- Exes Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner reunited in Swift's music video for "I Can See You."
- Swift praised Lautner and his wife at a recent concert, saying they have become "close friends."
- Here's a complete timeline of how the former couple reunited.
For anyone looking for pointers on how to stay friends with an ex, just ask Taylor Swift.
Swift reunited with Taylor Lautner in her latest music video, "I Can See You (Taylor's Version)," which premiered on July 7. Speaking at her concert ahead of the video's release, she called Lautner and his wife — also named Taylor Lautner — some of her "closest friends," NBC News reported at the time.
This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in.Swift also praised Lautner's wife, writing in an Instagram post that she was "awesome to hang with on set" while they filmed the music video earlier this year.
Swift and Lautner dated briefly in the fall of 2009 when they were 19 and 17 respectively. Lautner served as the inspiration for Swift's 2010 song, "Back to December."
Lautner's wife was a fan of Swift's and met her in 2010, eight years before she was introduced to Launter, she wrote in an Instagram post on June 8.
Here's a complete timeline of how the reunion came together more than a decade after Lautner and Swift's public breakup.
Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift made their first major public appearance together at the MTV VMAs in September 2009.
Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner struck up a friendship in 2009 after they played high school sweethearts in the romantic comedy film "Valentine's Day" when they were 19 and 17 respectively, The Daily Mail reported at the time.
Their first public appearance after filming was at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2009, when Lautner and Shakira presented Swift with the best female video award for her single, "You Belong With Me."
Swift's acceptance speech was interrupted when Kanye West jumped on stage and declared that "Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time" — a moment that made headlines across the world.
In February 2023, Lautner reflected on the moment in an episode of "The Squeeze," a mental health podcast that he co-hosts with his wife, also named Taylor Lautner.
He said he didn't understand why West was on stage at the time and had presumed it was a "practiced and rehearsed skit" and only realized the truth when it was over and he saw Swift's facial expression.
Rumors that Swift and Lautner were dating surfaced in October 2009.
In October 2009, Swift and Lautner were photographed sightseeing in Los Angeles and attending a hockey game together, The Daily Mail reported on October 27.
Swift poked fun at dating rumors during the "Monologue Song" she performed on SNL a couple of days later on November 7, 2009.
She sang: "And if you're wondering if I might be dating the werewolf from 'Twilight'..."
She paused briefly, miming "Hi Taylor," before winking and blowing a kiss to the camera.
"I'm not gonna comment on that in my monologue," she sang.
They broke up in December 2009, leading Swift to pen the song "Back to December" in Lautner's honor.
Multiple outlets, including Us Weekly, reported in December 2009 that the couple's romance had come to an end.
Swift appeared to confirm that she was the one who ended the relationship in her song "Back to December," which appeared on her 2010 entirely self-written album, "Speak Now."
The song references Swift's regret over leaving a relationship and also alluded to Lautner comforting her at the VMAs.
"I miss your tan skin, your sweet smile / So good to me, so right / And how you held me in your arms that September night / The first time you ever saw me cry," Swift sings.
Lautner confirmed that the song was about him in a Facebook Live video with his "Scream Queens" co-stars in 2016, Billboard reported at the time.
Lautner's wife, then known as Taylor Dome, met Swift in 2010.
View this post on InstagramLautner's wife, Taylor Dome, changed her name to Taylor Lautner after the duo married in 2022. She goes by "Tay" on her social media handles and on her podcast, most likely to avoid getting confused for her husband.
Tay is a registered nurse and founder of "Lemons By Tay," a mental health and wellbeing blog, as well as The Lemons Foundation, a nonprofit organization to support and provide resources for those struggling with mental health.
Tay actually met Swift several years before she met her husband.
In a post shared to Instagram on June 8, Tay shared an image of herself, Lautner, and Swift on set of the music video for "I Can See You," which Lautner starred in alongside Joey King, and another photo of herself meeting Swift as a child in 2010.
Lautner's wife was also a "Twilight" fan during this time period.
The first "Twilight" movie was released in 2008 when Lautner was 16 and his future wife was around 11 years old.
Tay has said during several media appearances that she was a fan of Twilight" while growing up. But to the amusement of Lautner's fans, she said she was "Team Edward."
Taking part in the "show your childhood crush and then the person you ended up with" trend, Tay shared photos of Robert Pattinson next to Lautner in an Instagram post in June 2022.
