So, if you’re trying to pin down a specific date, here’s the best we’ve got: October 2016 is the widely accepted month. The British tabloid The Sun reported that they were “dating quietly” by November 2016, but Taylor’s camp never confirmed anything until 2017. And here’s the funniest part: Joe himself has said in interviews that they “met at a mutual friend’s party in London,” but he refuses to give a date. Why? Because he’s probably contractually obligated to keep the Swiftian timeline a secret. Or he’s just a very private Brit who doesn’t want his mum to read about his dating life in a magazine.
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Joe Alwyn
What we do know for sure: their first public sighting as a “couple” was in May 2017, when they were spotted holding hands in Nashville. But that’s not their anniversary. Taylor has confirmed in the song “Paper Rings” (from the 2019 album Lover) that she was “in love with him since the first kiss” and that she “wanted to marry him” after a few months. That first kiss likely happened in late 2016. So their real anniversary is probably sometime in October or November of that year. You’re welcome—now you can celebrate it with a cup of tea and a good cry.
The Most Exaggerated Theory Ever
Some fans have actually charted the dates of every Taylor-Joe meeting by analyzing the color of her lipstick in paparazzi photos. It’s true. There’s a whole subreddit dedicated to it. They’ve deduced that their relationship started around October 15, 2016, because Taylor wore a burgundy lip that day and Joe was seen buying bagels. I am not making this up. The sheer dedication to this timeline is both terrifying and beautiful. It’s like the world’s most obsessive jigsaw puzzle, and we’re the people fighting over who gets the edge pieces.
But let’s be real: the best answer to “When did Taylor start dating Joe Alwyn?” is whenever she wanted us to know. She’s a master of controlled leaks and lyrical breadcrumbs. She’ll probably write a song about the exact date in 2030, just to make us all look foolish. Until then, just nod and say, “Oh, it was definitely in the fall of 2016,” like you know. Because honestly, does the exact date even matter when you have songs like “New Year’s Day” to cry to? Probably not. But it’s fun to pretend we’re detectives.
