Taylor Swift and Matty Healy Reportedly Split Amid Controversy Surrounding Relationship

Michael Hein

06/07/2023 11:29 am EDT

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy have reportedly broken up, and fans have mixed feelings about the whole ordeal. Swift and Healy have been friends for years but were romantically linked last month around the time Swift's Eras Tour kicked off. After a whole host of controversies sprang up around their relationship, reports of a breakup surfaced over the weekend, spinning social media in a fresh commentary spiral.

Swift broke up with her long-time boyfriend Joe Alwyn earlier this year and began spending more time with Healy, the lead singer of The 1975 and a frequent musical collaborator. Healy attended some of the first concerts in Swift's Eras Tour and even performed on stage with Phoebe Bridgers while she opened for Swift on May 13. The two never confirmed that they were dating for sure, but on Sunday, a source close to them told Us Weekly that they had broken up. They said: "Taylor and Matt are no longer romantically involved. They had fun together, but it was never serious."

Swift's fans are notoriously judgmental of anyone the singer dates, and in this case there was a lot to scrutinize in Healy's past. The singer has a long history of controversial statements on stage, in the press and on podcasts. He also went viral last year for some of his antics during shows with his band, including kissing fans and eating raw meat.

However, the real problems seemed to come from some of Healy's past remarks on podcasts that were racist and otherwise offensive. Notably, he joked with podcast host Adam Friedland about rapper Ice Spice, making lewd comments about her and crass jokes about her race and ethnicity. Not long after, Swift released the surprise single "Karma" featuring Ice Spice, which many fans perceived as a kind of unspoken publicity stunt to save face for herself due to her association with Healy.

There are a lot of other strings tying Swift and Healy over the last few years and fans are looking at this alleged romance and breakup from every angle. Here's a glimpse at how the internet at large has reacted to Swift and Healy's reported breakup.

Relief

Many die-hard fans of Swift were simply relieved at the reports of her breakup with Healy. The longer she continued to date him in spite of the controversies, the harder it would have been for them to defend her.

Uncertain

Many fans also questioned the news of Swift's breakup, and some still questioned whether the relationship was real at all.

The Onion

The Onion had a hit story with parodies of fans weighing in on the breakup, and many Swift fans actually seemed to enjoy it.

Swift's Accountability

There was a lot of argument about the extent to which Swift should be held accountable for Healy's past racist and sexist statements, with some fans feeling that she had already shown herself to be too forgiving of such behavior by being friends with Healy for this long.

New Music

Fans of both Swift and Healy said that they were excited to hear new music after this breakup. They hoped the singers would work on some new heartbreak songs.

Skeptical

Some reports downplayed Swift and Healy's entire relationship, and many fans were onboard with that narrative. They cast doubt on the two ever truly dating at all.

Publicity

Finally, some fans joked that this was a simple publicity issue, and that there was no way for Swift to salvage her relationship and her reputation at the same time.

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