Whoever said that ladies can't be players too? Taylor Swift is a living, breathing example of a female serial dater who has absolutely no apologies about it. In fact, she will write songs about it as artistic inspiration. Whenever critics get in her face about it, she reminds them of the double standard. If Ed Sheeran and John Mayer can date around and write songs about their ladies, why can't she do the same thing with her guys? It seems only fair and some people even think that Taylor Swift is the new face of feminism. Either that, or she just can't make up her mind when it comes to men.
Whatever the case may be for her short-lived relationships, Taylor Swift is always in the headlines for whoever she is currently dating at the time. Her various flavors of the week/month get the lucky lads some public attention as well, so they should be thanking her for free publicity even if the relationship doesn't work out (which it usually never does). Rather than try to cover it up, Taylor uses her dating life to her advantage, unlike some other celebrities. Therefore, her getting into some frivolous fling with a guy is like her MO.
Here are the 16 dudes that Taylor Swift has dated. Oh, and by the way, we ranked them based on the best to questionable.
16 Joe Alwyn: Taylor's Current Beau
Taylor Swift's current boyfriend is a British actor from across the pond, Joe Alwyn. What kind of has us creeped out by this match is that they almost look like they could be related, like brother and sister. It looks like things might start to be getting serious between these two since rumors are flying around that they are moving in together. They have been together more or less a year and a half though when and where they met is still unclear. Refinery 29 reported a few days ago that Taylor's "girl squad" is hating on her relationship with Joe. But why? Well, apparently a few of the insiders in her squad have let it slip that she has been spending more time with her boyfriend than with her slew of celebrity friends. Maybe they're all just jealous.
15 Calvin Harris: The Best BF Taylor Ever Had
Calvin Harris is the arguably one of the world's most successful DJs in the entire world. Not to mention that he is a tall, handsome glass of Scottish water. Ladies around the world were envious of Ms. Taylor Swift when it was announced that their relationship was official. They were together for a little over a year which is pretty long in TSwift years. Calvin Harris has tweeted and gone on record about their relationship after the breakup, so one has to wonder if there was any bitterness on his end. In July 2016, he went off on her one month after their split. He accused her of "making him look bad" after it was revealed that she helped write his hit "This Is What You Came For" sung by Rihanna.
“It was completely the wrong instinct,” Harris, 33, said to Us Weekly. “I was protecting what I see as my one talent in the world being belittled. It felt like things were piling on top of me and that was when I snapped.”
Good news is that he is back on the market.
14 Jake Gyllenhaal: He's Too Cool For School
Jake Gyllenhaal and Taylor Swift briefly dated back in 2010 and several songs on her Red album including "All Too Well" and "We Are Never Getting Back Together" are said to be about him. The biggest thing that they both seem to have in common is that they have commitment issues (or they have issues regarding their significant others committing to them). Jake Gyllenhaal has shut down so many questions about Taylor during interviews who asked about his history with her.
He told Us Weekly: "I’m not necessarily guarded, but I consider intimacy to be very important and I don’t think everybody needs to know about my family or my personal details,” Gyllenhaal said. “I’m old school in that way.”
Either way, the pictures say it all. Though their fling was brief, he is on the top of this list for being one of our favorites.
13 Tom Hiddleston: Quirky Yet Handsome
This girl just keeps stealing that cute British guy that all the girls get charmed by. Taylor Swift quickly rebounded from Calvin Harris to Tom Hiddleston within literally a month of breaking up. He seemed head over heels for her. He was even spotted at one of her summer parties at her east coast home wearing an "I Love T.S." T-shirt. (It was either her or Tony Stark he was referring to). In any case, she broke his heart and probably just got bored with him somewhere down the line. He was even a gentleman after she broke up with him. In an interview with GQ, he said: "'Taylor is an amazing woman, she's generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time." Well, it looks like he won't stay single for long.
12 John Mayer: He Beat Her At Her Own Game
Ok, so here you have got two people who like to write songs about their exes or past conquests. What could possibly go wrong here? I know! They will write songs about each other. At least that is what Taylor Swift did. She even wrote a song that was supposedly directly referring to him called "Dear John." The song spews out lyrics like, "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? The girl in the dress cried the whole way home. I should've known." What likely began as a sweet 2010 summer connection ended on a sour note for these two most likely. At the tender age of 19, she got involved with the older musician who knows a thing or two about women. Again, what could possibly go wrong there?
11 Eddie Redmayne: Award-Winning Talent
So Eddie Redmayne said publicly that he never dated Taylor Swift, and we are inclined to believe him. But just for argument's sake, let's just say that he is bending the truth. Maybe he just fooled around with her a few times but didn't really "date" her in the formal sense of the word. Though he is a married man and a father now, it would make sense because he does fit her type. Again, cute English guy with an accent (or Scottish, or in a similar part of the world). He has gone on record to several publications to make sure people know that they never dated, so perhaps this one didn't end so well either. There is no way to know for sure, but we can only assume.
10 Joe Jonas: He Is Now Engaged To Sophie Turner
Joe Jonas has been in the news lately because he is now engaged to Game of Thrones actress, Sophie Turner. Even though Sophie is so young, getting married and settling down young is what the Jonas brothers do. In any case, he did date Taylor Swift long before he and his future fiancé crossed paths. Rumor has it that he broke up with Taylor over a 27-second phone call. The relationship seemed to be going strong and they were both young, rich and the "it" kids at the moment. Alas, this end of relationship resulted in her songs "Last Kiss" and "Forever and Always" which were pretty scathing. Her song "Holy Ground" is probably the worst because it might have been a pun on his Christian faith. Again, who knows for sure, but we can't ignore the evidence.
9 Taylor Lautner: That Exotic Good Boy Next Door
Teen girls around the world were jealous of Taylor Swift once again because she bagged herself a Twilight boy. No, not Edward Cullen, but one of the show's important side characters, Jacob the werewolf. Taylor Lautner is one of Taylor's most popular choices. People thought that this match was so comically hokey because *surprise* they are both named Taylor. Back in 2009, she wrote a song called "Back to December" that is supposed to be about him. In her lyrics about the Twilight actor, she sings “I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile.” On the track, Swift reminisces about a December night when Lautner “gave [her] roses, and [she] left them there to die.”
8 Harry Styles: Keep The Fellow Musicians Coming
Now we can never really say for sure, it looks like Harry Styles is just the noncommittal type right off the bat. Just look at him, he has that "IDGAF" look on his face and that swagger that he could just simply care less about what is going on around him. Not to mention that he is a youngin, so it looks like Taylor Swift was smart enough to know what she was getting herself into. They were seeing each other from October 2012 to January 2013 so it was one of those "let's give it a shot and see if it works" types of relationships.
Harry Styles lamented to Rolling Stone magazine about the relationship with the pop princess: "When I see photos from that day, I think: Relationships are hard, at any age. And adding in that you don't really understand exactly how it works when you're 18, trying to navigate all that stuff didn't make it easier." We wish we could relate.
7 Zac Efron: This Is Another Fellow Player
Zac Efron and Taylor Swift sort of seem like they would make sense as a casual couple. After all, they are both known to be casual daters, so the chances that they crossed paths isn't exactly a big surprise. Back in 2016, a source told Hollywood Life: “He has been taking it all in stride and while he has met Taylor at several events over the years, they have yet to take their friendship to the romantic level.” They even sang a duet together on the Ellen show back in 2012. It seems as though these two have just either maintained a flirtatious friendship or have gotten a little too friendly with each other a few times. It doesn't look like anything serious ever has or ever will happen between these two.
