9 Things You Need to Know About Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend, Joe Alwyn

Published Aug 23, 2019

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5:23pm

Although Taylor Swift has been extremely private about her relationship with boyfriend Joe Alwyn for the last several years, all that changed when the Grammy winner spilled the relationship tea on her new Lover album. From their meet-cute details to his career, here’s everything you need to know about Alwyn.

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1. What Does He Do For Work?

Like Swift, Alwyn also is in the entertainment industry. He’s still early in his career, but lately he’s been adding major film roles to his résumé like it’s NBD. He most recently appeared as Robert Dudley, Queen Elizabeth’s lover and counselor, in Mary Queen of Scots and as Emma Stone’s love interest, Baron Masham, in the Oscar-winning movie The Favourite. He also starred alongside Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe in the 2018 film Boy Erased. Next up, he’s set to star in Harriet, a Harriet Tubman biopic that hits theaters on November 1, and appear in the A Christmas Carol miniseries as Bob Cratchit. Suffice it to say, he’s becoming a star in his own right. Some have speculated that one of the reasons Swift and Alwyn have kept their relationship so private is to be careful that her professional accomplishments don’t overshadow his burgeoning career.

2. How Old Is He?

Alwyn is just a smidge younger than his 29-year-old girlfriend. Born on February 21, 1991, he turned 28 years old this year. Swift’s birthday is December 12, 1989, so they’re a little more than a year apart.

3. Where Is He From?

As Swift’s new song “London Boy” references, Alwyn was born and raised in the United Kingdom. He grew up in the North End neighborhoods of Tufnell Park and Crouch End and attended City of London School and the University of Bristol. He received his bachelor’s degree at London’s Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

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4. Do They Live Together?

Like many facets of Swift and Alwyn’s relationship, that’s not exactly clear. They’re extremely tight-lipped about the ins and outs of their romance. While Alwyn definitely still lives in North London, it’s not confirmed whether Swift has reached toothbrush status at his abode. Some sources allege (always take that with a grain of salt) that she’s rented a home nearby but that she practically lives at his Crouch End house.

5. Where Did They Meet?

There are a few possibilities. Thanks to her 2017 “Dress” lyrics, “Flashback to when you met me/Your buzz cut/ and my hair bleached,” many believe they may have first hit it off at the 2016 Met Gala. Shortly after the star-studded affair, she announced her breakup from Calvin Harris and was briefly confirmed to be dating Tom Hiddleston. That lasted only three short months, after which Swift is said to have attended a secret Kings of Leon concert in New York that Alwyn was also at. The jury’s out, but at least we can agree they started dating at some point in 2016.

6. How Long Have They Been Dating?

Since they kicked things off in late 2016, they’ve already crossed the two-year mark. We don’t know the exact date of their meet-cute, so it’s not clear when they’ll celebrate their third anniversary. It should be noted, however, that Swift released a cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1978 hit “September” in April and changed the lyrics from “Do you remember the 21st night of September?” to “Do you remember the 28th night of September?,” which could easily reference their anniversary date. In one of the deluxe versions of Lover she also shares a diary entry about their romance from January 3, 2017. It reads, “We have been together and no one has found out for three months now. I want it to stay that way because I don’t want anything about this to change or become too complicated or intruded upon.” So, it’s very possible they got together in late September or early October.

7. Are They Engaged?

Well, there is a theory floating around the internet that Swift and Alwyn are set to tie the knot. It all started when Swift posted the above photo from her Vogue cover shoot and captioned it, “My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well, to end up with you,” she wrote. Her caption, of course, brings to mind the wedding adage about something borrowed and something blue, so fans were quick to speculate that she was hinting at some news. Furthermore, there seems to be a small string tied around that finger in the pic, so maybe there is some veracity to the theory.

8. Has Taylor Written Any Songs About Him?

Oh, yes she has. There were several potential mentions of him on her Reputation album, but Lover is chock-full of details about their love. In “I Think He Knows,” Swift recalls falling for him. She sings, “He got that boyish look that I like in a man” and references his “lyrical smile” and “indigo eyes.” In “Paper Rings” she professes how serious it is, singing, “I like shiny things/But I’d marry you with paper rings…You’re the one I want and I hate accidents/Except when we went from friends to this.” “Cornelia Street” is also purported to be about their early days (or the dissolution of her friendship with Karlie Kloss). She sings, “We were in the backseat/Drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar.” Then, of course, there’s “London Boy.” Although it samples clips of interviews with her Cats co-stars Idris Elba and James Corden (both London boys), it is unmistakably about Alwyn. “You know I love a London boy,” she sings. “And now I love high tea, stories from Uni, and the West End/You can find me in the pub, we are watching rugby with his school friends.”

9. Does He Have An Instagram Account?

You bet he does, but don’t expect to see any pics of Taylor. Despite their two plus years of dating, the couple has yet to make it Instagram official because of their efforts to keep things close to the vest. He’s not super active on the ’Gram, but he does love to share behind-the-scenes photos from the various films he’s worked on. Still, since things are clearly serious with him and Taylor, it’s only a matter of time until they make their Instagram debut.

Lex Goodman

Cat mom, yogi, brunch enthusiast

Lex is an LA native who's deeply obsessed with picnics, Slim Aarons, rosé, Hollywood history and Joan Didion. She joined PureWow in early 2017.

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