Taylor Swift seen with ‘girl squad’ Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively and Haim after Joe Alwyn split

‘We love women supporting women,’ says one fan

Fans have praised the return of Taylor Swift’s “girl squad” after she was spotted in New York City with Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively, and the Haim sisters just weeks after her breakup with actor Joe Alwyn.

On Thursday 20 April, the 33-year-old singer stepped out for a girls’ night in New York City with longtime friends Gigi Hadid, Blake Lively, and Alana, Danielle and Este Haim. The ladies were seen walking on the street as they headed to the private club Zero Bond in downtown Manhattan, according to Page Six.

The “Anti-Hero” singer rocked an all-black ensemble in a spaghetti strap mini-dress, patent leather loafers, dark sunglasses, and her signature red lip. Supermodel Gigi Hadid was dressed in denim head-to-toe, as Lively walked behind her in a tweed vest and baggy jeans. Meanwhile, the Haim sisters coordinated in black knee-high boots and short black dresses.

The outing comes just one day after Swift was seen grabbing dinner with Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively at the popular New York City restaurant Casa Cipriani. It was there that the Deadpool actor reportedly unfollowed Swift’s ex Joe Alwyn on Instagram, after fans noticed he no longer was following the Conversations with Friends star. This week, eagle-eyed fans also pointed out that all three of the Haim sisters and Swift’s brother, Austin Swift, appeared to unfollow Alwyn on Instagram following the split.

As photos of Swift’s girls’ night circulated on social media, many fans expressed their excitement that the famously private singer appeared to be leaning on her friends amidst her breakup.

“The return of taylor swift’s girl squad,” tweeted one fan, alongside images of Swift with her famous friends over the years.

“We love women supporting women,” another Twitter user wrote.

“She’s catching up with all her friends,” said someone else. “I just know the tea is hot.”

Swift has previously shared glimpses inside her star-studded friend group, from July 4th parties at her home in Rhode Island to her “Bad Blood” music video. Some of the A-listers to grace Swift’s squad over the years include Selena Gomez, Karlie Kloss, Cara Delevingne, Lorde, Hailee Steinfeld, and model Lily Aldrige.

The “Lavender Haze” singer is newly single following her split from British actor Alwyn after six years of dating. Entertainment Tonight was first to report news of the breakup on 8 April, citing that the “relationship had just run its course”. The outlet explained that their recent split was the reason why Alwyn has not been present at any of Swift’s Eras shows. The “Bejeweled” singer is currently playing across the US as part of her Eras Tour, which Alwyn has not been spotted at since she began touring on 18 March.

A source also told People that the 33-year-old singer and the 32-year-old actor allegedly split due to “differences in their personalities”.

“Joe has struggled with Taylor’s level of fame and the attention from the public,” the source said. “The differences in their personalities have also become harder to ignore after years together. They’ve grown apart.”

Taylor Swift at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California (Getty Images)

While Swift has remained busy with her tour, she has dropped subtle hints about her breakup on stage. Last week, several fans believed Swift made reference to their split during her tour stop in Tampa, Florida. In a video posted to TikTok, Swift sat at a piano as she said into the microphone: “So, we have a lot to catch up on, don’t we?”

Fans also spotted changes in the singer’s setlist since the start of her tour last month. As part of the setlist from her 2020 album Folklore, Swift initially performed the song “Invisible String”, which is about the intrinsic connection between two lovers. However, since her show in Arlington, Texas on 31 March, she instead played the Folklore track “The 1,” which details a breakup as Swift sings about “waking up alone”.

Swift was first romantically linked to Alwyn in 2017, but fans have speculated that the Grammy winner and the British actor first met at the 2016 Met Gala. Throughout their six-year relationship, Swift and Alwyn kept details about their romance private. Last year, Alwyn avoided questions about Swift in an interview with The Guardian, saying he didn’t want to discuss their relationship because it “feeds into a weird part of the culture”.

Despite keeping their romance private, Alwyn still appeared on writing credits for several of Swift’s tracks under the pseudonym William Bowery – including six songs on the album Folklore, three songs on Evermore, and “Sweet Nothing” on Midnights.

A source told People that Swift and Alwyn were also “talking about marriage as recently as a few months ago” before their split, but the “Shake It Off” singer reportedly “didn’t see them working out in the long run” and they remain “friendly”.

“There is a lot of respect still between them,” they said.