Taylor Swift‘s music served as the unofficial soundtrack to the 2026 Golden Globes — and fans couldn’t help but wonder what a few key players in the audience were thinking.
Swift’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn attended the awards show on Sunday, January 11, along with costars from his movie Hamnet, which ultimately took home the win for Best Motion Picture – Drama. (Actress Jessie Buckley also won an individual award for her performance in the film.)
While it’s been two years since Swift, 36, and Alwyn, 34, their relationship lore still lives rent-free in fans’ heads — especially as Swift’s song “The Fate of Ophelia” played throughout the room.
“Joe Alwyn having to hear The Fate of Ophelia 💀,” one social media user tweeted, while another joked that Alwyn “deserved hazard pay for that Golden Globes moment.”
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A third viewer teased the actor might have been “scared for a sec” that Swift “would appear on stage.”
Earlier in the night, host (and proud Swiftie) Nikki Glaser made her big entrance to “Style” before delivering her monologue. “Shake It Off” was also heard at another point during the ceremony.
“Nikki is terrorizing him with these songs 💀,” an X post read, referring to Swift’s ex.
Alwyn and Swift dated for more than six years before their split made headlines in 2023. She moved on with her now-fiancé, Travis Kelce, later that year.
The actor wasn’t the only audience member on Sunday whose history with Swift is somewhat rocky. Charli XCX took the stage with Joe Keery to present the awards for Best Original Song and Best Original Score.
“Joe alwyn and charli xcx being forced to listen to the entirety of 1989 at the golden globes,” an X user joked.
A separate viewer gave a more blunt take, teasing, “Should’ve played so long london and actually romantic as well.”
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Swift shed light on her split from Alwyn on the emotional breakup song “So Long, London,” featured on her 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. When she released The Life of a Showgirl one year later, fans were quick to suspect that Charli, 33, was the subject of the song “Actually Romantic.”
Years after opening for Swift on her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018, Charli’s friendship with the pop superstar appeared to sour when Swift dated Matty Healy in 2023. Charli — who is married to Healy’s best friend and bandmate George Daniel — seemingly referenced their complex history on her song “Sympathy Is a Knife” from 2024’s Brat.
“Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick,” the lyrics read.
On her own diss track, Swift jokes that Charli writing a song about her is “actually romantic,” teasing, “No man has ever loved me like you do.”
Swift gave more insight into the song’s inspiration on a track-by-track version of The Life of a Showgirl, explaining, “‘Actually Romantic’ is a song about realizing that someone else has kind of had a one-sided, adversarial relationship with you that you didn’t know about … How flattering that somebody has made you such a big part of their reality when you didn’t even think about this?”
