Over 30% Agree This Is Taylor Swift's Worst Ex-Boyfriend

Taylor Swift and the term "ex-boyfriend" have a storied past. There was a time the singer-songwriter was heavily slammed, without balance, for prolifically churning out songs about her exes. In a 2014 appearance on the Australian radio show "Jules, Merrick & Sophie,"  Swift — for what seemed like the first time in her career — openly labeled said criticism of her writing "one too many" breakup songs as sexist. (She has stood up for herself in the wake of sexist remarks more often since then.) "You're going to have people who are going to say, 'Oh, you know, like, she just writes songs about her ex-boyfriends,'" Swift noted of past comments about her lyrics, continuing, "No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They're all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and no one raises the red flag there." After all, most of the human population has led love lives of some kind, right? 

Now in a steady relationship with British actor Joe Alywn since 2016, Swift has been able to shed the "revenge ex-girlfriend" image, especially after 2020's critically adored "Folklore" and "Evermore" (the former of which took home the 2021 Grammy for Album of the Year). Before that, though, tabloids, as well as (strong) hints from Swift's own songs, frequently highlighted the "who" and "how it went wrong" of her past relationships. Let's see who the 605 Americans surveyed by Nicki Swift thought was her worst ex-boyfriend to date. 

According to a Nicki Swift survey, 30.58% of 605 respondents thought John Mayer was Taylor Swift's worst ex-boyfriend. In her song "Dear John," Swift's lyrics painted Mayer as having taken advantage of their age difference when they dated from late 2009 to early 2010, per Billboard. "Don't you think 19 is too young / To be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?" Coming in second with 19.50% was Harry Styles, whom Swift dated in late 2012, per Bustle. Though the romance was short-lived, songs like "I Knew You were Trouble," about a chaotic lover, are heavily rumored to be about Styles. 

Clocking in at third place with 19.17% of the votewas Joe Jonas who, per Swift's hilarious doll reenactment in an old reposted vlog, allegedly dumped her over a 27-second phone call. (Ouch.) Meanwhile, Calvin Harris, who came in fourth with 16.86%, had an amicable split in 2016 from Swift at first, but as the DJ told British GQ, "When it ended, all hell broke loose." Swift would later reveal that year that she secretly co-penned his hit "This is What You Came For" under a pseudonym. 

In last place, at 13.88% ,is the all-but-confirmed subject of Swift's popular "All Too Well," Jake Gyllenhaal. The pair dated from October 2010 to January 2011, and per Radar's sources, most of Swift's "Red" album is about Gyllenhaal, as he was a no-show at her 21st birthday bash... That would definitely qualify as bad BF behavior!