There’s no thrilling saga quite like Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s friendship. Throughout the last decade, Swift and Perry have emerged as leading pop acts in the entertainment industry, as well as paved their own unique paths throughout music. After Swift and Perry first met in 2008, there’s been quite a lot that has happened in the years that followed, from red carpet photos and diss tracks to reconciliation.
As Swift is currently on tour in Australia for her Eras Tour, fans were treated with a selfie of her and Perry. It’s been a long time coming, and yes, we will still be holding onto hope for a future collaboration between these two.
With Swift and Perry’s reunion down under, let’s look at their relationship throughout the years. It’s a bit of a bumpy ride, but we promise there’s a happy ending.
September 2008: Perry and Swift first meet at the VMAS.
During the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, Perry and Swift first met on the red carpet with Miley Cyrus. During this time, Swift was about to release Fearless while Perry’s second album, One of the Boys, began making waves on the radio.
July 2009: Perry and Swift begin tweeting at each other.
On July 6, 2009, Swift tweeted to Perry about her love for the Waking Up in Vegas music video, expressing that she needed to “hang her poster on my wall now,” in a tweet. Perry replied to Swift’s message, calling her “as sweet as pie” and pointing out that they should “write a song together about what we know best” for Perry’s new record. This gave a little hope to a potential collaboration between the two singers.
October 2009: Swift attends Perry’s birthday celebration.
After attending Perry’s birthday party, Swift tweeted that Perry “knows how to throw a birthday party.”Swift called the event “party-licious” in her message, highlighting how close the pair were becoming.
April 2010: Perry and Swift perform together on stage during the Fearless tour.
During the Los Angeles stop of Swift’s Fearless tour, she and Perry performed Hot N Cold to a sold-out Staples Center audience.
In a now-deleted tweet from Swift, expressed he excitement over the performance, writing “Katy! LA! I will always love you!” on her account.
August 2012: Perry begins dating John Mayer.
Two years after Swift was rumored to be dating singer John Mayer, Perry began dating him around the summer of 2012. It’s unclear if there was a rift between Swift and Mayer at this time, especially since she had written Dear John a few years prior, which was rumored to be about her relationship with Mayer.
December 2013: Rumors of a feud begin to circulate.
Swift and Perry were photographed together at the beginning of 2013, but rumors began to come out about a potential rift between the two by the end of the year.
When Lockhart Brownlie, a dancer who originally was on Swift’s Red Tour left to do Perry’s Prism Tour with 2 other dancers, there was heavy speculation of conflict. Brownlie explained that he had worked with Perry in the past, and switched tours due to “not really dancing in Taylor’s tour” and wanting more.
September 8, 2014: Swift speaks about the inspiration behind Bad Blood.
In an interview with Rolling Stone before her fifth studio album 1989 was set to be released, Swift spoke about one of the key inspirations for a song on the album titled Bad Blood.
Swift explained what the song was about, sharing that it was focused around someone who “tried to hire a bunch of people out under her” and how the conflict wasn’t about a man, but it was about the business. There was speculation that this could be about Perry and Swift’s conflict, especially since there was a disconnect.
January 30, 2015: Perry addresses Swift’s comments.
A few months after 1989 was released, Perry commented on Swift’s Rolling Stone interview, explaining that “If somebody is trying to defame my character, you’re going to hear about it,” in an interview with Billboard.
May 17, 2015: The Bad Blood music video comes out, giving fans small hints.
After Swift debuted the music video for Bad Blood, rumors began speculating that it had references to Perry. Selena Gomez’s character and how she was styled gave hints that she was based on Perry as a result of the feud.
June 8, 2017: Music plays a large part in the conflict.
There had been subtle moments where Swift and Perry talked about one another in interviews, but throughout 2017, their music releases became more frequent and timely. Around Perry’s Witness album release, Swift’s music catalog dropped on streaming platforms around the world.
May 8, 2018: Swift and Perry reconcile.
On the opening night of Swift’s Reputation tour, Perry sent an olive branch and a letter to Swift before the show. Perry’s message to Swift expressed that she had been “reflecting on past miscommunications and the feelings between us,” solidifying the end of their feud.
June 9, 2019: More Instagram posts signal the end of the conflict.
On June 9, 2019, Perry posted a photo on Instagram with cookies and tagged Swift as a way to say there was “peace at last” and that it felt good to reconcile with Swift. Later that year, Perry appeared in Swift’s music video for You Need to Calm Down dressed as fries while Perry donned a hamburger costume, marking the first time they reunited on camera.
February 24, 2024: Swift and Perry reunite at the Eras Tour.
During Swift’s stop in Sydney, Australia for the Eras Tour, Perry attended the concert with Rita Ora and even took a selfie with Swift after the show. Perry’s caption for the post, “got to see an old friend shine tonight.” Along with the selfie, Perry also shared videos of Swift performing live.
The two look happier than ever, and we’re so excited to see this iconic duo showcasing their rekindled friendship.