Was Taylor Swift Ever Actually Engaged to Joe Alwyn? People Question Their Memories

The big news that fans have been waiting for is on the wind: Travis Kelce proposed to Taylor Swift, and she said, "Yes." But amid the whirlwind announcement that has the world of pop culture in an uproar, it raises a question about her previous relationship.

There was a time when it seemed like Taylor and her ex Joe Alwyn were in it for the long run. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. Although we did, supposedly, get a heck of an album out of the heartbreak of the breakup. However, news of Taylor's engagement to Travis has prompted fans to question their memories. Was Taylor ever engaged to Joe? Here's what we know about their "under the radar" relationship.

Taylor and Joe spent most of their relationship dodging public attention, in stark contrast to her highly publicized relationship with Travis. The duo started dating sometime in 2016 or 2017, with The Sun first reporting that they were officially together in May 2017. Yet despite "confirmation," the duo continued to avoid directly addressing their relationship in the public eye.

Some time around February 2022, multiple outlets reported that Taylor and Joe were engaged, with Life & Style quoting "multiple sources" in reporting the news.

However, the two never confirmed an engagement in public.

There was no ring that fans ever "officially" saw, and they broke up in April 2023. So were they engaged? Some outlets have reported that they were engaged and that the engagement came much earlier than headlines first suggested. However, it would seem that it's more of an "only Taylor and Joe know for sure" kind of situation.

After they broke up, Taylor gifted the world with the "Tortured Poets Department" album, which definitely seemed to unleash some feelings about living through a toxic relationship. Fans have speculated that the songs were about Joe, although, of course, Taylor has never confirmed.

So if things ended so painfully, at least in theory, how exactly did they break up? Insiders told People that the two were on good terms and simply drifted apart, with different priorities.

One source told the outlet, "Joe has struggled with Taylor's level of fame and the attention from the public. The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together. They've grown apart."

Another source added, "Taylor didn't see them working out in the long run," and they added that the breakup was "not dramatic." They continued, "They are friendly. She doesn't have anything bad to say about Joe. They just grew apart. Taylor is staying very focused on her tour right now."

Of course, "Tortured Poets" tells, or at least suggests, a completely different story. They kept their relationship so strongly out of the public eye that it's unlikely we'll ever have direct answers, but fans have plenty of theories.

We can always cross our fingers for a blunt memoir someday, but for now, fans can at least rejoice that she found her Prince Charming with Travis.