THEN AND NOW: Taylor Swift's star-studded 'squad' of friends

Karlie Kloss was once famously considered to be Swift's best friend.

At the time they met, Kloss was a new model on the scene, and she and Swift solidified their new friendship with a well-documented road trip to Big Sur.

Over the years, the tabloids liked to speculate that the two had a falling out, but in a 2019 interview with Time magazine, Kloss confirmed she is still friends with Swift.

But the model was spotted in photos on social media vacationing and hanging out with Scooter Braun amid Swift's feud with the music manager, which led fans to speculate another rift.

Fans have also recently theorized that Swift's song "It's Time to Go" is about the model.

In addition to modeling, Kloss now stars as the host of Bravo's "Project Runway" and runs the free camp "Kode with Klossy" to help young girls learn how to code.

In March 2021, Kloss welcomed her first child with her husband Joshua Kushner.

The model was spotted in the stands at Swift's Eras Tour in LA. Notably, she was not sitting in the VIP tent where celebrities often watch the singer's concerts.

Cara Delevingne and Swift seemed to link up after the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which Swift performed at and Delevingne modeled in. Soon after, the two were spotted hanging out in New York City.

Delevingne was one of Swift's friends who appeared in the "Bad Blood" music video.

Since meeting Swift, Delevingne has mostly transitioned from modeling to acting, playing Enchantress in "Suicide Squad" (2016) and starring in "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (2017).

Recently, she was on the TV series "Carnival Row" and appeared in Halsey's "Nightmare" music video.

The two friends have not been spotted together in a few years — and, in 2017, fans pointed out that the model wasn't name-checked on Swift's "squad shirt" in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video.

But in 2019, Delevingne made it clear the pair are still friends by posting on Instagram to congratulate Swift on the release of her latest album, "Lover."

Delevingne was featured on the June 2020 issue of Variety, and Swift sent an email to the publication for the cover story, writing, "Cara is extreme, eccentric, hilarious, loving and deeply loyal."

Swift also sent her a promotional cardigan for her "Folklore" album, which she wore with Kaia Gerber for an Instagram Story.

Delevingne supported Swift at the opening night of her Eras Tour in Arizona. The friends were also spotted hanging out before Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley's wedding in August 2023.

Todrick Hall got his start on YouTube doing mash-ups and covers of iconic songs and musicals.

He created an epic Swift-inspired mashup in 2015, and the "Red" singer loved it so much she invited him backstage to her 1989 tour and they became real-life friends.

He also appeared in the "Look What You Made Me Do" music video in 2017.

Hall is widely known for his visual albums and his roles as guest judge and choreographer on "RuPaul's Drag Race."

He also starred on Broadway as Lola in "Kinky Boots" in 2017, and Swift saw him perform.

Plus Hall and Swift are still close collaborators.

He appeared in and was an executive producer of the "You Need to Calm Down" music video, which won for video of the year at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards.

In a June 2020 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hall praised Swift for using her platform to promote activism amid the Black Lives Matter movement.

When Swift announced the drop of her new album "Folklore" (stylized as "folklore"), Hall posted to Instagram to say he would "be listening on repeat. AAAAAHHHHHHHH."

After Swift announced her ninth studio album, "Evermore" (stylized as "evermore"), Hall once again showed his support for his friend with a series of tweets.

In 2021, he posted photos wearing his "Red (Taylor's Version)" merch on Instagram.

Hall was also supportive of Swift's latest albums, like "Midnights" and "1989 (Taylor's Version)," on Instagram.

Swift likely met model Martha Hunt at the 2014 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. After that event, the two were often seen hanging out around Swift's New York apartment.

Hunt is still a Victoria's Secret Angel and continues to be one of Swift's closest friends.

Hunt attended Swift's Pennsylvania Reputation tour stop in July 2018 where she took a trip to Swift's childhood home. Shortly after, she was spotted hanging out in New York with Swift during one of the singer's rare paparazzi snaps of 2018.

In 2019, Hunt shared a touching post for Swift's 30th birthday and helped her celebrate a few days later.

When "Taylor Swift City of Lover Concert" was released online in 2020, Hunt replied to a tweet about it calling it, "just heavenly."

Swift gifted Hunt with a cardigan from her "Folklore" merch, and Hunt posted a few pictures on Instagram of herself wearing it with the caption "peter losing wendy" — a line from "Cardigan."

Hunt celebrated Swift's win at the 2021 Grammys by posting a screenshot of the singer's acceptance speech on her Instagram Story.

Selena Gomez and Swift met way back in 2005 and Gomez told KIIS FM UK that they met because they were both dating Jonas brothers at the time.

