Why Did Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn Break Up?

According to People, the insider appeared to hint that the breakup was somewhat of a surprise, explaining that Swift and Alwyn had "rough patches before and always worked things out, so friends thought they would take some time apart but eventually come back together." Except they said the two "ultimately" ended up not being "the right fit for one another," even though many Swifties believed that they were destined to go the distance after they were first linked in May 2017.

"They had plenty in common and fell in love in a safe bubble while she was retreating from the world during 'Reputation,'" the source said. They went on to add that they were "able to continue growing their relationship in this insulated way" while they were "locked down together" during the pandemic, during which Alwyn helped Swift write ten different songs, which were featured on evermore, the Grammy-winning folklore, as well as her latest release, Midnights.

"But he didn't really 'know' her yet outside of that bubble," the insider continued, before noting that Alwyn wanted to keep their relationship as private as possible.

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

The split comes after a year of near-constant engagement rumors, with multiple sources confirming that they'd been "talking about marriage as recently as a few months ago." That said, People's chief source said that Swift eventually realized she couldn't see them "working out in the long run." Even so, they went on to note the breakup was "not dramatic," prior to saying that the two remain "friendly" and Swift "doesn't have anything bad to say about Joe."

"They just grew apart," the source said, before adding that "there is a lot of respect still between them."

In the meantime though, Swift is apparently "staying very focused on her [Eras] tour," where the notorious Easter egg-lover previously sparked breakup speculation after supposedly switching out her love song, “Invisible String,” for her song about searching for "The 1," according to another report from People.

Granted, Swift and Alwyn have yet to comment on their split. In the meantime though, you can read what the source had to say about their breakup here.

Photos via Getty / Amy Sussman & Dominik Bindl