View this post on Instagram"I was Team Edward," Tay said during an interview on "The Unplanned Podcast" on July 5, 2023.
"I would say I was too young for the abs," she added, referencing Lautner's shirtless scenes in the franchise.
The couple began dating in 2018 after being set up by Lautner's sister.
Tay and Lautner started dating in 2018 after being introduced by his sister, Makena.
Speaking to People in July 2023, Lautner said his sister called him to let him know she had found his "future wife."
Lautner added that he ended up inviting Makena and Tay to a games night at his home and they "hit it off."
They got married in November 2022, becoming Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Lautner.
View this post on InstagramLautner and Tay got engaged on November 11, 2021, and married on the same date the following year, Vogue reported at the time.
The wedding took place at Epoch Estate Winery outside of Paso Robles in California, the publication added.
In May 2023, Lautner joked that he was "praying" for John Mayer ahead of the release of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)."
"Speak Now" is the latest album that Swift has re-recorded from her catalog in a bid to own the masters of all of her music.
"Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" was released on July 7, 2023, and featured songs "Back to December" about Lautner as well as "Dear John," a scathing breakup song said to be about John Mayer.
Swift and Mayer first met in 2009 when they collaborated on his single, "Half of My Heart," according to People. Swift was 19 at the time while Mayer was 32.
In the lyrics of "Dear John," Swift implies that she was manipulated by her love interest, who she described as older in age: "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? The girl in the dress cried the whole way home."
"I think it's a great album. Yeah, I feel safe," Lautner said in an interview with Today.com on May 16 ahead of the album's release.
"Praying for John," he added jokingly.
On May 17, Lautner's wife posted a comedic TikTok video of him "praying" while wearing a bathrobe while "Dear John" played in the background. The video has 5 million likes at the time of writing in July.
Swift and Lautner reunited for the "I Can See You" music video, which premiered on July 7.
The music video for "I Can See You," premiered on July 7 and was filmed in April in Liverpool, England, the Liverpool Echo reported.
Lautner, Joey King, and Presley Cash portray spies who were given the task of rescuing Swift, who is trapped in a vault. Speaking ahead of the video's premier at The Eras Tour in Missouri, Swift said the video represented her journey to reclaim her music as she re-records her old albums, Entertainment Weekly reports.
In an Instagram post announcing the video's release, Swift shared a behind-the-scenes photo with Lautner and his wife as they recreated the iconic "Spider-Man" pointing meme.
The photo can be found by swiping to the fourth image in the post below:
View this post on Instagram"Taytay is INCREDIBLE in this (didn't have a stunt double!) and shout out to @taylautner for being so awesome to hang with on set. The Tale of 3 Taylors," Swift wrote in part of the post's caption.
Swift referred to the Lautners as some of her "close friends" on stage at The Eras Tour.
Swift invited the cast of the "I Can See You" video, including Lautner, on stage after premiering the video at The Eras Tour in Missouri on July 7.
"He and his wife have become some of my close friends," Swift said of Lautner before introducing him to the stage, NBC News reported.
"And it's really convenient because we all have the same first name," she joked.
Fans online speculated that Lautner's stage flip was intended as a reference to their film "Valentine's Day."
—ella 🪩 (@gotawaycar) July 8, 2023Lautner performed a flip as he made his way to join Swift on stage.
On July 8, one Twitter user posted a video of Lautner performing a flip in the movie "Valentine's Day," alongside him doing a flip at The Eras Tour.
"Taylor Lautner doing a flip for Taylor Swift in 2010 and 2023 it's so unserious actually," the person captioned the post.
The post has 1.3 million views and 49,600 likes at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, Lautner's wife revealed she's still a Swiftie and said she was "honored" to call her a friend.
@taysqueezeslemons Aunt & Uncle Taylor at your service👫 🫡 @Taylor Lautner #erastour ♬ bejeweled transition - theo (taylor’s version)Tay was in the audience of The Eras Tour when her husband appeared on stage. She posted a video on TikTok of herself and Lautner getting ready for the show to Swift's song "Bejeweled."
"You welcomed my husband and I into your camp with open arms and the warmest heart," Tay wrote of Swift in an Instagram post after the show.
"The way you are so down to earth and authentically yourself after all these years of being in the spotlight is inspiring. Your passion for your work and genuine love for your fans is something so incredible. I am honored to call you a friend," she added.
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