As one of the most influential people in the world today, Taylor Swift rightly attracts friends and fans, even amongst celebrities who inhabit upper echelons of society. And while it makes sense that Swift has surrounded herself with like-minded artists and performers, some of her other friendships are a little less straightforward. This much is true: Beneath the glitz and glamour of celebrity, Swift is like us all in that she seeks genuine connection and companionship. In celebration of that, we look at the unlikeliest friendships that Taylor Swift has maintained over the years.
Having spent much of her almost two-decade-long career in the spotlight, Taylor Swift has garnered much public attention for her many celebrity friendships. Given the tenuous nature of humanity, some of these have fizzled out; however, others, such as her longtime friendships with Selena Gomez and Abigail Anderson have stood the test of time.
Taylor Swift’s longest friendships
Given her celebrity star power and well-earned status as a pop culture icon, it’s unsurprising that Taylor Swift’s circle is composed of many popular names. Over the years, Swift has garnered a reputation for being incredibly generous and kind, from bringing cookies to interviews and opening her homes up to those in need.
Among Swift’s longest-lasting friendships, her relationship with Abigail Anderson has truly stayed the course. The two first met in freshman year of high school when they found themselves seated together in English class and remain friends to this day. Anderson famously inspired one of Swift’s earliest tracks, Fifteen, and has appeared in numerous cameo roles in her music videos. Over the years, Anderson has also attended the Grammy awards with her friend and has been seen cheering Swift on from the stands of the record-breaking Eras tour concerts.
🚨 O SQUAD!
— Mídias TSBR (@midiaTSBR) April 21, 2023
Taylor Swift passeando com Blake Lively, Gigi Hadid e as irmãs Haim. pic.twitter.com/1lt5eKqfad
Beyond the friendship goals of her once-in-a-lifetime relationship with Anderson, Swift has also garnered love and support from many of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Famously, Swift has been close friends with Selena Gomez since they first met in 2008, introduced by their then-boyfriends, Joe and Nick Jonas. While the duo’s romantic relationships with the Jonas brothers have since fizzled out, they have remained friends, and continue to support one another to this day.
Swift is also known to be on very good terms with Blake Lively (and by extension Ryan Reynolds); the friends first met in 2015 at a L’Oréal campaign and have since struck up a close friendship that has truly stood the test of time.
📷| Taylor with Ryan Reynolds and Sophie Turner pic.twitter.com/YguqqK18b2
— The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) October 2, 2023
Other famous names who have made Swift’s list of friends include the HAIM sisters, Lana Del Rey, and Ed Sheeran, which whom she often collaborates. She is also longtime friends with actress Emma Stone, who inspired her Eras tour dance workout routine, and has remained close with Gigi Hadid and Beyoncé, showing the world how powerful women support one another. Additionally, she is frequently seen with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, both of whom have contributed significantly to her musical endeavours as producers and collaborators. Among her current group of friends are Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams, and Ice Spice, all of whom have joined her onstage for the Eras tour.
While these connections are inherently expected of Taylor Swift and others in her league, the It’s Nice To Have A Friend singer has also struck up some of the unlikeliest friendships. With some unexpected appearances at Eras tour concerts across London and Europe, we look at some of the most unlikely friendships of Taylor Swift, how they came to be
The unlikeliest friendships of Taylor Swift
Paul McCartney
Swift has long idolised Sir. Paul McCartney, once Beatle, top artist, and Britain’s very first billionaire musician. The duo first encountered one another backstage in 2010 at McCartney’s Nashville concert, in an occasion Swift remembers as being imperative to her formative years as a musician. “Seeing him sing Blackbird live will always be a moment I won’t forget,” She shared, adding that she had been touched by how kind he had been.
Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney stun on the cover of a special Rollingstone Musicians on Musicians issue. pic.twitter.com/ZyTwMhwgA3
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 13, 2020
The duo later reconnected during the pandemic in 2020 for Rolling Stone’s Musicians on Musicians edition, giving fans a rare peek into their lives as songwriters and performers. The intimate conversation highlighted the artists’ personal inspirations and motivations, putting their mutual respect at the forefront of the conversation, evident in the way they spoke to, and of one another. McCartney also revealed that he had planned on asking Swift to perform with him at the Glastonbury Festival; however, the festival was cancelled in light of the pandemic, and their on-stage collaboration was never brought to fruition.
The British singer later shared that his Egypt Station track Who Cares was inspired by Swift’s relationship with her fans. Speaking to BBC, McCartney said, “I was actually thinking about Taylor Swift and her relationship to her young fans and how it’s sort of a sisterly thing. And I was imagining talking to one of these young fans and saying, ‘Have you ever been bullied? Do you get bullied?’”
The respect clearly goes both ways; in the same interview, McCartney also revealed that Swift had shared news about Evermore with him, effectively inducting him into the select group of people in the know about Folklore’s then-super-secret sister album.
