audience member spotted Swift, sporting a two-tone Monse short suit, and Alwyn kiss and hug when she was announced the winner of Best Solo Act. February 23, 2020: They celebrate Alwyn\u2019s birthday.For Alwyn\u2019s 29th birthday, Swift joined her beau, along with Ed Sheeran and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, for a celebration in London. The foursome and a few other friends hung out at restaurant Bob Bob Richard in Soho, per E! News. \u201cThey had fun drinking champagne at the table by pushing a button that says \u2018Press for Champagne\u2019 and having it immediately dispensed,\u201d a restaurant source told E!. \u201cThey were there for several hours enjoying the night.\u201dMarch 24, 2020: We learn they\u2019ve talked about marriage.An Us Weekly source gave an update on marriage talks between Alwyn and Swift. \u201c[They] have talked about their future and marriage,\u201d a source told the outlet. \u201cThey don\u2019t have a set deadline in place, but they\u2019re very much in love.\u201d The source added, \u201cTaylor considers Joe one of the only safe constants in her life. He has always been a huge support and stuck by her.\u201dApril 29, 2020: The lovers finally share some details on social media.Alwyn shared a rare glimpse into his relationship with Swift on social media, leading fans to believe they\u2019re quarantining together. He posted several photos of Swift\u2019s cat Benjamin Button around her place. (The decor matches the background of this recent Swift post.) InstagramInstagramAlwyn also shared a photo of himself drinking a large glass of white wine, which is similar to a May 7 post from Swift where she\u2019s holding a glass of vino. \u201cI love spending a full evening cooking a meal while sipping a glass of wine and listening to old music,\u201d Swift even told People of her quarantine routine, via Billboard. InstagramMay 13, 2020: More photos arise.A couple weeks later, Alwyn delivered another quarantine update on Instagram. He posted several photos on his Instagram Story, including a few that showcase Swift\u2019s cat, Benjamin. InstagramInstagramAlwyn also shared a black-and-white photo of himself drinking coffee and glancing over at the camera. Fans have speculated that Swift took that photo, just as they\u2019ve guessed Alwyn is quietly taking hers.InstagramJuly 23, 2020: folklore speculation begins.Several months into Swift and Alwyn\u2019s relatively quiet quarantine, Swift announced the surprise release of her eighth album, folklore. While fans awaited the 16-track release, social media was already speculating about which songs were inspired by Alwyn. The first song that some lyrics were available for was «cardigan.» An excerpt of the track\u2019s lyrics were found on the back of a new merch item on Swift\u2019s website. \u201cBut I knew you \/ Playing hide-and-seek and \/ Giving me your weekends \/ I knew you \/ Your heartbeat on the High Line \/ Once in twenty lifetimes \/ And when I felt like I was an old cardigan \/ Under someone\u2019s bed \/ You put me on and said \/ I was your favorite,\u201d the romantic lyrics read, hinting at her longtime love with Alwyn.Another theory regarding Alwyn and folklore was that the song \u201cbetty\u201d refers to Alwyn\u2019s mother of the same name<\/a>. Since then, it\u2019s been reported that the track actually reveals the name of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds\u2019 third daughter. Even more interesting: Some seemed to think that Swift\u2019s album collaborator, William Bowery, is Alwyn himself. When announcing her album, Swift shared her co-writers and producers for folklore, but didn\u2019t tag Bowery. Conspiracy theorists seemed to think Alwyn and Swift being spotted outside the Bowery Hotel in October 2016, coupled with the fact that Alwyn\u2019s great-grandfather is named William, means he\u2019s behind the pseudonym.July 24, 2020: folklore is released.With the release of folklore, answers to several questions about Alwyn\u2019s musical inspiration were provided. On the track \u201cinvisible string,\u201d Swift references a London yogurt shop that Alwyn worked in as a teen, as well as the dive bars of their early relationship and a trip for their third anniversary. Other songs, including bonus track \u201cthe lakes\u201d and \u201cpeace\u201d also allude to Swift and Alwyn\u2019s relationship. An excerpt from \u201cPeace,\u201d for example:All these people think love\u2019s for show\/But I would die for you in secret\/The devil\u2019s in the details, but you got a friend in me\/Would it be enough if I could never give you peace? And you know that I\u2019d swing with you for the fences\/Sit