A lot has happened since Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn called time on their relationship just shy of a year ago. The former couple, who dated for six years, quietly parted ways ahead of Taylor's epic Eras Tour and she has since found love with NFL player Travis Kelce.
Both Taylor and Joe have remained tight-lipped about their break-up, but when the singer released her song You're Losing Me in May last year, Joe was reportedly 'disappointed and embarrassed' by the lyrics.
Taylor is known to use her experiences with love and heartbreak as inspiration for her music, and during her acceptance speech at the Grammys last weekend she announced that she is releasing her 11th studio album. She told the crowd: "I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19th. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department."
Fans instantly interpreted the title as a dig at Joe, who previously spoke about being in a WhatsApp chat with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called 'The Tortured Man Club'. A source close to the actor has since told the Daily Mail that he believes the new record is, in fact, a reference to said group chat. Yikes.
They told the publication: "Joe has not said one word about Taylor or their breakup and has been completely respectful of her. It’s undeniable that the name of her upcoming album is in reference to Joe’s WhatsApp group chat."
According to the insider, Taylor was 'bothered' when Joe spoke about it publicly as she 'didn't want people to think that it had anything to do with her'. The source claims that Joe is hoping the music will be a reflective look at their relationship, rather than a 'diss' album, adding: "If it is a diss album, that is shady. He helped her with song writing on her past album so it will really come as a shock to him if she talks about their breakup, as it is something he has not spoken of at all."
However, they added that regardless of the album's content, Joe is refusing to respond as he 'has removed himself from her narrative and is very glad he did'.
Well. That's that.
