Back in 2024, the Los Angeles Times called Taylor Swift “patient zero for emotional contagion,” which may have inspired her lyrics from this single off Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, out Sept. 25, 2026.
But it turns out “Patient Zero”—which features Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in the music video—is about Taylor bonding with a woman over a mutual ex, beginning with, “If you wanna party with somebody who might know / About the devil on his shoulder under his halo / When the toxins take their hold, you’d rather die than let it go / But if you’re sick of him, I got you, I was patient zero.”
Now that Taylor is happily married, she is imparting wisdom on her ex’s new partner in “Patient Zero.”
So, who could she be singing about? It could have been inspired by her girls’ night out with Sophie Turner shortly after the actress’ 2023 split with Joe Jonas, who Taylor dated in 2008. (He is also believed to have inspired Fearless’ “Forever & Always” and “Mr. Perfectly Fine.”)
