Taylor Swift unveiled her new music video during Sunday night’s VMAs – and it has already generated a lot of conversation among her devoted fans.
During this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, the I Knew You Were Trouble performer was presented with the first ever VMA Artist Director Honours prize, in recognition of the many self-directed videos she’s released in recent years.
In honour of this, Taylor also unveiled the video for her latest single Patient Zero, co-starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson, the latter of whom presented the singer with her award.
Taylor Swift and Dakota Johnson in the former's Patient Zero music videoThe Patient Zero video – which aired on TV as part of the VMAs broadcast, but has not yet been officially shared on Taylor’s official channels – stars Dakota as a woman in a seemingly perfect relationship with Colin’s character, who is being haunted by her partner’s ex, played by Taylor herself.
As the video progresses, it emerges that the character played by Taylor was actually killed by Colin, with her ghost trying to warn Dakota about suffering a similar fate, as viewers discover she, too, is seemingly being poisoned.
One shot towards the end of the video has already sparked a whole lot of speculation, as Dakota is seen standing at a gravestone that reads “1986 – 2022”.
Taylor, as her own album of the same name confirms, was born in 1989, leading “Swifties” to speculate as to exactly what the significance of the year 1986 could be…
taylor is currently 36 years old
1986-2022 = 36 years
guess who “died” and got a whole funeral in 2022 https://t.co/ttW9dW52Wjpic.twitter.com/Iyifz7nuTg
someone figured out that if she was born then and died in 2022 she'd be taylor's current age
— ash 🐮✨️0️⃣ (@lowkeyybpt) September 28, 2026I was wondering why the 1986 in the MV of #PatientZero and listening to Vigilante Shit I remembered the story behind it (Taylor helping Scooter Braun ex’s) and then I think I cracked the code. Probably the song is not about that exact relationship but the graveyard is about it! pic.twitter.com/JSAal6jJIM
— Isn't Samuel (@ExceptsSamuel) September 28, 2026i read somewhere on here that scooter braun’s ex wife was born in 1986 and they divorced in 2022!
— ͙͘͡ ❀ bean 𝜗𝜚˚⋆ (@puckingdiva) September 28, 2026I also think 1986 because her whole 6th album is about Joe
— Jordan 🐝 (@Jordandellyxo) September 28, 2026the headstone saying 1986-2022 is interesting because she never not uses her own birth year in her visuals. but also that makes the age of death still her current age of 36. 2022 also being when she died in the anti hero music video. both times being killed for her money. I don't…
— ronnie (@leavemetoheavnn) September 28, 2026The 8 and the 9 are both upsidedown, 8 just still makes an 8. I think it's playing on the yin/yang ☯️ vibe of them being blonde/brunette "twins" https://t.co/WpMLcJ1yiX
— Em is a Showgirl ❤️🔥 (@ShowGirlEm) September 28, 2026So I’m sitting tossing and turning over the dates on the headstone in the patient zero mv and here’s my theory… 2022-1986=36, what if that’s a date. It’s heavily speculated Taylor and Joe broke up in March, what if they broke up on 3/6. Best theory I can think of pic.twitter.com/ks49CdUTIr
— alice (@Itsaliceberte) September 28, 20261986 is 40 years ago. https://t.co/2TBLz2PJ95pic.twitter.com/XOmbVCeqVi
— sh0wbizbaby 🧡🩵🩶 (@KelsyC) September 24, 2026I feel like Taylor wanted to make it very clear that she’s playing a *character* in the mv. her character was *not* born in 1989 therefore she’s *not* Taylor… #PatientZeroMusicVideohttps://t.co/HVyzPYc64I
— giselle 💋 (@glimmerofcomet_) September 28, 2026Patient Zero is one of four new tracks by Taylor to be featured on The Encore, a deluxe edition of her album The Life Of A Showgirl.
Since its release last week, The Encore has been widely derided by critics, although Taylor is still on course to occupy the top three slots on the UK singles chart with tracks from the deluxe release.
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