Joe Alwyn, Taylor Swift’s former partner and musical collaborator, began trending on X on Tuesday following the singer’s announcement of her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Alwyn, 34, and Swift, 35, were in a six-year relationship that began after the 2016 Met Gala and ended in March 2023, just months before she met Kelce. Despite the length of their romance, the couple never appeared together on the red carpet.
AND FUCK A PAPER RING BTW!
— jen!! ❤️🔥 (@newyorknoshoes) August 26, 2025
Fans quickly referenced Swift’s 2019 track Paper Rings, in which she famously sang about marrying him with makeshift jewelry. Social media users contrasted the lyric with her diamond engagement ring to Kelce, with one Brazilian fan account posting: “Paper Rings? Never! Look at the size of that ring.” Others shared memes, humorous reactions, and side-by-side comparisons of Swift’s relationships with Alwyn and Kelce. Some expressed sympathy, suggesting Alwyn “deserved better anyway.”
Alwyn, who occasionally uses the pseudonym William Bowery, co-wrote several of Swift’s songs, including Exile, Champagne Problems, Betty, Evermore, and My Tears Ricochet. He won a Grammy in 2021 for co-producing Folklore and received a Grammy nomination in 2022 for his work on Evermore. Reflecting on the end of their relationship, he told The Sunday Times Style Magazine last year that navigating public scrutiny was “a hard thing” and described the sudden attention as “unusual and abnormal.”
While social media buzzed over the engagement, Alwyn remains focused on his acting career. He is rehearsing for his stage debut as Heath in The Lady from the Sea at London’s Bridge Theatre alongside Alicia Vikander and Andrew Lincoln. Despite renewed public attention on his past relationship, Alwyn appears dedicated to his professional pursuits and upcoming projects.
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