"She was the girl with the big curly hair and the bracelets and the cowboy boots, and I was definitely up-and-coming. We just clicked," Gomez said.

Gomez furthered her own music career and even performed "Hands to Myself" with Swift during a May 2018 Reputation tour stop.

While on stage, Gomez gave a tribute to her longtime pal in front of Swift's fans.

"The reason why she's one of my best friends is because this person has never, ever judged me for a decision I've made. She's always met me where I've been," Gomez said onstage during the show. "She encouraged me when I had nothing to be encouraged about. And I don't know if I would be as strong as I am if I didn't have you and your family."

Swift and Gomez are still close friends, and often show encouragement for each other online.

When Swift released "Lover" and Gomez released "Lose You to Love Me" from her album "Rare," both of them promoted the other's songs on their Instagram stories.

In August 2020, Gomez said that she's "always dreamt of doing a song with Taylor."

That same month, she launched her new HBO Max cooking show, and Swift made a surprise video-call appearance on one of the episodes. She introduced Swift to celebrity chef Roy Choi as her "best friend."

Since the release of "Evermore," fans have started to theorize that the song "Dorothea" is about Gomez.

When Swift dropped her rerecording of "Love Story" in the lead up to the release of "Fearless (Taylor's Version)," Gomez posted to her Instagram Story, writing, "So proud of you, as always, Tay ... LISTEN to THIS album"

In November 2021, Swift posted a TikTok of her and Gomez hanging out backstage during "Saturday Night Live."

During a June interview on USA Today's "Entertain This" series, Gomez said "Taylor really loved" season two of her Hulu show, "Only Murder in the Building."

In July 2022, the friends also got together to celebrate Gomez's 30th birthday. And Gomez went to a Texas show of Swift's Eras Tour.

The friends celebrated the Fourth of July together in 2023 a few days before Swift released "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)."

Gomez also attended an LA show of Swift's Eras Tour, and the friends have periodically been spotted hanging out in LA and NYC.

It's unclear when Blake Lively and Swift first met, though they were spotted hanging out at a theme park in Australia together in 2015.

Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds also attended Swift's iconic "Taymerica" Fourth of July party in 2016.

Some of the "Gossip Girl" star's most recent movie roles include "The Rhythm Section" (2020) and "A Simple Favor" (2018).

Lively has also had three daughters with Reynolds since she and Swift became friends.

The two still seem to be close. Lively's daughter James' voice is heard on Swift's 2017 song "Gorgeous," she and Reynolds appeared in photos from Swift's 2019 New Year's Eve party, and at the end of 2019, the couple was part of the crowd that helped Swift celebrate her 30th birthday.

During the 2021 Grammys, Swift thanked Lively, Reynolds, and their three kids in her speech after she won album of the year for "Folklore."

On Halloween 2021, fans think Swift — donned in a squirrel costume she posted on Instagram earlier in the day — joined Lively and Reynolds for trick-or-treating in NYC.

Lively also made her directorial debut in the music video for the "Red (Taylor's Version)" vault track "I Bet You Think About Me."

Lively and Swift have been photographed hanging out together in New York City with groups of friends. The actress also attended a Philadelphia show of the Eras Tour, and Swift even gave Lively's daughters a shoutout during the concert.

More recently, Lively joined Swift in the stands to watch Travis Kelce playing in Super Bowl LVIII.

After Lorde burst onto the scene with her breakout single "Royals," Swift sent her flowers. Eventually, the two singers met up (at Shake Shack) and formed a friendship.

In fact, Swift told PopCrush that Lorde was one of the first people to hear "1989" before it was released because Swift said the young singer gives awesome advice.

Lorde also performed as one of Swift's guest stars during her Washington, DC 1989 tour performance.

In 2017, after a publication mistakenly reported that she and Swift were on the outs, Lorde tweeted: "I want to say one more time that Taylor has been there for me in all my dark and light moments these past five years. All of them."

Since then, however, Swift and Lorde haven't been seen together much.

Lorde, for her part, has had a sensational career and followed up her debut album with 2017's "Melodrama" and 2021's "Solar Power."

The actress/singer appeared in a ton of Swift's Instagram posts in the pre-2015 "squad era," was in the "Bad Blood" video, and even walked onstage during one of the famous "squad" appearances from the 1989 tour.

At the time, Steinfeld was best known for her role in the "Pitch Perfect" series and her 2015 album "HAIZ."

Steinfeld told Seventeen magazine in 2016 that she didn't spend as much time with Swift as people might have assumed, but that she does consider her a friend.

