Tom Hiddleston reacts to joke about ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift at People’s Choice Awards

Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift dated for a few months in 2016

Tom Hiddleston had a sweet reaction to a joke about his ex-girlfriend, Taylor Swift, at this year’s People’s Choice Awards.

The 43-year-old actor was spotted in the audience at Sunday’s event, during which he took home the award for best sci-fi/fantasy show for his Disney+ series, Loki. At the start of the ceremony, the People’s Choice Awards host, Simu Liu, did a monologue about the biggest moments in Hollywood throughout the last year, which included a mention of Swift.

“Finally, for the most iconic pop culture moment of the year, who could forget that one little movie about a blonde American icon that had the entire country dressing up, dancing the night away, and making huge waves at the box office? I’m talking of course about Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie,” he said, after tricking the audience into thinking that he was discussing his hit movie, Barbie.

Liu went on to express how much he admires the “Anti-Hero” singer, who’s recently made headlines for her Eras tour shows and her new romance with NFL star Travis Kelce.

“Oh, I’m sorry did you think I was gonna say the other. No, no. Look, I was a Swiftie long before I was Ken. Okay? Just wanted to be super clear where my loyalties lay. I’m a 1989 baby so Taylor and I, we’re bonding,” he added, referring to Swift’s hit album, 1989, which she re-released in October.

Towards the end of the speech, the cameras went on to showcase Hiddleston, who could be seen laughing along to Liu’s joke.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, many fans pointed out how the Thor star was shown during the joke about Swift, while also praising his reaction to Liu’s monologue.

“THEY JUST TALKED ABOUT TAYLOR AT THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS AND THEN PUT THE CAMERA ON TOM HIDDLESTON LMFAOOO,” one wrote, while another quipped: “NOT THEM SHOWING TOM HIDDLESTON AFTER TALKING ABOUT TAYLOR.”

A third tweeted: “The way Tom Hiddleston laughs at a Taylor Swift positive joke. That guy always smiles when Taylor gets brought up. I wish him well. Truly.”

Hiddleston and Swift dated for about three months in 2016, shortly after the “Blank Space” singer and Calvin Harris broke up. Although the relationship was brief, Hiddleston did attend one of Swift’s iconic Fourth of July parties. His appearance at the event in Rhode Island, while with Swift on the beach, instantly went viral, as he was wearing an “I Heart TS” shirt.

In 2017, Hiddleston opened up about the party, with the actor explaining why he was wearing the top in the first place.

“The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back,” he told GQ in 2017. “And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, ‘Does anyone have a T-shirt?’ And one of her friends said, ‘I’ve got this’… And we all laughed about it. It was a joke.”

During the interview, he also hit back at the scrutiny that he and Swift faced when dating, as fans previously claimed that the relationship was just a publicity stunt. “Of course it was real,” he clarified about their romance.

He also praised his ex, adding: “Taylor is an amazing woman. She’s generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time.”

The former couple have since gone on to have separate relationships, as Hiddleston is engaged to actor Zawe Ashton, who he’s been dating since 2020. Meanwhile, Swift and boyfriend of six years Joe Alwyn ended their relationship in early 2023. She’s now dating Kansas City Chiefs star Kelce.

The now fan-favourite couple started their relationship around July 2023, after Kelce publicly confessed to trying and failing to give Swift his phone number during one of her Eras tour concerts. Since starting the relationship, Swift has attended 13 of her boyfriend’s football games, including the Super Bowl last weekend, which saw the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers.