Taylor Swift's Brother and Friends Appear to Unfollow Joe Alwyn as He's Photographed First Time Post-Split
Joe Alwyn still follows his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift on Instagram, and Swift doesn’t follow anyone on the platform. But Swifties noticed last night that some big people in Swift’s life, including her brother, Austin, appear to have suddenly unfollowed Alwyn following news of Swift and Alwyn’s breakup on April 8.
The news came hours before photos were published of Alwyn in his first public sighting since the breakup. Paparazzi captured him out in London yesterday, on the phone and visibly appearing a little tired.
The photo agency described Alwyn as “forlorn”—an arguably exaggerated descriptor. But it is worth noting that Alwyn’s first appearance is far less joyful than Swift’s first sighting. Last Monday, she was photographed, dressed impeccably and smiling while going out to dinner with friends in New York City.
As for the Instagram activity, Swift’s friends like Gigi Hadid and Abigail Anderson Berard do still follow Alwyn. But all three Haim sisters (Este, Alana, and Danielle) no longer follow Alwyn, and neither does Ryan Reynolds. Alwyn is still following Reynolds, Austin Swift, Gigi Hadid, and the Haim sisters’ accounts.
But Reynolds’ unfollow is particularly interesting timing, as a user on Twitter claimed that Swift had dinner with Reynolds and wife Blake Lively last night at Casa Cipriani shortly before fans noticed Reynolds unfollowed Alwyn. Swift was also photographed getting in a car with Reynolds and Lively after getting dinner there.
“Not my boss just casually seeing Blake Livey [sic], Ryan Reynolds and TAYLOR SWIFT in the restaurant. My god I’m beyond jealous,“ the user, named Darrel, tweeted around 8 p.m. last night. “Also my boss said to me, Blake was beyond gorgeous and TAYLOR SWIFT was so cute on how she smiled to them on the way out!!”
Swift and Alwyn’s breakup was reported by multiple outlets to not be dramatic. Swift initiated the split in March, Entertainment Tonight reported on April 11, and wishes her ex well. Her loved ones’ unfollowing just makes it clearer their six-year relationship is done for now.
“Taylor and Joe are in totally different places in their lives right now,” the source told Entertainment Tonight last week. “It was more of Taylor’s decision to break up, but both of them realized that they weren’t completely right for one another. They had been together for such a long time and were spending so much time together, but their personalities were just too different. Joe is more introverted, shy, and quiet.”
“She’s very focused on touring and her career right now,” the source continued. “Taylor has nothing but respect for Joe and really loved and enjoyed all the time and memories she shared with him. They had a deep connection and she really appreciated that. She hopes they can be friendly in the future.”
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.