Today, Steinfeld's music career has taken a back seat to her successful acting career with recent credits such as "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2019), "Between Two Ferns: The Movie" (2019), and "Charlie's Angels" (2019).

She also starred on the Apple TV+ series "Dickinson."

The "Lights" singer was a fixture in Swift's "squad" during the 1989 tour, appeared in the "Bad Blood" video, and even reportedly first introduced Swift to musician Calvin Harris.

Swift and Harris dated throughout 2015 and 2016.

It's unclear if Swift and Goulding are still friends, as the two haven't publicly interacted in years.

For her part, Goulding told Billboard in December 2018 that she has been in the studio for the last two years working on a new album and enjoying her engagement to Caspar Jopling.

She and Jopling have since gotten married, and her latest studio album, "Brightest Blue" was released in July 2020.

Swift and model Lily Aldridge appeared to have met at the 2013 Victoria's Secret show. The model also appeared in Swift's star-studded "Bad Blood" music video in 2015.

The longtime Victoria's Secret Angel is still working on modeling campaigns while still raising her two children with her husband Caleb Followill.

In 2018, she posted a throwback photo and called Swift her "bestest buddy" in her Instagram story for Swift's birthday. The two haven't had many public interactions since then.

In 2021, Aldridge posted a video of Swift's Grammy performance to her Instagram Story with the caption, "Love you."

When Swift rereleased "Red (Taylor's Version)," she took to her Instagram Stories to show off her album merch in support of her friend.

Aldridge attended one of the Nashville shows of the Eras Tour.

Camila Cabello told Teen Vogue that she first met Swift the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards where she worked up the courage to say hello to her and tell her how big of a fan she was.

The two hit it off quickly as friends, and, in March of 2015, Swift even threw Cabello an epic 18th-birthday party attended by fellow "squad" members Gomez, Steinfeld, Lorde, and HAIM.

Later that month, they were photographed together at the iHeart Radio Music Awards.

Cabello opened for Swift on her Reputation tour in 2018. In 2019, Cabello and Halsey performed with Swift during her medley at the American Music Awards, the same show where Swift freaked out over Cabello's "Señorita" performance with Shawn Mendes.

Later that year, Cabello attended Swift's Christmas-themed birthday party.

Swift also supported Cabello when she released her album "Romance" by posting about it on her Instagram story.

The singer also posted photos with some gifted "Red (Taylor's Version)" merch.

Cabello attended one of Swift's New Jersey shows on her Eras Tour.

Emma Stone and Swift reportedly met at the Young Hollywood Awards in 2008 and became fast friends. At the time, Stone had already been in the hit comedy "Superbad" (2007) and was quickly on her way to the A-list.

Stone even brought Swift as her date to the 2010 premiere of her movie "Easy A."

Although Stone doesn't have Instagram and actually didn't appear in many of the Swift "squad" photos from the 2015-2016 era, she appears to still be acquainted with the singer and even attended the Reputation tour in New Jersey in July 2018.

In terms of her career, Stone was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar in 2019 for "The Favorite." Her other recent credits include the Netflix mini-series "Manic," "Zombieland: Doubletap," and "Cruella."

The actor was spotted at Swift's Eras Tour in Arizona.

Fans have speculated that Swift's "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" vault track "When Emma Falls in Love" is about Stone.

Abigail Anderson Berard is Swift's hometown friend. The two met in high school, and Swift's song "Fifteen" is even inspired by Berard.

Swift brought Berard as her date to the Grammys in 2015.

In 2017, Swift was a bridesmaid at Berard's first wedding.

Berard has also attended most of Swift's events including "Taymerica" in 2018 and the singer's Christmas-themed 30th birthday party in 2019.

After the surprise release of "Folklore" in July 2020, Swift gifted Berard the cardigan from the album's merch, and Berard posted a picture of herself wearing it on Instagram.

The caption read, "Taylor. Swift. What an absolute wonder you are. Your lyrical ability to move us is seismic. Much like this beautiful gifted cardigan, this album is a dream. I've never been more appreciative of your art. This one did something to me."

Berard attended the second Nashville show on the Eras Tour, and Swift dedicated "Fifteen" to her friend during the surprise-song set. The longtime friend even showed up on the Spotify canvas for "New Romantics" on Swift's "1989 (Taylor's Version)."

Though she had been acting and DJing in Australia for many years, Ruby Rose got her big break in the US when she joined the cast of "Orange Is the New Black" for a nine-episode arch in 2015.

Rose appeared to befriend Swift sometime after the "Bad Blood" video made its debut, and the actress made an appearance during Swift's 1989 tour stop in New Orleans in 2015.

