Taylor Swift is a romance whirlwind in 2023. After splitting from long-time partner Joe Alwyn in April, Swift was soon seen in the company of The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Healy is a controversial figure, who garnered headlines for his involvement in racial abuse directed at rapper Ice Spice. Soon after Healy started dating Swift, it was announced that Swift and Spice would be collaborating on a remix of Swift's track, "Karma".
Many saw the move as a PR cover for both Swift and Healy. Furthermore, almost as soon as the song was out, it was reported that Swift and Healy were no more. Healy was seen kissing a security guard at a recent concert as he returns to his weirdo ways. Meanwhile, Swift spent this week generating headlines after reports that she has been spotted with a potential new paramour.
Lakers Fan Account Sparks Dating Rumor
On June 5, a Lakers fan account called The Refridgerator posted a tweet about Swift and Lakers guard Austin Reaves. "Following her breakup, Taylor Swift was reportedly seen in an Arkansas Bar this weekend with star Laker basketball player Austin Reaves." The account only has 981 followers at the time of writing. However, many of those presumably followed the account after this tweet. While it has since become clear that this was a joke, the tweet was picked up by several larger accounts and multiple news organizations.
However, the post is now simply a sad example of how fact-checking is a dead art form. The weekend in question was June 3 and 4. Swift was performing at Soldier Field in Chicago on both nights. Therefore, it's unlikely, if not impossible, that Swift could have also been having a drink in Arkansas with Reaves. Not only is Arkansas 513 miles from Soldier Field, but it's also a two-hour flight minimum. However, it's clear why it's the tweet went viral. Swift is a popular person to meme about, especially when it comes to relationships. Furthermore, the pair was not immediately evident as a joke. Pete Davidson has been a similar target of this sort of joke. However, this plausibility of Swift and Reaves helped the tweet gain traction. So to conclude and clarify - it is very unlikely that Taylor Swift and Austin Reaves are dating.
[via]