Why Are Fans So Angry About Taylor Swift’s Rumored Relationship With Matty Healy?

At this point, Taylor Swift could date a fruit fly and it would generate an absurd amount of discourse (which, to be fair, would be warranted, given pop-star-and-fruit-fly pairings are so rarely seen), but there seems to be some extra scrutiny around the partner she’s currently being linked to: Matty Healy, lead singer of the 1975.

If you’re confused about the conversation swirling around this particular pairing, though, wonder no more; below, find a timeline of Swift and Healy’s alleged relationship, as well as an explanation of why some Swift fans just aren’t that into him.

When did Swift and Healy meet?

The pair’s journey began in 2014, when Swift gave Healy her number and wore a 1975 tee in rapid succession; years later, in January of 2023 (just a few months before she split with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn), Swift joined Healy’s band in London. More recently, Swift and Healy have been spotted holding hands and allegedly mouthing the same words (to each other?) onstage, culminating in a May 15 photo of the two leaving a New York recording studio together.

Who is Healy?

The 34-year-old English singer-songwriter was born in Hendon, England, and founded the 1975 with three of his classmates in 2002; the band has now released five studio albums and received two Grammy nominations. Healy has previously been romantically linked to singers Halsey and FKA twigs, and has performed with Phoebe Bridgers, Lewis Capaldi, and Charli XCX; he has also been in recovery for heroin addiction for several years.

What are Swfit’s fans saying about Healy, exactly?

In February, Healy appeared on The Adam Friedland Podcast and laughed along to racist and fatphobic comments about the rapper Ice Spice. He’s also come under fire for using the Black Lives Matter movement to promote his own music, and appearing to do a Nazi salute onstage while singing the lyric “Thank you, Kanye, very cool” in the 1975’s “Love It If We Made It” earlier this year. His habit of kissing fans at his concerts has also been called into question.

Has Swift responded to the criticism of Healy?

She has not!