Rose also wrote a long post on her Instagram to congratulate Swift on the tour.

In 2016, Swift presented Rose with an award at the 2016 GLAAD Media Awards.

Rose posted to her Instagram for Swift's birthday in 2017 and 2018, and made an Instagram story for her in 2019.

When Rose was originally cast as Batwoman on The CW's show based on the DC Comics, Swift took to Instagram to support her on her next endeavor.

In May 2020, Rose announced that she was leaving the series after the first season. Javicia Leslie took her place portraying Batwoman.

Jaime King was starring on The CW's "Hart of Dixie" when she met Swift at a 2014 Golden Globes party.

In 2015, King's husband Kyle Newman directed Swift's 2015 music video for "Style."

They became such fast friends that Swift was named godmother to King's son Leo Thames in 2016.

On December 8, 2018, King shared a throwback photo of Swift dancing at that 2014 Golden Globes party where they met.

King seemingly attends fewer of the big events than other members of the squad, but the two have been known to have quiet nights together, just like this post from a few days before Swift's 30th birthday depicts.

Ed Sheeran and Swift performed together at the Z100 Jingle Ball in 2012 after Sheeran was featured on a song from her album "Red" that released that same year.

Swift also had Sheeran open for her Red tour, solidifying his place in the "squad."

After the Red tour, Sheeran's career continued to bloom.

His album "Divide" was the global best-selling album of 2017, and the album's tour broke the record for the highest-grossing tour in music history.

Sheeran collaborated with Swift again on her "Reputation" album, which was released in 2017.

Sheeran is currently on a hiatus from music and social media, but he and Swift still seem to be friendly.

In February 2020, an eyewitness source told E! News that Sheeran and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, were spotted at dinner with Swift and her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. They were reportedly celebrating Alwyn's 29th birthday in a high-end London restaurant.

Sheeran returned on his original "Red" duet, "Everything Has Changed," for "Red (Taylor's Version)," and he also collaborated with her on the vault track "Run."

In a 2021 Instagram post, he shared with fans that "Run" was actually the first song he and Swift wrote together.

When Swift released "Midnights," Sheeran took to his Instagram Stories to tell his fans "So great! @taylorswift loving the whole album, everyone check it out."

The friends have also been spotted hanging out in NYC.

Claire Winter Kislinger, a jewelry designer, has been friends with Swift for years.

Swift reportedly used to hide messages in her album liner notes, and for the song "22" on "Red," Swift hid the names Ashley, Dianna, Claire, and Selena — likely as an ode to her friends Ashley Avignone, Dianna Agron, Claire Kislinger, and Selena Gomez, her original "squad."

While nine months pregnant, Kislinger attended the American Music Awards in October 2018 as Swift's date. Swift gave her a shout-out during one of her speeches and on Instagram.

Kislinger now jokingly refers to Swift as "Aunty Tay," and in 2019, she wished Swift a happy birthday on Instagram.

During the 2021 Grammys, Swift sported jewelry made by Kislinger's mom, Cathy Waterman, and the supportive friend posted a series of photos on her Instagram Story celebrating Swift's performance and win.

In October 2021, Kislinger shared with her Instagram followers that she helped create the ring that Swift is wearing in the "Red (Taylor's Version)" cover photo.

Dianna Agron was starring on "Glee" when she met and befriended Swift sometime in 2011.

Agron was also a member of the supposed "22" liner-notes shout-outs, and Swift even helped throw her pal a circus-themed 26th birthday party.

Agron married Winston Marshall from the band Mumford & Sons in 2016 and has continued to act in independent features.

She also directed a series of shorts — including a video for Tory Burch in 2015 — and spends a lot of time doing charity work with the UN regarding the global refugee crisis.

She and Swift haven't been seen together on or offline in a few years, so it's unclear if they're still friends.

In May 2023, Rolling Stone asked Agron about the reports that she dated Swift in 2012. Her response was, "That is so interesting. I mean, there have been many stories about my dating life that are so wildly untrue. That's funny."

Ashley Avignone is a noted fashion stylist who counts Emma Stone as a client, which might have been how she met Swift.

She is another friend whose name was supposedly mentioned in the secret "Red" notes.

Avignone attended several Reputation tour stops in 2018, including one where she posted a picture with Swift to Instagram and jokingly captioning it "Squa...JK."

She's still working as a stylist and has added campaigns with Diane von Furstenberg and Saks Fifth Avenue to her resume.

In 2018, Avignone hung out with Swift at the singer's childhood home, and the next year she attended Swift's 30th birthday party.

She hyped up Swift on her Instagram Stories after the "Red (Taylor's Version)" release, writing that the song "22" "still hits."

