Decoding Taylor Swift's Folklore Fan Theories

Welcome to “Rank the Most Controversial”—and trust me, Swifties, this one’s going to ignite some serious debate. Today, I’m counting down the top five most controversial fan theories about Taylor Swift’s Folklore album. Folklore isn’t just a set of songs—it’s a sprawling web of cryptic lyrics, hidden references, and mysterious characters. Ever since its surprise release in July 2020, fans have argued over every Easter egg, every coded message, every whispered name. Some listeners see Folklore as pure fiction, others insist it’s autobiographical, and just about everyone has a theory about who’s who in this misty musical universe. The stakes? Everything from real-world relationships to the meaning of Swift’s biggest Grammy win. Let’s get into it.

Number five: “The Folklore Teenage Love Triangle Is Real—and It’s About Three Actual People.” This theory claims that the trio at the heart of Folklore—Betty, James, and the unnamed narrator from “August”—are not just fictional characters. Some fans say they represent actual figures from Taylor Swift’s life, or from celebrity circles. The evidence? The songs “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Betty” all tell the same love triangle from different perspectives. The twist that made fans spiral: Swift herself said on YouTube that these are characters with arcs mapping out who is singing about who. But that didn’t stop speculation. The names Betty, James, and Inez match the names of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ daughters, which only added fuel to the fire. For some, this is just Swift’s latest storytelling flex. For others, it’s a coded confession about real relationships. The argument: Are these songs pure fiction, or veiled autobiography? Fans line up on both sides and no one can quite agree.

Number four: “Exile” Is a Metaphor for Taylor Swift’s Public Feuds. The duet “Exile,” featuring Bon Iver, sets up a bitter, emotional standoff between two ex-lovers. Many took it as another story in the Folklore universe, but one of the hottest theories insists it’s actually about Swift’s fallout with former collaborators or industry figures. The song’s lines about walking the bluffs of a land that isn’t your own are read by some as a metaphor for Swift’s departure from her old record label. The male and female voices represent two sides of a broken partnership, and fans point to the fact that even the bridge echoes legal and business language. Swift’s history with Scott Borchetta and Big Machine Records is well documented, and “Exile” arrived hot on the heels of that conflict. But for others, it’s just a classic breakup song. The debate: Is this song secretly about contracts and betrayal, or is it just heartbreak fiction?

Number three: “Illicit Affairs” Is a Response to ‘Getaway Car’—and the Same Affair Runs Through Both Songs. “Illicit Affairs,” track ten on Folklore, tells the story of a clandestine relationship, complete with whispered instructions and secret meetings in parking lots. Fans immediately drew a line back to “Getaway Car,” a track from Swift’s Reputation album, which is also about running away from a relationship. Some listeners believe the two songs are about the same real-life affair—an ongoing thread through Swift’s discography. The evidence fueling the theory: Critics pointed out how “Illicit Affairs” features what Rolling Stone called “a whole movie’s worth of insight about cheating,” and British Vogue described it as a continuation of “Getaway Car.” The musical similarities—acoustic, indie-leaning, with Jack Antonoff as a collaborator on both—only encourage the speculation. Other fans argue that “Illicit Affairs” is just another exercise in narrative fiction. The controversy here is about whether Swift’s so-called “evolution as a songwriter” is just a cover for a through-line of real infidelity stories.

Number two: “Hoax” Is the Secret Key to the Album—and Every Line Is a Callback. “Hoax” is the final track on the standard edition of Folklore, and it’s become the centerpiece for a particularly intricate theory. In this one, fans argue that “Hoax” isn’t just another sad ballad—it’s actually a cipher, referencing just about every important moment in Swift’s past work. The song’s lyrics about “frozen ground” and “my smoking gun” echo earlier tracks like “Holy Ground” and “Look What You Made Me Do.” One line—“you knew it still hurts underneath my scars / from when they pulled me apart”—gets interpreted as a direct reference to the backlash Swift faced in 2016. In this theory, “Hoax” ties the entire album, and possibly Swift’s whole career, together. The reason this is debated: some critics say it’s a beautiful, devastating piece of songwriting, while others call the narrative unremarkable and the callbacks overblown. Fans argue over whether this is an intentional masterstroke, or just wishful thinking from listeners who see connections everywhere.

And now, number one: “William Bowery Is Joe Alwyn—And He Wrote More Than You Think.” When Folklore dropped, fans were mystified by the songwriting credit for William Bowery. No one could find any information about him online, and speculation was immediate: some believed Bowery was a secret industry veteran, others thought he might be a pseudonym for someone in Swift’s personal life. Eventually, Swift confirmed that English actor Joe Alwyn, her then-boyfriend, used this pseudonym and helped write “Exile” and “Betty.” But here’s where the theory really takes off: some fans believe Alwyn—under the Bowery moniker—contributed to even more songs on Folklore, or maybe even the entire sister album, Evermore. The evidence? Swift said Alwyn wrote the chorus of “Betty” and the piano line and first verse of “Exile,” but fans point to similarities in musical style and lyrical approach across multiple tracks. The argument: is “William Bowery” a minor footnote, or the missing link to understanding Folklore’s deepest meanings? For some, it’s a sign of creative partnership and hidden influences. For others, it’s just a fun in-joke that the fandom has blown way out of proportion.

That’s my ranking of the top five most controversial Folklore album theories. If you think I missed a bigger theory, or if your favorite lands higher or lower, let me know—debate is what keeps the folklore alive.