Vanity Fair Introduces Joe Alwyn

Article by Kase Wickman

You might recognize the man on the screen being referenced – previously on his way home to a certain someone, though not Taylor Swift, this time around.

Noted for his association as Taylor Swift's long-time boyfriend, Joe Alwyn was seen publicly for the first time at the British GQ Men of the Year Awards at the Royal Opera House in London. This marked his first appearance since Swift made her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs' player Travis Kelce known to the public. Notably at a concert last weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina where Kelce was present, Swift made a significant swap in her “Karma” song lyrics, changing from “the guy on the screen” referring to Alwyn, to "the guy on the Chiefs," meaning Travis, who she said was coming straight home to her.

Alwyn and Swift had a romantic history linking them from 2016 to 2022. Alwyn was spotted on the event’s red carpet wearing a black double-breasted leather jacket, a white dress shirt and skinny black tie with matching dark trousers. He kept a low profile and did not participate in interviews, a move that aligns with his reputation for being low-key. His policy of keeping his private life private was first made known when he spoke about Swift in a 2018 British Vogue interview, saying, “I’m aware people want to know about that side of things... but I really prefer to talk about work.”

Since their split, Alwyn has been seen publicly only once before, at a dinner at the Cannes Film Festival where he maintained his usual silence with the press. At that time, there were rumors of Swift being in a relationship with Matty Healy, The 1975 lead vocalist.

Besides sharing a romantic history with Swift, Alwyn also has a professional bond with her. Under the pseudonym William Bowery, he co-wrote several songs with Swift on her albums Folklore and Evermore. These collaborations won him a Grammy when Folklore got Album of the Year. Swift herself is a 12-times Grammy recipient and is the only solo female artist to have won Album of the Year thrice.