with you in the trenches\/Give you my wild, give you a child\/Give you the silence that only comes when two people understand each other\/Family that I chose, now that I see your brother as my brother.November 13, 2020: More lyrics are explained.Swift confirmed that Alwyn helped inspire \u201cpeace\u201d during a conversation with Paul McCartney for Rolling Stone. She said that the song \u201cis actually more rooted in my personal life. I know you have done a really excellent job of this in your personal life: carving out a human life within a public life, and how scary that can be when you do fall in love and you meet someone, especially if you\u2019ve met someone who has a very grounded, normal way of living. I, oftentimes, in my anxieties, can control how I am as a person and how normal I act and rationalize things, but I cannot control if there are 20 photographers outside in the bushes and what they do and if they follow our car and if they interrupt our lives. I can\u2019t control if there\u2019s going to be a fake weird headline about us in the news tomorrow.\u201dWhen McCartney asked if Swift\u2019s partner was able to \u201csympathize with that and understand,\u201d she replied, \u201cOh, absolutely.\u201d But Swift added that her relationship with Alwyn had changed her viewpoint on maintaining privacy in her personal life. \u201cBut I think that in knowing him and being in the relationship I am in now, I have definitely made decisions that have made my life feel more like a real life and less like just a storyline to be commented on in tabloids,\u201d she explained. \u201cWhether that\u2019s deciding where to live, who to hang out with, when to not take a picture\u2014the idea of privacy feels so strange to try to explain, but it\u2019s really just trying to find bits of normalcy. That\u2019s what that song \u2018Peace\u2019 is taking about. Like, would it be enough if I could never fully achieve the normalcy that we both crave? [McCartney\u2019s designer daughter] Stella always tells me that she had as normal a childhood as she could hope for under the circumstances.\u201dNovember 25, 2020: Swift confirms William Bowery\u2019s identity.Months after the release of folklore, Swift finally confirmed what her fans had long suspected: songwriter William Bowery is Alwyn. Speaking to the album\u2019s producers, Jack Antonoff and The National\u2019s Aaron Dessner, Swift revealed that \u201cbetty\u201d and \u201cexile\u201d were co-written by Alwyn in the Disney+ film, folklore: the long pond studio sessions. \u201cSo, William Bowery is Joe\u2026as we know,\u201d she teased.\u201cJoe plays piano beautifully and he\u2019s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things. And \u2018exile\u2019 was crazy because Joe had written that entire piano part,\u201d Swift explained, adding, \u201cHe was singing the Bon Iver part, the \u2018I can see you standing honey, with his arms around your body, laughing but the joke\u2019s not funny at all.\u2019 He was just singing it. And I was entranced and asked if we could keep writing that one.\u201d Swift said the fact that she and Alwyn are \u201creally, really, really big Bon Iver fans\u201d helped make the collaboration happen. As for \u201cbetty\u201d Swift said she heard Alwyn singing \u201cthe entire fully formed chorus from another room.\u201d She added, \u201cAnd I was just like \u2018Hello.\u2019 It was a step that we would never have taken because, why would we have ever written a song together?\u201dIt was the couple\u2019s first time working together, something Swift said she and Alwyn approached cautiously. \u201cSo this was the first time we had a conversation where I came in and I was like, \u2018Hey, this could be really weird, and we could hate this, so because we\u2019re in quarantine and there\u2019s nothing else going on, could we just try to see what it\u2019s like if we write this song together?\u2019\u201d she recalled. December 3, 2020: The engagement rumors heat up again.In early December, Swift released a snippet of her re-recorded version of \u201cLove Story,\u201d which could be heard in a Match.com commercial featuring friend Ryan Reynolds. The new recording made waves as it was the first concrete indication that Swift was re-recording her entire catalogue owned by Scooter Braun. But it also sparked rumors about Swift and Alwyn potentially being engaged. Some fans noticed that the lyric \u201cBaby, just say, \u2018Yes\u2019\u201d might have been changed to \u201cBaby, just said, \u2018Yes.