News of Taylor Swift’s reported breakup with her boyfriend of six years, actor Joe Alwyn, broke on April 8, 2023. (Her Campus reached out to Swift and Alwyn’s teams for comment but didn’t hear back.) Swifties instantly took to the internet to share their thoughts, with emotions ranging from devastated to confused. Swift and Alwyn have always kept their relationship as private as possible, so it makes sense that neither of them have commented on the rumors as of yet. To many fans, this lack of response seemed like confirmation enough that the two were no longer together.
Just days after the reported breakup, on April 10, Swift was spotted grabbing dinner with friends Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley in New York City. The restaurant she was seen eating at, Via Carota, is only blocks away from Cornelia Street — a place that Swift wrote a song about on her 2019 album, Lover. The song is believed to be about Alwyn, with the lyrics “I hope I never lose you, I hope it never ends / I’d never walk Cornelia Street again.”
Swift seemed to be in good spirits, however, during her first public appearance since the news was released. She was photographed wearing a pair of jeans with a cut-out bejeweled butterfly; the pants are a whopping $673, according to MyTheresa. Swift paired the jeans with an off-the-shoulder black top, $140 Sam Edelman heels, and a bejeweled purse by Paco Rabanne estimated to be around $1,500. Go off, Taylor! Some fans are wondering if Swift’s outfit was a potential Easter egg, as butterflies can be a symbol of rebirth and transformation. Whether the singer was sharing a message of transformation or not, fans were glad to see her seemingly doing well after the end of her relationship.
Although news of the breakup was released to the public in early April, the couple has reportedly been split up for several weeks, potentially before Swift began her Eras Tour in mid-March. A source close to the couple told People that the split was apparently caused by “differences in their personalities.”
Swift continues her Eras Tour with three shows in Tampa, Florida beginning on Thursday, April 13. Fans are curious whether she will address the rumors on tour or continue keeping her relationship details private, but the vast majority are showing their support for whatever the singer decides to do.