Evermore had initially been slated for release on December 10, 2020; however, after McCartney shared that he had also planned on releasing his own album, McCartney III on the same date, Swift made the decision to move Evermore’s release to December 18. The sparkling show of solidarity continued as the duo went back and forth between December 10 and 18, with Swift eventually settling on the 11th for Evermore and McCartney releasing his album on the 18th. “So, you know, people do keep out of each other’s way. It’s a nice thing to do,” McCartney shared.
Interestingly, Swift is also friends with McCartney’s daughter, fashion designer Stella McCartney, with whom she has collaborated on a fashion collection. Designed to mark the release of Lover, the collection featured pieces covered in fluffy clouds, tie-dye print, rainbows, and stylish script, all evocative of the cheerfully colourful album.
Paul McCartney dancing to Taylor Swift’s ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ at the Eras Tour in London.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 23, 2024
pic.twitter.com/RwH9pclEjF
Most recently, McCartney was seen dancing along to But Daddy I Love Him with fans at the Eras tour. Accompanied by Peter Gabriel of Genesis fame, McCartney attended the Eras tour on the third consecutive London date (June 23 2024), where he was also photographed wearing friendship bracelets, soaking in the full Swiftie experience.
Prince William
When footage emerged last month showing monarch-in-waiting Prince William ‘shaking it off’ at the Eras tour in London, the internet went wild. Despite the rather unexpected twist that brought together American and British royalty, this is not the first time that Swift and William have met.
View this post on Instagram
The duo first met back in 2013 at The Winter Whites Gala, an event dedicated to raising funds for homeless charity Centrepoint. The event, which was held in Kensington Palace, featured a speech by Swift and a performance by the legendary Jon Bon Jovi. Speaking on the event during an Apple Fitness+ audio series Time to Walk, the future monarch revealed intimate details of the evening, which started with him sitting next to Swift at dinner and ended with them both on stage with Bon Jovi, belting out Livin’ on a Prayer.
Reminiscing on the event, William shared, “I’m sat next to Taylor Swift. She’s on my left — and after Jon does his first song, there’s a pause and she turns to me. She puts her hand on my arm, looks me in the eye and says, ‘Come on, William. Let’s go and sing.’ To this day, I still do not know what came over me. But, frankly, if Taylor Swift looks you in the eye, touches your arm and says, ‘Come with me…’ I got up like a puppy and went, ‘Yeah, OK, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you.'”
Brittany Mahomes
With the romcom-coded romance of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce now in full swing, the worlds of American football and that of avid Swifties have come together in a head-on collision course. Since then, nobody has looked back. In the union between America’s Sweethearts, the winners are the fans and friends they have made along the way, with Swift quickly finding her footing amongst the star footballers’ families and wives. Chief among them, pun 100 percent intended: Brittany Mahomes, who is the wife of Kelce’s teammate and best friend Patrick Mahomes.
Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes at the Chiefs-Chargers game.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 22, 2023
pic.twitter.com/FdubIh4EU8
Since then, Brittany has been seen by Swift’s side on several occasions, most notably at Chiefs games. Mahomes has also been photographed joining Swift for dinner in glitzy New York City alongside her other high-profile girlfriends including Gigi Hadid, Sophie Turner, and Selena Gomez. With a fresh NFL season soon to come, it is almost certain we’ll see Swift and Mahomes side by side once in cheering on their gents.
Sophie Turner
Further cementing the fact that she has a heart of gold, Swift has become fast friends with ex-boyfriend Joe Jonas’ ex-wife, Sophie Turner of Game of Thrones and X-Men fame. Turner has long been a fan of Swift’s music, having alluded to it none-too-subtly across multiple TikTok videos. Likewise, Swift appears to harbour no bad blood with Jonas, even singing in her Folklore song Invisible String, ‘Cold was the steel of my axe to grind / For the boys who broke my heart / Now I send their babies presents’ — lyrics which Swifties believe to be about Jonas and Turner’s daughters, Willa and Delphine.
5 years ago today, taylor swift meeting sophie turner at the graham norton show.
— Taylor Throwbacks (@ThrowbackTaylor) May 23, 2024
pic.twitter.com/zrSEo6EPnS
Following the news of the couple’s dramatic divorce, Swift was photographed out in New York City, where she appeared to enjoy dinner and drinks with Turner. Speaking to Elle in May, Turner shared that she had reached out to Swift in the early days of her child custody battle with Jonas. While Turner’s intent had been to merely ask if Swift knew of anybody renting, given that she had no place to stay, Swift responded with her signature generosity, instead offering up her own place at no cost.
“Taylor was an absolute hero to me this year,” Turner said. “I’ve never been more grateful to anyone than I am for her because she took my children and me, and provided us with a home and a safe space. She really has a heart of gold.”
💬 | Sophie Turner on Taylor letting her stay in her apartment
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) May 15, 2024
“Taylor was an absolute hero to me this year I’ve never been more grateful to anyone than I am to her because she took my children and me and provided us with a home and a safe space. She really has a heart of gold.” pic.twitter.com/yXMFZ1FfOZ
Since the traumatic events of her divorce, Turner has moved on, and is currently dating British aristocrat Peregrine Pearson. To this day, she remains friends with Swift, and has been photographed out on girls’ nights with the superstar. She has even accompanied Swift to NFL games and was also recently seen attending the Eras tour in London alongside Travis Kelce and Paul McCartney.
