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When Taylor Swift first announced her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department, fans understandably made a connection to the WhatsApp group her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn had with Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal.
But once the track list was revealed, social media vitriol hit new heights, with many so-called fans leaving hurtful comments on Joe's various accounts, believing that songs such as "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" and "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" would be about the British actor.
Upon its release, it emerged that the album and the majority of the more scathing songs were heavily inspired by Taylor's brief rebound fling with Matty Healy, but Joe has now acknowledged that he did see many of the "shameful" comments left.
"I try and dial that volume down. I was obviously made aware of it and think that mistreating anyone, whether it’s in person or behind the anonymity of a keyboard, is shameful," the actor has told The Sunday Times Style magazine.
The 33-year-old has rarely spoken publicly about his romance with the singer, even when they were together, but following the release of TTPD which appeared to unveil details about their time together, and both of their states of mind, Joe has broken his own silence.
“As everyone knows, we together—both of us, mutually—decided to keep the more private details of our relationship private," he said, referencing insinuations Taylor has made in songs and interviews that she felt like she was in prison during their relationship, unable to leave the house and be public.
"It was never something to commodify, and I see no reason to change that now."
Joe also revealed that the news of their split in April 2023, which sources said was "amicable," came "one week" after the decision had been made, and it was "a hard thing to navigate".
"So you have something very real suddenly thrown into a very unreal space: tabloids, social media, press, where it is then dissected, speculated on, pulled out of shape beyond recognition," he shared.
"And the truth is, to that last point, there is always going to be a gap between what is known and what is said. I have made my peace with that."
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