What is Taylor Swift’s relationship with ex Joe Alwyn like? Do they still speak?

The release of Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” and “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” double album brought the pop superstar’s relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn back into the spotlight.

After listening to the “Blank Space” songstress’ latest offerings, Swifties began speculating as to which songs were inspired by the English actor, who worked with Swift on several songs while they were together. But how are things between the pair now that they aren’t?

In April last year, news broke that Swift and Alwyn had broken up after six years together. Since their split, the actor has kept a low profile and is currently staying out of the limelight. Alwyn hasn’t commented publicly on his former flame’s new album.

Swift and Alwyn no longer in touch with one another

“Taylor and Joe are not in touch at this point, but they try to be respectful of one another,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “Joe wants to keep his personal life private. He is more introverted and the interest about his personal life is a bit overwhelming to him. He is focused on acting and his career.”

Swift and Alwyn’s relationship timeline

The couple largely kept their relationship private over the years, but it is known that they began dating in 2017. In May of that year, British tabloid newspaper The Sun reported that Swift and Alwyn were in a relationship, although an insider claimed they had already been secretly dating for several months before that.

Swift and Alwyn were rarely seen together in public and shared little of their relationship with the media. One of the last times they were spotted in each other’s company was at a dinner in New York in August 2022.

Why did the couple break up?

Their breakup was confirmed in April 2023 following rumours that Alwyn had skipped supporting Swift during the early stages of her Eras Tour, which is still ongoing.

After their split, a source close to the couple told People their split was caused by “differences in their personalities” and that the actor struggled to deal with Swift’s level of fame.

“They had plenty in common and fell in love in a safe bubble while she was retreating from the world during ‘Reputation’ (Swift’s 2017 album). Then the pandemic hit, and they were locked down together and able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way. But he didn’t really ‘know’ her yet outside of that bubble.”