Taylor Swift’s observant fans spotted a slight alteration in a behind-the-scenes clip from her “Bejeweled” music video. The 2022 footage initially included what seemed to be a photo of the pop star with her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn as her phone’s wallpaper. However, the image appeared to be blurred out after it went viral online.
On December 13, which marks Taylor’s 35th birthday, several behind-the-scenes clips from her recent music videos were uploaded to her official YouTube channel. In one specific clip of the “Bejeweled” video, which Taylor, turning 35, directed, she was seen holding her phone with the screen visible. The wallpaper seemed to feature a picture of Taylor with then-boyfriend Joe, 33, prompting fans to circulate the image on social media.
A few days later, the video was modified to blur the phone’s background. This change sparked a flood of social media discussions, with fans criticizing others for drawing attention to the original image, which was included so subtly and inadvertently in the behind-the-scenes footage. “I totally understand why Taylor rarely shares personal details on social media anymore. It’s embarrassing that her lockscreen in the Bejeweled BTS video had to be blurred out because her own fans couldn’t act normal,” one person commented on X.
Another added, “It’s sad for Taylor that they had to blur her personal lockscreen in that video because people weren’t respectful or normal about it. She was with that man for nearly a decade, and him being her lockscreen at the time shouldn’t be shocking or noted.” Someone else remarked, “Returning to Taylor having to blur out *that* photo from the Bejeweled BTS video… because some folks can’t behave normally!!! She was with him for almost ten years—her boyfriend at that time being her lockscreen shouldn’t startle anyone or need to be highlighted.”
Taylor and Joe began their relationship in 2016 and were still together when she released “Bejeweled” in October 2022.
Speculation suggests that their relationship troubles began much earlier, as Taylor Swift wrote the heart-wrenching song “You’re Losing Me” back in December 2021. Her collaborator, Jack Antonoff, acknowledged the recording date in November 2023.
The song includes poignant lines such as, “Do I throw out everything we built or keep it?” and, “I wouldn’t marry me either, a pathological people pleaser,” along with, “I gave you all my best mes, my endless empathies, and all I did was bleed.”
Although the “Cruel Summer” singer does not explicitly identify the subjects of her songs, the lyrics align with themes she addressed on her most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, which debuted over a year following her 2023 breakup with Joe. Tracks like “Fresh Out the Slammer,” “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” and “Guilty as Sin?” depict feelings of entrapment and undervaluation in her previous relationship.
Following her separation from Joe, Taylor briefly dated Matty Healy before embarking on a relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce during the summer of 2023. She and the 35-year-old athlete have maintained a strong relationship since.