Olivia Rodrigo’s past with Taylor Swift is receiving fresh attention after Rodrigo was asked in 2026 about long-running speculation surrounding their relationship. The renewed interest follows years of fan theories linking the two singers through songwriting credits and Sabrina Carpenter, although Rodrigo has repeatedly rejected claims of a personal feud.
The latest discussion comes after Rodrigo spoke about Swift during a May 2026 appearance on The New York Times’ Popcast. Asked whether there was a frost between her and Swift, Rodrigo said, ‘I don’t know. I think I tried to not let it get to me or upset me. I think I just try to keep it trucking.’
Rodrigo continued, ‘It was so long ago. I think there’s no use in harping on it.’ She added, ‘I just try to make songs that I love and try to be kind and good to other people and supportive of other people. I’ve always tried to be like that. At the end of the day, I think that’s all you can do.’
How the Taylor Swift speculation began
Rodrigo entered the music industry as a major Swift fan. She had described Swift as a major inspiration before her own breakthrough, and Swift publicly supported Rodrigo after the release of ‘Drivers License’ in January 2021.
The relationship later became the subject of speculation after Rodrigo’s debut album Sour included songwriting credits connected to Swift and Jack Antonoff. Swift and Antonoff received credits on ‘1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back’ because of its use of an interpolation of Swift’s ‘New Year’s Day.’ Swift, Antonoff and St. Vincent were also later credited on ‘Deja Vu’ following comparisons between part of Rodrigo’s song and Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer.’
Rodrigo later said the credit situation had been confusing for her. In a 2023 Rolling Stone interview, she said, ‘I don’t have beef with anyone. I’m very chill. I keep to myself. I have my four friends and my mom, and that’s really the only people I talk to, ever. There’s nothing to say.’
Sabrina Carpenter brought another layer to the story
The speculation became more complicated because of Rodrigo’s history with Sabrina Carpenter. After Rodrigo released ‘Drivers License,’ fans interpreted its reference to a ‘blonde girl’ as a possible reference to Carpenter, who had been linked romantically to Rodrigo’s former High School Musical: The Musical: The Series co-star Joshua Bassett.
Carpenter later released ‘Skin,’ which fans widely viewed as a response to the controversy. Her 2022 song ‘Because I Liked a Boy’ also addressed the public reaction surrounding her reported relationship with Bassett.
When Swift announced that Carpenter would open selected dates of the Eras Tour in Latin America in 2023, speculation about Rodrigo and Swift intensified. A September 2023 report from Life & Style quoted an unnamed source claiming, ‘There are a lot of whispers going around that there’s bad blood between Olivia and Taylor,’ and that Rodrigo was ‘not happy that Sabrina is opening for Taylor on the Latin American leg of her Eras tour.’
That report was not confirmed by Rodrigo, Swift or Carpenter. Rodrigo herself subsequently denied having beef with Swift, while multiple reports noted that the alleged conflict was based largely on fan theories and anonymous claims rather than public statements from the two singers.
Rodrigo and Carpenter have moved on
The Sabrina Carpenter part of the story has also changed significantly. Rodrigo and Carpenter were seen interacting at the 2025 Grammy Awards, where footage showed the two singers hugging and talking.
Rodrigo later addressed their relationship directly in a March 2026 British Vogue interview. She said, ‘I think she’s great. I’m so happy for all of her success too. I love the album she’s put out.’
Rodrigo then clarified her comments after expressing concern that the discussion could become a headline. She said, ‘No, no, no, it’s good. It’s just people just get weird and clickbaity – it’s all love, though. I’ve talked to her many times.’
In the same interview, Rodrigo reflected on the intense attention she received as a teenager after ‘Drivers License’ became a global hit. She said, ‘Sometimes I meet a 17 or an 18-year-old nowadays and I’m like, “Wow, you are such a baby.”’ She also recalled, ‘I can’t believe people were that mean to me.’
Swift and Rodrigo have publicly supported each other
Public moments have also complicated the idea of a lasting feud between Swift and Rodrigo. At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Swift was seen standing, singing along and applauding during Rodrigo’s performance of ‘Vampire.’
Rodrigo also applauded when Swift won Album of the Year for Midnights. The exchange came after years of online speculation that songs including ‘Vampire’ and ‘The Grudge’ might have been connected to Swift.
Rodrigo has never confirmed that either song was about Swift. When asked about such theories in 2023, she said she does not identify the people behind her songs and described the online theories as ‘Twitter conspiracy theories.’
Rodrigo says she has learned to detach
In her 2026 Popcast conversation, Rodrigo also explained how the early attention around ‘Drivers License’ affected the way she handles online speculation. She said, ‘I think it made me feel detached from it. I had to detach from it in order to literally be okay. It was just such a crazy experience for everyone involved.’
She added, ‘I think I just had to learn to detach. And I think that’s something that I hopefully am good at these days — still trying to detach from people who don’t know every little detail of my life. I think you just have to, otherwise you just go kind of crazy.’
Rodrigo’s latest comments do not confirm a feud with Swift, nor do they establish that the earlier claims about her reaction to Carpenter joining Swift’s tour were accurate. Instead, her public comments show that she now treats the old speculation as something from an earlier period of her career and says she is focused on making music and maintaining supportive relationships.
As of September 2026, Rodrigo has also publicly stated that her relationship with Carpenter is positive and that they have spoken many times. The earlier Sabrina connection continues to draw attention to the Swift-Rodrigo story, but neither singer has publicly confirmed that a personal feud existed.