Did Taylor Swift And Matty Healy Know Each Other Before Sparking Dating Rumors?

Where one celebrity relationship bites the dust, another one emerges. Though we had six years of Jaylor or even Toe (aka Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn), we're already racking our brains to come up with an appropriate couple name for Swift and Matty Healy. In May, news that the blonde songbird was dating The 1975 frontman a month after her split from Alwyn sent Swifties into a tailspin. "She and Matty are madly in love. It's super-early days, but it feels right," a source told The U.S. Sun. Shutting down any cheating rumors, they added, "Taylor and Joe split up back in February, so there was absolutely no crossover."

Proving that they're the real deal, Healy has been supporting Swift on the road for her Eras tour. Eagle-eyed fans spotted him at Swift's Nashville show, with one person tweeting, "never in my wildest dreams did i expect to see matty healy dance during shake it off." And Swift and Healy's romance has only continued to escalate since then. In the span of just a few days, the pair "kissed and cuddled" at NYC hotspot Casa Cipriani, enjoyed a date at Electric Lady Studios, and met the 'rents (at least, Healy did).

If it feels like things are moving fast, they are, but the romance isn't materializing as swiftly as it seems. That's because the "Lavender Haze" singer and her rumored beau share quite a history, dating all the way back to 2014.

Sometimes, it takes years for love stories to blossom. While celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi reported that singer-producer Jack Antonoff introduced Matty Healy and Taylor Swift this go-around, they've actually been friendly for a decade. Or maybe, more than friends? Fans pointed to possible sparks between the two as early as 2014, when Swift attended a 1975 concert, and also rocked a band tour tee. When the rumor mill went to work debating whether or not Swift gave Healy her number, Healy confirmed that he did indeed have her digits, according to Page Six.

However, by January 2015, he'd shot down dating reports. "[Taylor and I] met each other, we exchanged numbers in the same way that a lot of people in this kind of world do, and we spoke occasionally," he said on Australian Radio 2DayFM (via Marie Claire). "There's no relationship or anything happening."

In 2016, Healy described his time with Swift as "a flirtation," via NME. He also, somewhat controversially, touched on the potential pitfalls of dating a superstar like Swift. "If I had gone out with Taylor Swift I would've been, 'F***ing h***! I am NOT being Taylor Swift's boyfriend.' You know, ' F***. THAT.' That's also a man thing, a de-masculinating, emasculating thing." 

OK, so Healy's comment hasn't aged well. Perhaps he was also worried that had they dated, Swift would have immortalized him in song — a fair point since she has a history of doing so!

After 2016, there was a lull in the Taylor Swift-Matt Healy discourse, as the two were busy with their respective lives. But Healy jumped back into the picture circa 2022 when he and his bandmates collaborated with the Grammy-winner on her studio album, "Midnights." Though Healy and The 1975's contributions didn't make the final album cut, Healy clarified on "Klein/Ally Show" of KROQ that the reasons behind the decision "were not to be criticized." 

Of Swift, he added, "She's amazing." Swift later performed at The 1975's show in January 2023; clearly, she and Healy were staying in touch. Interestingly, Healy was spotted kissing fans during this tour, but he stopped when Swift showed up on the scene. "I'm not kissing anybody in front of Taylor Swift," he teased, according to TikTok footage. "In front of the queen, it's not happening."

Did Healy's comments mean that he was already thinking about Swift in romantic terms? The pair's history points to more than platonic feelings, but this appears to be the first time they're giving their romance a fair shot. Swift seems to be all in on Healy, perhaps because of their history. "[Taylor and Matty] are both massively proud and excited about this relationship and, unlike Taylor's last one ... she wants to 'own' this romance and not hide it away," a source told The Sun. One thing we can guess at? Healy's bound to pop up in Swift's song lyrics, albeit not by name.