How Big Is The Age Gap Between Taylor Swift's Divorced Parents?

Taylor Swift rose to fame after channeling her romantic triumphs and failures into a long list of country and pop hits, including 2008's "Love Story." However, Swift would've never been born, much less taken over the world, without her parents', Andrea Swift and Scott Swift's, tragic love story. Taylor was born on December 13, 1989 – the year she famously borrowed for her hit album, "1989" – one year after Andrea and Scott's 1988 wedding. This means that Andrea and Scott — who are 66 and 71, respectively, as of March 2024 – share almost a six-year age gap (five years and eight months to be exact).

At the time of Taylor's birth, Scott – born on March 5, 1952, was 37 years old. Meanwhile, Andrea – born on January 10, 1958 – was 31 years old. And while Taylor may be the shining star of the family, she isn't the (former) couple's only child. Taylor's younger brother, Austin Swift would complete the family a few short years later. Austin was born on March 11, 1992, which means that Andrea and Scott were slightly older at the time of his birth. Based on their birthdays, Scott was 40 years old when they welcomed their second child. Meanwhile, Andrea was 34. Unfortunately, while the couple's marriage lasted well into the '00s, and past the point where they had young children to raise, it reportedly ended in 2011.

Taylor Swift's parents molded her into becoming a superstar. As Swift has recounted numerous times, her parents moved their family from Pennsylvania to Tennessee in the hopes that she'd become successful. In 2018, Swift shared with fans who attended the Philadelphia date of her Reputation Tour that she'd recently returned. "I went to the house I grew up in," said Swift during the concert (via E! News). "I got emotional when I went into my bedroom, and there's another little girl's things in there." She continued, "It's not my family farm anymore. We sold it when we went to Nashville. I've been thinking about how cool it is to be back where I started writing songs," she continued. 

Unfortunately, Andrea and Scott Swift reportedly split in 2011, just a few years after Swift's career had started taking off. While there have never been any official reports about their divorce, there's been chatter that Andrea and Scott Swift decided to end their marriage. According to a print article from Star Magazine, Andrea and Scott separated in 2011, a move that was difficult for Taylor. "She's been going through a lot," revealed a friend of the family (via Radar Online). "The new album will showcase the pain of her parents' separation." They continued, "The Swifts stopped wearing their wedding rings. They haven't filed for divorce because they don't want it to damage Taylor's career."

There have been few updates about the status of Andrea and Scott Swift's relationship in recent years, which isn't surprising given they're not officially celebs themselves. However, a 2014 article by Page Six suggests that tension between them bled over into Taylor Swift's business, making them difficult to work with. "Taylor's parents are incredibly difficult to deal with," revealed an insider. "Their expectations are enormous, and they are very hard to please. They want to pay as little as possible and treat people like s***, because they think those people are lucky to have the chance to work with a superstar like Taylor." The source also alleged that Andrea and Scott were living apart.

Whether or not this rings entirely true, it seems that Taylor's parents have maintained a healthy bond. Not only did both Scott and Andrea attend Swift's most recent Eras Tour, they also joined her as she supported her boyfriend, Travis Kelce during the Kansas City Chiefs' football games. According to the Daily Mail, a rumored divorce couldn't keep Scott and Andrea from celebrating Christmas with Taylor at Travis' home. "Seeing their families together on such a special holiday was the best gift ever for Taylor," revealed a source. "She's never had this happen before and it made the holiday the most meaningful one for her," they added.