Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez friendship

How Taylor Swift’s friendship circle aka The Swift Squad has evolved over the years

Oh to have Taylor as your bestie


To be in a friendship with Taylor Swift is the equivalent of having made it in this world. Around the time of Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video, her Swift Squad was absolutely everywhere with models and other huge A-listers being part of it.

But after her breakup with Joe and the Matty Healy controversy Taylor’s squad seems to have reassembled with some new faces. The newest addition to Taylor’s friendship circle is Sophie Turner who recently split from Joe Jonas, who Taylor also previously dated. You just know the gossip they are talking about right now is off the charts.

So who is still part of Taylor’s exclusive friendship circle and who has slowly drifted away?

Karlie Kloss

Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift were once absolutely tied at the hip, with Karlie being considered to be Taylor’s best friend. When they met Karlie was an up and coming model, with Taylor and Karlie going on an iconic road trip to Big Sur together. And let us please take a moment to appreciate the sepia filter on that Instagram picture.

Whilst fans speculated they had fallen out Karlie confirmed in a 2019 interview with Time magazine that she was still friends with Taylor saying ““Taylor’s incredible, and I feel really lucky to call her a friend.”

Despite this, Karlie was seen vacationing and spending time with Scooter Braun whilst Taylor’s feud with the music manager was ongoing, leading fans to speculate they had fallen out again. Since then Karlie and Taylor haven’t been spotted together and it’s been theorised that Taylor’s song It’s Time to Go is actually about Karlie, we live for the drama.

Sophie Turner

An apparent new addition to her friendship circle, Taylor and Sophie were seen linking arms in New York last night, following Sophie’s divorce from Taylor’s ex Joe Jonas. The actress and singer had a cute dinner together at Via Carota before staying out until 2am. I bet the amount of tea that was spilt was insane, they were definitely both talking trash about Joe.

Cara Delevigne

Cara Delevigne was another core member of the squad with Taylor and Cara becoming friends after the 2013 Victoria’s Secret Show, which Taylor performed in and Cara modelled in. Cara and Taylor were frequently seen together in New York and Cara played a prominent role in Taylor’s Bad Blood music video.

Fans thought the both of them had fallen out in 2017 when Cara wasn’t name checked on Taylor’s squash shirt in the Look What You Made Me Do music video. But then in 2019 Cara posted on Instagram to congratulate Taylor on the release of her Lover album.

Cara was also featured in the 2020 issue of Variety, with Taylor sending an email to them for the cover story saying “Cara is extreme, eccentric, hilarious, loving and deeply loyal.” Whilst they don’t seem to be as close as they previously were Cara was spotted at the opening night of Taylor’s Eras tour in Arizona.

Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively 

Taylor counts Ryan and his wife Blake Lively amongst her most special friends. They’re believed to have grown close after Taylor hung out with Blake while on tour in Australia in 2015, spending the day off of their respective work commitments to explore Warner Bros. Movie World theme park.

The three of them later bonded even further when Taylor bought a pad in Tribeca, New York, with Ryan and Blake even attending Taylor’s iconic Taymerica Fourth of July party in 2016.

The three are still super close with Ryan and Blake’s daughter James’ voice heard on Taylor’s song Gorgeous, with Taylor thanking the whole family in her 2021 Grammys speech after winning album of the year for Folklore. Blake also directed Taylor’s Red music video alongside the vault track, I Bet You Think About Me.

More recently, Blake and Taylor were photographed hanging out together in New York City with groups of friends. Blake also attended a Philadelphia show on the Eras Tour, and Taylor even gave the actor’s daughters a shoutout during the concert. Imagine being given a shoutout by THE Taylor Swift, I’d honestly pass out.

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift have one of the longest celebrity friendships after meeting when Taylor was dating Joe Jonas and Selena was in an on and off again relationship with his brother Nick.

During a 2009 interview, Selena was asked if she has a specific friend she goes to when it comes to love advice Selena replied “‘Every single problem I ever have is healable by Taylor Swift! If I ever have an issue, Taylor has gone through it, because she’s older than me, and she gives the most thought-out answers, and what I love about Taylor is that she does believe in the whole love story and Prince Charming and soul mates. Because of her, I haven’t lost faith.”

In 2014 Taylor discussed her and Selena’s friendship saying it’s “been the longest one I think either of us had.”

“When your life changes and you become thrust into this really strange whirlwind where what your life is — is different from what other people think your life is. And your life is commented on and your life is written about and fictionalised and all that. Both of us have kind of stuck it out and hung in there through all the different changes we’ve gone through.”

In 2020 Selena released her new HBO Max cooking show with Taylor Swift making a surprise video call appearance and being introduced as Selena’s “best friend.”

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.

More recently Selena and Taylor still frequently hang out and support each other with Selena attending a Texas show of Taylor’s Eras tour, celebrating the Fourth of July together and most recently seen at the VMA’s together.

Gigi Hadid

Gigi Hadid and Taylor were first seen together in 2014 at an Oscar’s afterparty where it’s thought they first struck up their friendship. In June 2015, Taylor brought Gigi out at her ‘Reputation’ concert in London, along with her other showbiz pals Martha Hunt, Kendall Jenner, Serena Williams, Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne. What a lineup.

Whilst Gigi and Taylor keep their friendship more offline, Taylor has been sending Gigi’s baby girl handmade gifts, very cute!

Abigail Anderson

If you’re a diehard Swiftie, you’ll know exactly who Abigail is. Abigail is Taylor’s oldest friend who she met when they were at high school together. She even starred in a number of Taylor’s early music videos and is referenced in the singer’s track Fifteen where she sings: “And Abigail gave everything she had / To a boy who changed his mind / And we both cried.”

In 2017, Taylor was even a bridesmaid at Abigal’s first wedding. Abigail has been there for most of Taylor’s big squad events including Taymerica and her 30th birthday party.

After the surprise release of Folklore in July 2020, Taylor gifted Abigail the cardigan from the album’s merch, and Abigail 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.”

Abigail attended the second Nashville show on the Eras Tour, and Taylor dedicated Fifteen to her friend during the surprise-song set.

For all the latest music and entertainment news and gossip, like Pop Culture Shrine on Facebook.

Related stories recommended by this writer:

Here’s everything we know about Taylor Swift’s rumoured NFL boyfriend Travis Kelce

• A logical guide to all the 2023 Love Islanders as Taylor Swift albums

• Every Taylor Swift single painstakingly ranked from worst to best