Why Did Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner Break Up?

The singer and actor dated for several months before they parted ways at the end of 2009. Find out more about their split here.

Taylor Swift, 33, and Taylor Lautner, 31, were once one of Hollywood’s hottest young couples. The singer and actor dated for several months before calling it quits in December 2009. They met on the set of the 2010 romantic comedy, Valentine’s Day, in which they played on-screen love interests, and seemed to instantly hit it off.

After keeping their romance fairly private, “Taylor Squared,” as they became known, went their separate ways, but a friendship would evolve years later. From seemingly writing songs about the Twilight star, to inviting him on stage during her Eras Tour, the talented songwriter proved they’re on good terms. Find out more about what went wrong with the former lovebirds’ love story and how they’ve taken on new roles in each other’s lives below.

Why Did Taylor & Taylor Break Up?

Although they kept their relationship as private as possible, Swift and Lautner made headlines when they broke things off in December 2009. They never directly spoke out about the romance or the reason for the split, but fans began to speculate what could have gone wrong. The same month as the reported breakup, Lautner hosted Saturday Night Live and joked about not defending Swift when Kanye West stole her award-winning moment at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier that year. “What I really wanted to do was this,” he said before fighting a cardboard cut-out of the rapper.

No other comments about the “Taylor Squared” love story were made until the following year, when more information seemed to come out. The status between the two exes also seemed to be confirmed.

Taylor Seemingly Writes ‘Back to December’ About Her Fellow Taylor

In her 2010 album, Speak Now, Swift included a song called “Back to December,” which many fans believe is about Lautner and what went wrong with their relationship. According to the tune’s lyrics, Swift is the one who pulled away from Lautner and eventually ended things.

Taylor Gets Married to a Swiftie

In 2022, Lautner married Taylor Dome, who is a big fan of Swift and her music. She often shares videos of herself gushing over the hitmaker and has even had her husband join in.

The Exes Reunite in a Music Video

Lautner appeared in Swift’s music video for “I Can See You,” one of the vault tracks on her re-release of Speak Now. Like the album, the video was released in the summer of 2023 and also features Joey King and Presley Cash, both of whom appeared in the music video for Swift’s song “Mean” in 2010. Lautner showed off his physical skills and put on a display of confidence throughout.

When she released the video, Swift took to Instagram to share her idea behind the story featured with the characters and gushed over all three guest stars’ appearances. “I wrote this video treatment over a year ago and really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music,” she wrote in the Instagram post.

“I had my heart set on @joeyking, @taylorlautner and @helloimpresleycash starring in it. Joey and Presley had been in the video for ‘Mean’ when they were 9 and 13 and they are back and so ridiculously bad ass!! Taytay is INCREDIBLE in this (didn’t have a stunt double!) and shout out to [his wife, Taylor] for being so awesome to hang with on set. The Tale of 3 Taylors 😆,” she added.

Both Taylors Appear on Stage During the ‘Eras Tour’

While promoting Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and the “I Can See You” music video, Swift brought out Lautner, Joey, and Presley on stage during her Eras Tour show in Kansas City, MO on July 7, 2023. When the tan-skinned hunk walked out, he decided to do a flip in front of the cheering sold out crowd before hugging Swift. He went on to praise her and expressed gratitude for being a special part of the video and the show that night.

After admitting he respects her “so much,” Lautner added, “Not just for the singer you are, the songwriter, the performer, but truly for the human you are. You are gracious, humble, kind and I’m honored to know you.”

Swift also praised her ex-boyfriend-turned-friend. “He was a very positive force in my life when I was making the Speak Now album and I want to say he did every single stunt that you saw in that music video,” she said on stage. “He and his wife have become some of my closest friends and it’s very convenient because we all share the same first name.”

Lautner Reacts to Being Called Swift’s Best Ex-Boyfriend

When asked about being dubbed the “best” ex by many fans, Lautner told PEOPLE it sounds like a “compliment” that he’ll take. “[That] sounds like a nice compliment to me,” he said. “I will take it.” He also went on to talk about his “Swiftie” wife.

“She let me know that I’m the only ex without a diss track now,” he added. “So that sounds like a nice thing. I’ll take it and run. No complaints here.”

“In my mind they’re not even exes,” Lautner’s supportive spouse also said before commenting that Swift is “our friend.”