What To Know About Matty Healy—Taylor Swift’s Rumored Boyfriend— And His History Of Controversial Comments - Forbes

Topline

Matty Healy is best known as the charismatic lead singer of English pop band The 1975 and in recent weeks has come under renewed media attention for his rumored romance with Taylor Swift—but he’s also been the subject of several of his own controversies throughout his years for insensitive comments and behavior.

Key Facts

Healy—who has been photographed with Swift and at her concerts—has fronted The 1975 since 2002, with whom he’s released five albums.

In February, he appeared on The Adam Friedland Show podcast, where the hosts made jokes speculating about rapper Ice Spice’s ethnicity (her father’s Black, her mother is Dominican), calling her “Inuit Spice Girl” and “this chubby Chinese lady,” using Chinese and Hawaiian accents while Healy laughed along and joked that she was “dumb” (he later gave a half-hearted apology during a concert, saying, “I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you” and suggesting his “joking got misconstrued,” while the episode has been pulled from Apple and Spotify).

He previously faced accusations of using the Black Lives Matter movement to promote his music, posting a now-deleted tweet in 2020 in support of the movement with a link to his band’s song “Love It if We Made It,” which contains lyrics about police brutality.

In January, he called the Irish a “simple people” at a show in Dublin—some fans thought he was joking, others not—and in October, he told an Irish fan named Dervla at a meet-and-greet her name “sounds like something you move gravel with.”

He faced criticism in January for appearing to do a Nazi salute onstage while singing the lyric "Thank you, Kanye, very cool,” from his band’s song “Love It If We Made It”—which some considered a jab at Kanye West’s antisemitism, while others considered the apparent salute irresponsible and offensive.

He previously sparked controversy in 2019 for criticizing organized religion, and in 2018 for suggesting misogyny no longer exists in rock-and-roll.

Healy’s onstage antics have also garnered media attention and criticism: Some consider his tendency to kiss fans—men and women—at performances “creepy,” though he clarified he asks for consent first.

Key Background

Healy is the son of British actor Tim Healy, known for his work in television, and actress and presenter Denise Welch, known as a panelist on ITV’s Loose Women. He formed The 1975 with Wilmslow High School classmates Ross MacDonald, Adam Hann, and George Daniel in 2002, primarily playing covers until they began writing their own music. They released their self-titled debut album in 2013, which has been certified double-platinum in the United Kingdom and platinum in the United States. The band’s biggest hits include “Somebody Else,” “Love It If We Made It,” “Chocolate” and “The Sound.” Their most recent album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, debuted atop the U.K. charts and in the top ten in the United States in October.

News Peg

Healy and Swift were the subject of dating rumors in 2014, though he denied the romance and, in 2016, said dating Swift would be “emasculating.” In January, Swift publicly reconnected with Healy, joining The 1975 onstage in London to perform her hit “Anti-Hero.” Swift then reportedly broke up with her boyfriend of six years, British actor Joe Alwyn, in April, though neither has publicly addressed the reported breakup. British tabloid The Sun claimed Healy and Swift were “in love” on May 3, and three days later Healy joined Eras Tour opening act Phoebe Bridgers onstage in Nashville. Healy and Swift were photographed together in New York holding hands on May 12, and on May 15, the two were spotted leaving a recording studio together.

Chief Critic

Protective Swift fans have expressed concerns in her interest in the sometimes controversial star. On one TikTok showing Healy watching Swift sing her song “Fearless” at the Eras Tour, some of the top comments are from displeased fans. “Horrified looks from everyone in the room,” several top comments read, a reference to a line from Swift’s song “Speak Now.” Some fans expressed shock on a TikTok that included the first pictures of the pair holding hands. “Oh wait we weren’t joking?” one fan commented. “Mercury is hella in retrograde,” another joked.

Contra

Others praised a TikTok of Healy watching Swift at her concert as romantic. “He looks so mesmerized by her,” one fan wrote, with another stating he looks so in love. Some fans noted Swift and Healy have been spotted in public on multiple occasions, a departure from her largely private relationship with Alwyn, pointing to past comments Swift has made in interviews stating she dislikes keeping her relationships private.