Flavor Flav
While notably absent from many of Swift’s ‘best friends’ lists, rapper Flavor Flav has maintained a supportive and friendly relationship with the Eras tour headliner since they first met at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards. At the event, Flav, who was sporting a shirt that recalled Swift’s Willow with the words ‘I come back stronger than a 90s trend’, shared, “Love me some Taylor Swift, man, always did.” The duo eventually caught up over the course of the night, and captured a selfie together, cementing the start of their short, but sweet friendship.
View this post on Instagram
Since then, Flav has been seen in attendance at Swift’s Eras tour concerts and has even met her parents Scott and Andrea at one of her Los Angeles shows. Speaking on his love of Swift’s music, Flav has said, “One thing that I always loved about Taylor Swift is her records are real, from her personal experiences. Not only that, but she keeps it real with her people.”
View this post on Instagram
The rapper also attended the world premiere of the Eras tour concert movie in Los Angeles, and spent time with Swift’s parents, as well as her brother Austin.
Jessica Capshaw
jessica capshaw talking about her interactions with taylor swift <3 pic.twitter.com/xpoRXj8SzB
— jessica capshaw daily || fan account (@capshawdaily) April 4, 2024
With a cat named Meredith Grey, it comes as no surprise that Taylor Swift is a fan of Shondaland’s beloved medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy. And so, it comes as little surprise that Swift made a beeline for Grey’s Anatomy alum Jessica Capshaw (who portrays Dr. Arizona Robbins in the long-running ABC series) when they first met. Speaking to Drew Barrymore in an episode of the Drew Barrymore Show, Capshaw hilariously details their first meeting, saying, “I was in a crowded room… I see her across the room and I’m sort of fangirling, going, oh, Taylor Swift’s here, it’s so amazing… and she looks at me, and I look at her, and I think, who’s she looking at? She was looking at me.”
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The actress went on to add that she and Swift later reconnected when they ran into one another at a restaurant, where they ended up chatting for an hour and a half. The two ended up exchanging numbers, and Capshaw later sent Swift videos of her children singing along to 1989. Most recently, Capshaw attended the Eras tour in Paris with her daughter, and even snagged a photo with Swift backstage. While certainly an unlikely alliance and friendship, Swift and Capshaw’s unlikely friendship is a reminder that genuine connections can come in all shapes and forms, even between women of differing backgrounds and industries.
Olivia Colman
While Swift has certainly garnered admirers among the real members of the British Royal Family, she has also struck up an unlikely friendship with The Crown’s Olivia Colman, who recently returned to The Bear to reprise her role as Chef Andrea Terry. The unlikely pair are said to have been introduced in 2019, when Colman appeared in Favourite alongside Emma Stone and Joe Alwyn — the former being a close friend of Swift’s, and the latter being a long-time ex-boyfriend.
When Olivia Colman organises the one and only @TaylorSwift13 to come and surprise you in the studio… 😍 @BBCCiN #GotItCovered | BBC One | Tomorrow, 7.30pm pic.twitter.com/M8gEc7bzY3
— BBC One (@BBCOne) October 29, 2019
After the 2019 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), Swift, along with Alwyn, joined Colman at a London hotel, where they celebrated and sang up a storm in karaoke. They were reportedly also joined by comedian and actress Melissa McCarthy. Later that same year, Colman enlisted Swift’s help in setting up a prank for the BBC’s annual Children in Need charity fundraiser. For the prank, Swift surprised British actor Shaun Dooley as he recorded a rendition of her song Never Grow Up. She later shared that Colman ‘texted her boyfriend’ to reach her, seemingly delighting in the opportunity.
Dooley’s cover was featured in the charity album Got It Covered, which also featured tracks from fellow The Crown alum Helena Bonham Carter, Jim Broadbent, Luke Evans, and Dr. Who alums David Tennant and Jodie Whittaker, among others.
(Main and featured images: Pop Base, @lesbeyonsay/X)
This article first appeared here
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Taylor Swift's closest friends are Abigail Anderson, Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Blake Lively, the Haim sisters, Lana Del Rey, Gigi Hadid, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, and many more. She has also maintained close friendships with Sophie Turner, Ice Spice, Sabrina Carpenter, Gracie Abrams, and Emma Stone among others.
Celebrities that Taylor Swift used to be close to but no longer associate with include model Karlie Kloss and Lorde.
Among other musicians, Taylor Swift idolised Sir Paul McCartney and Emmylou Harris.
While tabloids suggest that the two are no longer close, Karlie Kloss maintains that she and Taylor Swift are still on friendly and speaking terms.
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Emmelyn curates and creates content in Kuala Lumpur, where she's spent the past decade building a portfolio comprising copy and video spanning both print and digital platforms. Endlessly fascinated with cookbooks, interior design, aesthetics, and video games, she is also an ardent foodie - a lemon tart, lychee martini, and coffee enthusiast. Her favourite animal is the common wombat. She's written one award winning cookbook.
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