\u2019\u201d Several Swifties tweeted this theory in the hours after the song\u2019s release. Multiple sources told E!, however, that the lyrics to the song had not changed.While Entertainment Tonight wasn\u2019t able to confirm engagement theories, a source said the couple does talk about \u201ctheir future together.\u201d The insider said, \u201cJoe has provided such a great support system for Taylor. He is the one constant in her life that she can truly rely on. Joe has helped Taylor with her music, inspiring it. She is so grateful for him and in love with him. He is her cheerleader and rock. They have spoken about their future together, and they love celebrating the holidays together and are looking forward to that.\u201dET\u2019s source also spoke about how Alwyn is supporting Swift as she deals with her mother Andrea\u2019s cancer diagnosis. \u201c[Taylor] has been having a tough time with her mom\u2019s health, but her mom is getting treatment and she and her family have been trying to stay optimistic,\u201d the source said. \u201cShe has been focusing on her music and spending a lot of time with Joe. Taylor wanted to take some time to herself and her family this year, so in that regard, the quarantine and break has been positive for her.\u201dDecember 8, 2020: Swift shuts down engagement rumors.In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Swift subtly shut down engagement rumors when she called Alwyn her \u201cboyfriend.\u201d Swift had been discussing who knew she was making folklore during the interview, conducted in early November: \u201cThe only people who knew were the people that I was making it with, my boyfriend, my family, and then my management team,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that\u2019s the smallest number of people I\u2019ve ever had know about something.\u201dDecember 11, 2020: evermore appears.About five months after dropping folklore, Swift announced the surprise release of her ninth album, evermore. When the 15-track record debuted at midnight, Swifties quickly began dissecting which songs could be about her relationship with Alwyn. At least three songs directly involve the actor: \u201cchampagne problems,\u201d \u201cconey island\u201d and \u201cevermore.\u201d William Bowery, Alwyn\u2019s songwriting pseudonym, is credited on those tracks. Beyond that, lyrics for «long story short» and «willow» seem to reference Swift\u2019s long-lasting love with Alwyn. But for those hoping Swift would confirm either an engagement or marriage to Alwyn, no such luck. The only song that references a proposal, \u201cchampagne problems,\u201d appears to be about a fictional couple and ends with the woman declining the offer. Additionally, multiple sources confirmed to TMZ that the two are not secretly married either. January 11, 2021: The couple is finally photographed again.After 11 months of not being seen out together, Swift and Alwyn were photographed in London while on a walk with Alwyn\u2019s mother, Elizabeth. The two were bundled up in winter gear. According to E!\u2019s sources, Swift had been going back and forth between Nashville and London to spend time with her family and Alwyn\u2019s family. January 14, 2021: Swift hints she\u2019s ready to bring the relationship into the public eye.A source told Entertainment Tonight that Swift is ready to be more public with her and Alwyn\u2019s relationship. \u201cTaylor has gotten more and more comfortable being public with Joe and letting fans in on their romance in a way that she feels is still protecting it,\u201d the source explained. \u201cShe loves Joe so much and, of course, is not trying to hide their relationship, but she prefers to keep specific details private.\u201d Additionally, the source said the couple was in it for the long haul and sees a future together. February 17, 2021: Swift reveals Alwyn helped her decide to speak out on political issues.Swift wrote to Vanity Fair to discuss her documentary Miss Americana, and how she found her voice during the 2018 midterm elections\u2014with the help of Alwyn.Swift opened up about how her partner helped her become more comfortable speaking out about politics, in rare public remarks about him. Swift wrote, \u201cAs a country musician, I was always told it\u2019s better to stay out of [politics]…The Trump presidency forced me to lean in and educate myself. I found myself talking about government and the presidency and policy with my boyfriend [Joe Alwyn], who supported me in speaking out.