6 Cory Monteith: His Life Ended In Tragedy
This one is sad and really breaks our heart no matter which way you look at it. Cory Monteith, the Glee star tragically died in 2013 from illegal substances. Taylor Swift and Cory were rumored to be dating briefly back in 2010. They were seen getting cozy at a pre-Grammy party just hanging out back in 2010. Reports indicated that they were seen holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes at a bowling alley in Hollywood. Though the romance was brief, his death was said to have left Taylor's speechless. Monteith was found in his hotel room by staff after he failed to check out on time. He completed a stint in rehab for substance abuse earlier that year. Glee fans around the world were devastated.
5 Conor Kennedy: Bad Boy With A Big Family Name
Conor Kennedy is the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy who is the brother of John F Kennedy. If you don't know who JFK is, then you really need to brush up on your US History. (Hint: he was the president back in the '60s who was assassinated). Taylor Swift and Conor had a fun summer fling in 2012 but it didn't last because of their age difference. Taylor who was 22 at the time was trying to get too serious with the young 18-year-old Conor. Insiders say that she might have been coming on too strong and that she was a little too obsessed with the famous family. It looks like she might have dodged a bullet with this one because Conor Kennedy was arrested last year and pled guilty to a misdemeanor in an Aspen bar fight (but he got no jail time).
4 Lucas Till: Ever Since Hannah Montana
This one goes back to when Taylor Swift was just getting her start as a teen pop star. As it turns out (shocker)...she got involved with the guy who was starring in her music video as her love interest. Enter Lucas Till who appeared in her "You Belong With Me" winning her heart off camera as well as on camera. Unsurprisingly, this case of puppy love was short-lived but had its fun while it lasted. He has also dated Miley Cyrus and kissed and told on both of them. He also starred in Hannah Montana: The Movie as Hannah's love interest. This guy was just living the high school dream life right here. In an interview with MTV, he admitted that he enjoyed kissing Taylor a little more. No wonder these two pop princesses hate each other...just kidding.
3 Drew Hardwick: He Settled Down Into A Normal Life
This one looks like a guy that Taylor Swift dated in high school but he just couldn't keep up his lifestyle with her fame. This will literally happen to anyone from a small town who makes it big. You have to admit though — Drew Hardwick seems like a fine specimen of a rural Southern boy that you could come across. He has that dark-hair, light eye thing going for him that makes girls swoon. What he actually does for a living during the day, we have no idea. It is probably some 9-to-5 blue collar job. That has to be strange having Taylor Swift as your ex in that kind of situation. Apparently, she wrote "Teardrops on My Guitar" after him in true country fashion.
However, in 2015, he was arrested for a terrible family crime that included his daughter. He and his wife, Joni Hardwick, were arrested. Good thing Taylor dodged that bullet.
2 Adam Young: Lead Singer Of Owl City
Here we have Taylor Swift nabbing herself an emo boy who is the lead singer of an emo band. That was the thing to do back in the early to mid-2000's, and that Justin Bieber haircut was going to get you popular with the ladies in a heartbeat. After releasing his megasmash "Fireflies" in 2009, Owl City's Adam Young attracted a lot of attention. And then Taylor Swift got wind of him and you know how that went. She wrote a song, "Enchanted" on her 2010 album. Long after their relationship or fling or whatever you call it at this point ended, he told Us Magazine: "I never heard back from Taylor but I'm sure she's busy." You have to hand it to him for handling the rejection like a gentleman. We are of course assuming that it might have been her choice.
1 Stephen Barker Liles: Surprise! Another Musician
Stephen Barker Liles is the lead singer of a country group called Love and Theft. With this one, Taylor did not hold back on her songwriting. She wrote a song about him called "Hey Stephen". You have to love it when she uses their actual names and doesn't even bother to give them a pseudonym. In fact, she just goes for it in what some would call a ruthless manner. Love her or hate her, this woman knows how to exercise her 1st Amendment right when it comes to free speech. In retrospect, her exes should be thanking her for writing songs about them because it gives them free publicity and keeps them relevant. Perhaps her entire career is just a sneaky little marketing ploy. You decide for yourself.
Source: Us Weekly, MTV, Us Magazine
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