Joe Alwyn Breaks Silence About Taylor Swift Breakup & ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

The couple split in April 2023 after a six-year romance.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn depart Zuma on Oct. 6, 2019 in New York City.

Jackson Lee/GC Images

Joe Alwyn is opening up for the first time about his split from Taylor Swift.

In an interview with The Sunday Times Style Magazine, published Saturday (June 15), the 33-year-old actor, who stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming film Kinds of Kindness, broke his silence about his breakup with the pop superstar in April 2023.

Alwyn, who dated Swift for six years, called their relationship “long, loving” and “fully committed.” The “Anti-Hero” singer, 34, has not yet publicly commented on the breakup, but many believe that her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, was inspired by the split.

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Earlier this year, fans speculated that the title of Tortured Poets — which has spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — resembles a group chat between Alwyn and fellow actors Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal called “The Tortured Man Club.”

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When asked if he’s listened to his ex-girlfriend’s new album, Alwyn told the Times, “In thinking on what I was going to say, I would think and hope that anyone and everyone can empathize. … This isn’t a direct answer to your question, but just thinking about what I want to talk about.”

He continued, “I would hope that anyone and everyone can empathize and understand the difficulties that come with the end of a long, loving, fully committed relationship of over six and a half years. That is a hard thing to navigate.”

Alwyn and Swift broke up in April 2023 around the time the pop star launched her record-breaking The Eras Tour in North America. The Conversations With Friends actor reflected on aftermath of the split, saying, “What is unusual and abnormal in this situation is that, one week later, it’s suddenly in the public domain and the outside world is able to weigh in.”

“So you have something very real suddenly thrown into a very unreal space: tabloids, social media, press, where it is then dissected, speculated on, pulled out of shape beyond recognition,” he told the Times. “And the truth is, to that last point, there is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that.”

Alwyn noted that he and Swift “mutually” agreed to “keep the more private details of our relationship private.” He added, “It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now.”

Swift and the Favourite actor first started dating in 2016, and mostly kept a low profile. During their six years together, they rarely made public outings. They did, however, speak lovingly about each other in occasional interviews, and the 14-time Grammy winner opened up about falling in love with Alwyn in her Netflix documentary, Miss Americana.

Alwyn told the Times that he’s been doing well following the breakup. “Look, this is also a little over a year ago now, and I feel fortunate to be in a really great place in my life — professionally and personally. I feel really good,” he said.

After ending things with Alwyn, Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce last summer. The athlete is another rumored Tortured Poets muse, with fans suspecting that “The Alchemy” and “So High School” were both written about him.

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