Taylor Swift Sparks Engagement Rumors During Rare Post-‘SNL’ Outing With Partner Joe Alwyn

Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, were spotted heading to the Saturday Night Live afterparty in New York following her two performances on the show. Swift wore a ring, sparking some theories on social media that she and Alwyn are engaged or even married. While that might not be the case, it didn’t stop Swift’s fans from speculating.

During the show, the 29-year-old Swift performed a piano-only version of “Lover,” the title track from her new album. She also performed “False God” live for the first time, accompanied by SNL saxophonist Lenny Pickett.

PEOPLE published a photo of Alwyn and Swift walking to Zuma, where SNL hosted its afterparty. Swift wore a black blazer with sparkling black pants — the same outfit she wore while performing “False God.” Alwyn donned a grey sweater, black blazer and jeans.

Swift’s new diamond ring was clearly visible in the paparazzi photos. However, she wore it on her right hand, not her left, so it seems highly unlikely they are engaged or married.

Swift has managed to keep her relationship with Alwyn under wraps, but she has said The Favourite actor is the inspiration for several of the songs on Lover. She even revealed in a diary entry included in the deluxe edition of the album offered by Target, that they began dating in 2016.

The “You Need to Calm Down” singer told Rolling Stone she would rather open up about her relationship in song than on social media or interviews.

“Singing about something helps you to express it in a way that feels more accurate. You cannot, no matter what, put words in a quote and have it move someone the same way as if you heard those words with the perfect sonic representation of that feeling,” Swift told the magazine. “There is that weird conflict in being a confessional songwriter and then also having my life, you know, 10 years ago, be catapulted into this strange pop-culture thing.”

Back in August, fans theorized that one of the lines in “Lover” confirmed the couple are engaged. “My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue. All’s well that ends well to end up with you,” she sings in the song.

Fans believed the references to wedding traditions were a subtle hint of the couple secretly getting engaged. Swift even appeared to “like” a Tumblr post about the speculation.

Lover was released on Aug. 23 and has already been certified platinum by the RIAA, meaning 1 million album equivalent units have been moved in the U.S. in a month.

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