Avignone joined in on Swift's 2023 Fourth of July festivities and she attended a Nashville show of the Eras Tour.

The stylist also accompanied Swift to the Super Bowl to watch the Chiefs beat the 49ers.

Gigi Hadid reportedly met Swift in 2014 at a pre-Oscar bash with mutual pal Karlie Kloss.

A year later, Hadid appeared in Swift's "Bad Blood" music video, and in May 2015, Hadid joined Swift on stage as a special guest for one of her 1989 tour stops.

Hadid has regularly spoken highly of Swift to the press, and the model told Elle Canada that the "squad" was a source of female empowerment.

Forbes put Hadid on the annual "highest-paid supermodel" list in 2018.

She's still close with Swift and called her a "blessing and an inspiration to me and so many" in an Instagram story on Swift's 29th birthday. That same year she attended Swift's New Year's Eve party.

She was also present for Swift's jolly 30th birthday celebration at the end of 2019.

In 2020, Hadid had her first child with her on-again, off-again boyfriend, musician Zayn Malik.

After her baby girl was born, Hadid shared that "auntie" Swift sent her a handmade blanket.

Swift made an appearance at the launch party for Hadid's new cashmere brand, Guest In Residence. Swift then wore a piece from the brand in a TikTok video for her "Midnights Mayhem With Me" series, and Hadid shouted it out in an Instagram Story.

Hadid has been photographed hanging out with Swift and other friends in New York City, and she attended Eras Tour shows in both Nashville and Santa Clara.

HAIM is a band comprised of three sisters: Este Haim, Danielle Haim, and Alana Haim. Swift and HAIM's relationship began online after both of them tweeted about their love for one another's music.

Swift hung out with the band at a Golden Globes party in January of 2015, and later that month they all took a trip to Hawaii together.

Swift then invited the band to open for her 1989 tour later that year.

The band dropped their second studio album "Something to Tell You" in 2017 and embarked on their Sister Sister Sister Tour in 2018.

In July 2018, Este Haim hung out with Swift in her childhood home in Reading, Pennsylvania, and checked out the Reputation tour that night.

The band recently collaborated with Swift on her album "Evermore." They were featured on the track "No Body, No Crime."

"Our dream of singing on a country folk song with the one and only queen of storytelling, miss Taylor Swift is our second Hanukkah present to you," the group wrote in an Instagram post.

In February 2021, Swift posted a photo on Instagram of her and the Haim sisters hanging out in footie pajamas and eating pizza. Then on a Tuesday in May, Swift posted a photo of them hanging out with the caption, "We meet up every Tuesday night for dinner and a glass of wine" — a lyric from "No Body, No Crime."

The band showed their support for "Red (Taylor's Version)" on Instagram Stories in November 2021.

In July 2022, Swift surprised fans by coming on stage with Haim at the band's London concert. They performed a mash-up of Haim's "Gasoline" and Swift's "Love Story" in matching leather pants.

When Swift released a teaser trailer for her "Midnights" music videos, the Haim sisters were credited at the end.

The sister group joined as an opening act for a leg of Swift's Eras Tour, and they were also photographed hanging out with Swift on her days off. They joined Swift and Gomez to celebrate the Fourth of July in 2023.

In 2012, breakout actress and writer Lena Dunham praised Swift's music on Twitter saying she would have written papers about the singer in college had the "Red" album existed then.

Swift responded and said she loved Dunham's HBO show "Girls," and then Dunham supposedly sent her a DM saying she was excited to become friends.

In 2013, the two met in person at the Grammys, and in 2015 Dunham was a part of the "Bad Blood" music video.

Dunham attended Swift's Reputation tour in 2018 and told The Cut in November of that year that even she was surprised that she was still friends with the superstar.

Dunham also showed her support for Swift in 2018 after the singer broke her political silence by publicly endorsing two Democrat candidates in Tennessee.

In 2019, she praised Swift on Instagram for her "ME!" music video and posted a heartfelt message for Swift's 30th birthday later that year.

In September 2021, Swift was one of Dunham's bridesmaids at her wedding to Luis Felber, according to Vogue.

Dunham also supported her friend's "Midnights" album via an Instagram Story.

Part of the post read, "It's an honor and a pleasure to watch you best yourself again and again – which is hard to do when you're the best. Fan, friend, it's all the same. Now back to repeat listens."

Dunham attended the second Philadelphia Eras Tour show on her birthday, and Swift announced during the surprise-song set that the actor requested "Forever and Always."

This story was originally published in January 2019, and most recently updated on February 13, 2024

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