A wave of online speculation surrounding a supposed rift between Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift intensified this week after Sheeran said in a SiriusXM interview with Andy Cohen that he first learned of Swift's engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce through Instagram. The admission fuelled broad claims that the longtime collaborators had fallen out, although both artists have since dismissed the narrative and described their friendship as intact.
Sheeran, who said he never received a direct message from Swift about the engagement, became an unexpected focal point for fan debate over whether their creative partnership and personal bond had fractured. The timing coincided with reports from multiple outlets alleging that Sheeran was frustrated by the release date of Swift's most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl, which arrived two weeks after he announced his own album, Play, four months in advance.
The Daily Mail cited an unnamed source claiming, "Ed takes these things really seriously, and carefully plans his album releases. He announced his album with four months' notice, but then Taylor announced hers for just two weeks after." The source added, "It left his team scrabbling to get as much attention before hers dropped. He was very much put out and understandably peeved."
Swift publicly rejected the idea of a feud, telling Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the explanation for the missed engagement call was simple. "He doesn't have a phone," she said, adding that while it is one of the traits she loves about him, "it can be a hindrance" when she wants to share news. Swift described Sheeran as "one of my absolute favourite people on the planet," recalling her reaction when the engagement became public: "Then, when the news came out I was like, 'Oh my God we forgot to call Ed! Oh no!'"
Sheeran echoed that sentiment in an interview with Access Hollywood, dismissing concerns about their relationship. "I'm not self-conscious about my relationship with her," he said. "We've been friends for very, very many years. We're super close and we see each other when we see each other, and when we see each other, we lock back into where we left off." He also noted that they saw each other just one week after the SiriusXM comments and "had a chance to talk to each other in person."
The Grammy winner reiterated his long-standing choice to remain off mobile devices, saying he still refuses to use a phone and recently stopped using an iPad. "I kind of feel like being in touch with everyone, you sort of lose actual human connection," Sheeran said, adding context to Swift's explanation of why he did not receive a direct engagement update.
Swift, asked whether Sheeran might perform at her wedding, suggested that the challenge would be preventing him from taking the stage. "Oh it would be hard to keep him from it, I think!" she said, adding, "That's the thing, he's like, 'I'm always being asked to sing at weddings.' It's like, 'Ed, if there is a stage, you know you'll be on it.' He knows what people want, and he wants to give people what they want."
