Olivia Rodrigo has once again found herself at the center of Taylor Swift fan speculation — this time over something as tiny as an Instagram like.
On August 18, Pitchforkshared a post about Audrey Hobert following the singer’s polarising Tiny Desk Concert.
One slide included a quote comparing Hobert’s music to the kind of Taylor Swift songs that supposedly don’t get released anymore.
“The first time I listened to Audrey Hobert‘s Who’s the Clown?, my initial thought was: These sound like the lead singles Taylor Swift doesn’t release anymore. What a joy to hear a pop songwriter with a genuine sense of humor and the confidence to make a song stick after repeated listens,” the excerpt read.
Rodrigo liked the post, and the internet immediately did what it does best: investigate.
Some fans interpreted the like as Rodrigo agreeing with the Taylor dig, while others pointed out that an Instagram like applies to the entire post.
In other words, there’s no proof Rodrigo even read the second slide before tapping that little heart.
One commenter asked directly, “@oliviarodrigo you can’t be serious. Did you bother reading the second slide?”
The speculation comes after years of fan theories about tension between the two singers, particularly following songwriting credits given to Swift, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent on Rodrigo’s Deja Vu.
Rodrigo has previously brushed off the online detective work.
“I don’t really read that far into it,” she said in May.
“I think it comes with the territory, and it’s par for the course. I think if I dove into every internet detective sleuth that got things right or wrong about my life or any of my relationships, I think I’d just go crazy. There’s just not enough time in the day.”
So, shade? Maybe. A harmless scroll-and-like? Also very possible. The internet, naturally, has already chosen its side.
2026-08-19 15:07:00
