Did Taylor Swift subtly address her breakups with Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy? Pop superstar reflects on finding purpose on tour

Taylor Swift has often used her music to reflect personal experiences, but on a recent installment of her Disney+ Taylor Swift: The End of an Era docuseries, she reveals how personal adversity impacted the professional side of her Eras Tour. Without mentioning any names, Swift said the early part of her tour was in tandem with two break-ups.

Though she doesn't offer any specifics, the timing is such that it's generally inferred to coincide with her previously rumored breakups with actor Joe Alwyn and musician Matty Healy.

On December 19, 2025, during the fourth episode of her docuseries, Taylor Swift characterized that time in her life as one filled with intense emotional uncertainty.

“My personal life was hard,” Swift stated. “I went through two breakups on the first half of this tour. And that’s a lot of breakups, actually.”

“I went through 2 breakups on the first half of the tour and that a lot of breakups […] men will let you down, The Eras Tour never will” pic.twitter.com/01SgND1MLc

— Taylor Swift Edits (@TSwiftEdits_13) December 19, 2025

Swift had a six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn; however, they broke up on April 23, 2023, after taking great measures to maintain a private relationship.

The pair had co-written songs and worked on musical projects together; in fact, Joe Alwyn won a Grammy as the co-producer of her album Folklore.

Soon after their breakup, Swift entered into a short-lived, high-profile relationship with Matty Healy. Instead of retracting from her experiences during this time, Swift recalls that her tour lent her structure and purpose to her life when she did not have either of those things.

“The show is what gave me purpose and was what I could use to get me out of bed,” she said. “So the tour has never been the hard thing in my life. The tour has been the thing that allowed me to find purpose outside of the sh*t that was going wrong in my life.”

Taylor Swift reflects on her relationship with Travis Kelce and the creation of The Tortured Poets Department

Furthermore, the episode discusses the relationship between the ups and downs of her life at this time, and how those experiences ultimately contributed to creating The Tortured Poets Department, which was created in response to the overwhelming feelings of not being able to be herself due to her fame and heartbreak.

She does not position this album as a breakup album but instead sees it as a means of understanding and dealing with loss, insecurity, and the weight of being seen as a symbol of something, as opposed to simply being an individual.

“I think ultimately it’s the way he treats me.. it’s very clear and I think that’s one of the reasons why the fans are in love with him… cause you should be ya know? He’s very lovable.”

– Taylor Swift on Travis Kelce. pic.twitter.com/CP6OZZgm31

— Taylor Swift Updates (@TSUpdating) December 19, 2025

Swift says that her relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce, which came together naturally during a time of chaos for her, is what she is most proud of.

When Andrea, Swift's mom, learned that Kelce attended one of Taylor's concerts and tried to give her a friendship bracelet that night, she privately set the two of them up.

In Swift's words, what caught her attention about Travis Kelce was not the fact that he was a celebrity, but his sincerity, kindness, and their shared understanding of what it was like being in the limelight.

Now, Swift feels like with Kelce, her love and ambition are not in conflict anymore.

Through looking back, Swift offers a glimpse into her emotional pain that resulted from her breakups, but at the same time shows how creativity, family, and live performance have allowed Swift to find her centre during one of the most difficult times of her career.