“Not First Time Taylor Swift Has Done Something Like This”: Ed Sheeran Caught Off Guard, Friendship “Seriously Strained,” Insider Says

Two global music stars who once called each other family now face a rocky patch in their friendship. Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, collaborators for over a decade, have shared stages and hits, but recent events have created distance between them.

The tension reportedly stems from competing album releases that arrived closer together than expected.

Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran’s friendship has reportedly become strained over album release timing

Swift released her album, The Life of a Showgirl, on October 3, just three weeks after Sheeran’s eighth album, Play, dropped on September 12. According to a music industry insider speaking to the Daily Mail, Sheeran was not informed about her timeline in advance.

“He was very much put out and understandably peeved. It is not the first time that Taylor has done something like this. She’s got form,” the insider told the Daily Mail, adding that Sheeran “takes these things really seriously, and carefully plans his album releases”.

“Ed announced his album with four months’ notice, but then Taylor announced hers for just two weeks after. It left his team scrabbling to get as much attention before hers dropped,” the source explained.

Despite debuting at number one, Sheeran’s album fell out of the Top 10 when Swift released hers. He had announced his release in May, giving four months of promotion before Swift’s October 3 date.

Sheeran previously spoke about releasing albums strategically during his Divide era in 2017, telling the BBC, “Everyone I was scared of releasing albums around me released them all last year, people like Beyoncé and The Weeknd and Bruno Mars.” 

He added at the time, “Taylor isn’t going to be releasing until probably the end of this year, Christmas is the smartest time to release because that’s when everyone buys records”.

The album overlap added tension between Sheeran and Swift. Sheeran said he learned of Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce via Instagram, saying, “I didn’t even get a DM in advance.” Swift explained on Jimmy Fallon that he doesn’t have a phone, calling it “eccentric,” and emphasized their closeness despite the oversight.

@fallontonight@Taylor Swift settles rumors about her engagement, @Ed Sheeran, @Selena Gomez’s wedding, and more 👀 #FallonTonight #TonightShow #TaylorSwift #EdSheeran #SelenaGomez♬ original sound – FallonTonight

Sheeran downplayed feud rumors on Fallon’s TikTok, saying, “Hello from my allotted iPad time, this is factual.” Radar Online reported their bond has been “seriously strained,” noting Swift’s album timing disrupted Sheeran’s rollout.

 

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This isn’t Swift’s first overlap with other artists; she previously released albums near Charli XCX and Billie Eilish. The pair last met at Selena Gomez’s wedding on September 27, and neither has publicly addressed speculation about their relationship.