8 Times Taylor Swift & John Mayer Have Called Each Other Out Publicly
They've been at it for over a decade.
DFree / Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com Taylor Swift is one singer known not just for her lavish airplane trips, but her candid stories of romance and heartbreak in music.
Her latest album, "Midnights," caused a stir among fans. Particularly one song on the album, titled “Could've, Should’ve, Would’ve”, which many speculated to be about her romance with the singer, John Mayer.
At the time, Swift was just coming into her adulthood at age 19, while Mayer was 32.
Fans have long thought the pair's age gap, and the revelations Swift has made about dating Mayer, prove that their relationship was always doomed to fail.
But, over the years, their shady back and forths have only furthered this narrative.
Here are all the times Taylor Swift and John Mayer have addressed their relationship.
1. Mayer and Swift began on good terms.
In a 2009 tweet, that has since been deleted, Mayer expressed interest in working with the young singer.
"Waking up to this song idea that won't leave my head. 3 days straight now. That means it's good enough to finish. [It's] called Half of My Heart and I want to sing it with Taylor Swift. She would make a killer Stevie Nicks in contrast to my Tom Petty of a song."
A collaboration between the artists ensued shortly after with the release of a track titled “Half of My Heart”.
Swift told Elle during this time that she’d “been such a big fan of John for such a long time” and was “really excited” about teaming up with the critically acclaimed artist.
In December 2009, they performed a duet at Z100’s Jingle Ball in New York City. During this time, rumors about a romance were at their height.
Their last sighting together was in February of 2010, where they were spotted having dinner at Nashville Bistro Cabana.
2. Swift blasted Mayer in her 2010 song 'Dear John.'
On October 25, 2010, Swift released her “Speak Now” album with track five titled “Dear John."
On the track, she expressed regret over the relationship. Many Swifties also deemed the song as a breakup anthem, since it marked the end of their relationship.
"Don't you think nineteen is too young / To be played by your dark twisted games," she sang.
This was the cue that let listeners know she was singing about the singer-songwriter. Fans were quick to point out that the first song about Mayer is nothing compared to this latest one in "Midnights."
3. Mayer says he was 'humiliated' by Swift.
In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Mayer said that he was “really humiliated” by “Dear John”.
He continued by adding, “Because I didn’t deserve it. I’m pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do.”
He called Swift's songwriting "cheap" and added:"It made me feel terrible. It was a really lousy thing to do."
"I never got an email. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off guard. ... [That's] abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait 'til he gets a load of this!' That's bulls–t."
4. Swift refused to respond to Mayer's thoughts on her song.
Later in 2012, Swift was interviewed by Glamour magazine, where she was prompted by the interviewer to comment on what Mayer said.
Swift responded by saying, “How presumptuous! I never disclose who my songs are about.”
Later in the interview, she expressed that she didn't even want to hear what the musician had said about her song.
5. Mayer hit back at Swift with 'Paper Doll.'
Mayer came back with some heat of his own. In June of 2013 he released a track titled "Paper Doll", with some of lyrics referencing Swift's song: "You're like twenty-two girls in one/ And none of them know what they're runnin' from."
6. Mayer called Swift's birthday the 'lamest day.'
In 2016, Mayer tweeted on Swift's birthday on December 13, noting that it was "the lamest day ever."
Swifties were quick to slam him even after he deleted the post but Mayer denied that the tweet was about her.
"NOPE. No. Nuh-uh," he wrote in a follow-up post. "People I am 39. I am deleting those tweets. Come right at me for doing so. Absolutely no shade."
7. Mayer later called out Swifties for sending him hateful messages.
Even years after their relationship ended, it seemed like Mayer was determined to clear his name and distance himself from Swift's claims.
In 2021, he responded to a DM from a Swift fan, which he later shared on TikTok. The user messaged, "F–k yourself you ugly b-h I hope you choke on something." Mayer had one question for them: "Do you really hope that I die?"
8. Swift's 'Could've, Would've, Should've' is rumored to be about Mayer.
In “Would’ve, Should've, Could’ve” Swift lamented over the relationship once again, but with an urgent specificity.
“At nineteen, and the god's honest truth is that the pain was heaven / And now that I'm grown, I'm scared of ghosts / Memories feel like weapons / And now that I know / I wish you'd left me wondering / God rest my soul / I miss who I used to be.”
Fans took this as Swift yet again probing her controversial relationship with Mayer. He has yet to respond.
Taylor Haynes is a writer based in Chicago. She writes for News & Entertainment at YourTango. You can find her on Instagram.