\u201dMay 11, 2021: Swift shouts out Alwyn (and many others) in a BRIT Awards speech.After becoming the first woman and youngest person ever to win BRIT Awards\u2019 Global Icon award, Swift took the stage to thank friends and family\u2014including Alwyn. Dressed in a Miu Miu crop top and skirt, Swift told the audience about the joys and challenges of creating her most recent albums: \u201cThe world changed, and I ended up putting out three albums instead, so making folklore and evermore was one of the most unique, cathartic, extraordinary experiences I\u2019ve ever had. I would love the opportunity to thank the amazing creative people that I made those albums with. Thank you, Aaron Dessner, thank you Jack Antonoff, Joe [Alwyn, Swift\u2019s boyfriend], Justin Vernon, the National, Marcus Mumford, Jon Low, Serban Ghenea, Laura Sisk, and HAIM. I want to thank my friends and family who know exactly who they are: Whose opinion of me never changed whether my stock was up or down.\u201dIn the clip below, you can watch Swift thank Alwyn specifically (around the 2:20 mark), accented by a slight pause and a sweet smile. May 20, 2021: Marriage rumors continue to swirl.In late May, Entertainment Tonight released a story confirming that Alwyn and Swift\u2019s engagement rumor mill was alive and well. \u201cThey grew closer than ever during the quarantine and she really trusts him,\u201d a source told ET. \u201cThey\u2019ve been continuing to be pretty low-key about their relationship to the outside world to continue to protect it\u2026They\u2019ve discussed future plans and Taylor can see herself marrying Joe one day.\u201dNovember 23, 2021: Swift visits Alwyn on set for latest movie.Alwyn did not make an appearance at Swift’s Saturday Night Live musical guest spot in November, and it was because he was away on set filming a new movie. A source told E! that, \u201cTaylor visited her boyfriend on the set of his movie.\u201dShooting for The Stars at Noon began in October 2021, according to ScreenDaily. and Alwyn joined the cast to replace Taron Egerton, per Deadline, who \u201chad to leave the project due to personal reasons.\u201dDecember 19, 2021: Swift likes Alwyn’s Instagram post from Panama.On Sunday, December 19, Alwyn posted a series of photographs seemingly from the set of The Stars at Noon, and Swift liked it within minutes.InstagramAlwyn posed in the photos with director Claire Denis, who signaled she was in Panama as well with an image featuring the Panama flag.February 9, 2022: Alwyn makes his first brief comment on Swift in years.While discussing his upcoming project Conversations With Friends, Alwyn confirms his relationship with Swift is closed. \u201cI think people can do what they want and makes them happy. I\u2019m obviously happy in a monogamous relationship,\u201d Alwyn said, referring to Swift, via E!.February 18, 2022: After engagement rumors spread, a source says that Swift and Alwyn have spoken about their future.Life & Style reported on February 17 that Swift and Alwyn privately got engaged. Their reps didn’t comment on the rumor. A source spoke to Entertainment Tonight, not addressing engagement speculation but saying that the two prefer to keep their personal relationship private.Swift and Alwyn \u201care very happy in their relationship,\u201d the source said. \u201cThey’ve been enjoying their time as a couple. They have spoken about their future together and feel very secure about their relationship.\u201dThe source added that they’ve mastered balancing their careers with their relationship. \u201cThey’re supportive of each other’s careers and of each other in general,\u201d the source said. \u201cBoth of them have been busy with work and they completely understand how to balance hectic schedules and still make time for each other. It’s part of why their relationship really works.\u201dMarch 26, 2022: Swift and Alwyn attend a pre-Oscars party together.In a very rare public sighting of the couple, Alwyn and Swift hit up the CAA’s pre-Oscars party at the San Vicente Bungalows. Two sources spoke to E! about what the two were like there. \u201cTaylor was introducing Joe to many people around her,\u201d the first source said. \u201cShe looked smitten and proud to be there with him.\u201dA second source said that Swift and Alwyn \u201cwere very coupley and cute and seemed happy to be there together. Taylor and Joe were together all night. He was leading her around introducing her to people, and Taylor also introducing people to Joe. When Joe was leading Taylor around, he held his arm around her back.\u201dApril 2022: In a series of interviews to promote Conversations With Friends, Alwyn touches on Swift…very slightly, including engagement rumors.On April 13, he told ELLE UK of why he doesn’t discuss their relationship in interviews: \u201cIt’s not really [because I] want to be guarded and private, it’s more a response to something else,\u201d he said with a shrug. \u201cWe live in a culture that is so increasingly intrusive\u2026 The more you give\u2014and frankly, even if you don’t give it\u2014something will be taken.\u201d And that’s all he offered about his personal life this time.On April 19, to ELLE US, Alwyn said on the subject of writing more songs with Swift, \u201cIt\u2019s not a plan of mine [to continue writing songs], no,\u201d Alwyn said.On April 20, he told WSJ on the subject of engagement rumors: \u201cIf I had a pound for every time I think I\u2019ve been told I\u2019ve been engaged, then I\u2019d have a lot of pound coins. \u201cI mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn\u2019t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn\u2019t say.\u201dOn April 30 to The Guardian, Alwyn addressed why he keeps his relationship with Swift private again and how he felt about them winning a Grammy for Folklore.On what it’s like dating Swift and the attention it garners, he said, \u201cIt\u2019s not something I think about, unless I\u2019m in situations like this, and someone says, \u2018What\u2019s it like?\u2019 and I have to think about what to say about it. It\u2019s just not for other people [our relationship]. And I don\u2019t say that with aggression.\u201d\u201cI don\u2019t know how best to talk about it,\u201d he continued. \u201cI mean, I\u2019m aware of people\u2019s \u2026 of that size of interest, and that world existing. It\u2019s just not something I particularly care about, or have much interest in feeding, I guess, because the more it\u2019s fed, the more you are opening a gate for intrusion. I think that\u2019s just my response to a culture that has this increasing expectation that everything is going to be given. If you don\u2019t post about the way you make your coffee in the morning, or if you don\u2019t let someone take a picture when you walk out of your front door, is that being private? I don\u2019t know if it is. So I just don\u2019t really feed that. If you and I were having a conversation, and having a shandy in my house, and it wasn\u2019t being recorded, then, of course, other things would be said.\u201d (Alwyn’s last remark echoed the one Swift made to The Guardian in 2019.)And on winning that Grammy and writing songs with Swift, he said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like, \u2018It\u2019s five o\u2019clock, it\u2019s time to try and write a song together.\u2019 It came about from messing around on a piano, and singing badly, then being overheard, and being, like, \u2018Let\u2019s see what happens if we get to the end of it together.\u2019 I mean fun is such a stupid word, but it was a lot of fun. And it was never a work thing, or a \u2018Let\u2019s try and do this because we\u2019re going to put this out\u2019 thing. It was just like baking sourdough in lockdown. The Grammy was obviously this ridiculous bonus.\u201d May 2022: Joe Alwyn says he hopes people \u201cstop caring\u201d about their relationship in new interview.In a new interviews with GQ, Alwyn reiterated again why he chooses not to speak about his relationship, \u201cI think because the precedent was set\u2014that our choice is to be private and not feed that side of things\u2014the more you do that, hopefully, the more that intrusiveness or intrigue drops off.\u201dJune 2022: Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift are seen kissing during their vacation in the Bahamas.TMZ shared photos of the couple kissing for the summer solstice while vacationing together in the Bahamas. The blurry images show them embracing while neck-deep in the blue ocean waters.July 2022: Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift go out for a date in London.On July 15, the couple went out on a rare public date in London, where they were photographed by the waiting paparazzi. They enjoyed some ice coffee and time in a public park together. Swift’s hand was briefly visible and there was no ring on her left hand, which some people took to mean that she is definitely not engaged.August 2022: Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift are photographed on a dinner date in New York City ahead of the MTV VMAs.Swift and Alwyn signaled their relationship is going strong nearly six years in when the two were photographed grabbing dinner with Swift’s longtime friend Lena Dunham during the last week of August. The three dined at Manhattan private members club Casa Cipriani, and once again, Swift appeared without any engagement ring on her left finger, debunking engagement rumors once more.Molly Mulshine is a writer and performer living in New York City by way of the Jersey Shore.\u00a0Savannah Walsh is an Editorial Fellow at ELLE.com.Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers news and culture.