Taylor Swift's controversial relationship with Matty Healy, revisited
Taylor Swift and Matt Healy have never publicly confirmed they dated, but their rumored relationship in 2023 launched a short-lived social media frenzy.
Before the pop icon Swift and Travis Kelce hard launched their relationship in September 2023, the pop icon was romantically linked to The 1975 frontman.
It wasn't the first time there was speculation surrounding Swift and Healy's relationship status — the two have been friends for years and headlines suggesting the two were romantically involved popped up in 2014.
But in May 2023, fans started to wonder if the two had become more than friends following the "Bejeweled" singer's split from her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn.
So, let's take a look back at all the evidence that seemed to connect the two. Learn more about The 1975 singer, his possible relationship with Swift and when they called it quits, below.
Who is Matty Healy?
The son of British actors Denise Welch and Tim Healy, Healy found fame in 2013 with the release of The 1975’s self-titled debut album. The Grammy-nominated band, hailing from Manchester, England, is best known for their hit songs "Chocolate" and "Robbers."
Healy has opened up about his struggle with addiction to heroin, telling GQ in 2019, "Honestly, it’s difficult for me because my whole fear was becoming a beacon of sobriety and I’m not that anyway. And, you know, I’ve had my issues over the last two years.”
The singer, who entered rehab in 2017, per GQ, added, “I’ve not had a habit at any point and I’ve not really gone back to it, but I’ve had a slip or two. But I’m getting better with it every day, really.”
What is Matt Healy like as a performer?
Healy has a reputation for bizarre onstage antics. He's been known to kiss fans during concerts, according to Paper.
The music site Stereogum noted that a shirtless Healy baffled concertgoers at New York’s Madison Square Garden in November 2022 when he ate what appeared to be an entire raw steak onstage while groping himself.
The following month, Healy got a tattoo onstage, according to Billboard.
In July 2023, Healy criticized the Malaysian government and its anti-LGBTQ laws while performing at the Good Vibes Festival in the country.
"I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the f------ point … of inviting the 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with," he said on stage according to NBC News.
He added, "I’m sorry if that offends you, and you’re religious… but your government are a bunch of f------ r------. I don’t care anymore. If you push, I’m gonna push back. I’m not in the f-----mood."
Healy said he was "furious" and cut their set short. But before leaving the stage, The 1975 bassist Ross MacDonald approached him and the two kissed.
Malaysia's government halted the music festival and a government committee banned The 1975 from performing in the country.
How did Swift and Healy meet?
The two musicians first shared headlines in November 2014 when it became clear they were paying attention to one another's music.
Healy wore a T-shirt featuring the cover artwork for Swift's "1989" album while performing at a venue in Milwaukee, according to Page Six.
Days later, Swift showed up — alongside Selena Gomez and Ellie Goulding — to a 1975 concert at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles wearing one of the band's T-shirts, according to a tweet Swift had posted at the time (and since deleted).
What did Healy say about meeting Swift?
After meeting Swift in 2014, Healy spoke about the "Shake It Off" singer while appearing on the Australian radio show Shazam Top 20, according to E! News. "I met Taylor Swift, that was really nice,” said the musician. “We exchanged numbers. Let’s see what happens.”
The host responded by predicting Swift and Healy would end up being a couple.
“You’re calling that, are you?” asked Healy. “Let’s just see what happens.”
“I mean bloody hell, what am I going to do?" he added. "Go out with Taylor Swift? She’s a sensation, I wouldn’t say no.”
The following month, Swift was spotted at another The 1975 concert in New York City, according to E! News.
Matty Healy's controversial comments about Taylor Swift
In 2016, Healy told Q magazine (via Elle) that he decided it would have been “emasculating” for him to have dated Swift.
“It’s just interesting to me how interested the world is about Taylor Swift," he said. "The reason I mention that is because if I had (properly) gone out with Taylor Swift, I would’ve been, ‘F----- hell, I am not being Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. You know, ‘F---. That.’ That’s also a man thing, a demasculinating, emasculating thing.”
Healy backpedaled soon after that, telling fans in a since-deleted Twitter thread (again, via Elle), "I have said on countless occasions that I found (Swift) to be one of the most gracious, hard working, creatively gifted, and beautiful women that I have had the pleasure to meet. I personally have a lot of respect and admiration for her. Why would I not?”
He added, “I didn’t even date Taylor, but the media’s incessant and brutal obsession with her has meant that even a guy who DIDN’T DATE HER has been so battered by their never-ending questions that he’s inevitably said something that can be lifted and molded into something that resembles ‘shade’. It’s really sad.”
How did the dating rumors start in 2023?
In January 2023, Swift made a surprise appearance at The 1975's concert in London, where she sang her song “Anti-Hero” live for the first time, according to Pitchfork. She also sang a cover of The 1975's song "The City," with the band proudly sharing footage of "Taylor's version" on Instagram.
Healy’s mom posted a cute Instagram photo of herself hugging Swift after the concert.
A few months later, the rumors went into overdrive as Swifties began to dissect secret messages they thought Swift and Healy were sending to each other during their performances.
One fan uploaded a video TikTok in which Healy looked into a camera and appeared to mouth the words, "This is about you, you know who you are. I love you," during a May 3, 2023 concert in Manila, Philippines.
The fan noted that days later, while performing in Nashville, Swift stared into a crowd and seemed to utter the same message. Healy happened to be attending that show, joining opening act Phoebe Bridgers onstage and standing with Swift’s friends in the audience, like Gigi Hadid and Lily Aldridge.
He was in the crowd for all three of Swift’s concerts at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, as photographs showed him listening to the three-hour set in the VIP section.
About a week later, Swift and Healy were spotted holding hands later in New York City.
Why some fans did not support Taylor Swift and Matt Healy's relationship
Prior to their romantic relationship, Matt Healy was called out in early 2023 for what some considered racist behavior, including laughing at offensive language that was used to describe rapper Ice Spice's physical appearance on a podcast episode, NBC News reported. He also laughed when the two podcast co-hosts imitated Japanese accents.
The episode was removed from Apple and Spotify, according to NBC News.
He later apologized to Ice Spice on stage in April 2023.
“I never meant to hurt anybody,” he said. “I’m sorry if I’ve offended you and, like, Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued, it’s cause I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a d—. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry. I don’t want anything to be misconstrued as mean. I don’t mind being a bit of a joker … but I don’t want to be perceived as, like, kind of mean-hearted.”
Amid dating rumors between Swift and Healy, the singer announced May 24 that she was collaborating with Ice Spice for a remix of her song "Karma."
Some fans questioned the timing of the release on social media.
"I love taylor swift as much as the next swiftie but this is such an interesting PR move," one person wrote on X, in part.
Ice Spice responded to Healy's comments in a September 2023 interview with Variety.
"When I had heard that little podcast or whatever, I was so confused. Because I heard ‘chubby Chinese lady’ or some s--- like that, and I’m like, ‘Huh? What does that even mean?’ First of all, I’m thick. What do you mean Chinese? What? But then they apologized or whatever," she said.
She added that she recently ran into Healy at a party. "He apologized to me a bunch of times. We’re good," she shared.
When did Taylor Swift and Matt Healy break up?
After dominating headlines for a month, Swift and Healy broke up in June 2023.
People reported at the time that the pair split, citing a source.
Since then, the two have not publicly addressed the status of their friendship. Swift and Healy also haven't been photographed together.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
