16 Famous People Who Were The Tiiiiiniest Bit Petty And Seemingly Called Out Their Exes In Their Songs
1.Miley Cyrus's song "Flowers" is assumed to be about her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth.
Lyrics in question: "We were right 'til we weren't / Built a home and watched it burn."
The evidence: Miley has openly said that she never thought they'd actually get married, but "clung" on to their relationship after losing their house in a fire in 2018. Also, in the video Miley seemingly mimics a dance that she once did during a red carpet interview with Liam, that, at the time, he told her not to do on camera.
2.Shakira's song “Te Felicito (I Congratulate You)” is seemingly about her ex Gerard Piqué.
Lyrics in question: “To make you whole / I broke myself in pieces / I was warned, but I didn't take heed / Don't tell me you're sorry / I know you well and I know you’re lying"
The evidence: News broke that their breakup was caused because of Gerard's alleged infidelity. And when asked if the song was about Gerard, Shakira simply said, "Everything I feel, everything I go through is reflected in the lyrics I write."
3.Morgan Evans released the song "Over for You" which is about his divorce from Kelsea Ballerini.
Lyrics in question: "How long have you been waiting / To take our pictures down? / How long have you been breaking? / Why am I just finding out?" "How many times did you say you loved me when it wasn’t true? / I’m just wondering how long has it been over for you?"
The evidence: Kelsea filed for divorce during the summer of 2022, after five years of marriage. The divorce was finalized just a few weeks after he wrote the song. He also admitted that this song was "the journey of what happened in that moment of [his] life."
4.Then, Kelsea released "Blindsided" in response to Morgan's song.
Lyrics in question: "And now you're saying that you're lost and that's lost on me / Years of sitting across from me in therapy / I know the truth is hard to hear, but it wasn't hard to find / Baby, were you blindsided or were you just blind?"
The evidence: Kelsea openly admitted she was "so angry" after she heard Morgan's song for the first time. She said, “I had a pretty good grasp on my grieving journey until that song came out, and I was livid. I think that maybe there’s a world that he was blindsided. I did not blindside him. Two things can be true at once, and I think, like, if he truly was blindsided, then where was he?” Kelsea also released her EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat and turned it into a short film about a woman going through the stages of grief at the end of a marriage.
5.Halsey's song "Colors" is rumored to be about The 1975's Matty Healy, who they allegedly dated back in 2015.
Lyrics in question: "Your little brother never tells you but he loves you so / You said your mother only smiled on her TV show / You're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope / I'll hope you make it to the day you're 28 years old"
The evidence: Matty's mom is Denise Welch, an actor most famous for shows like Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, and Loose Women. And Matty has also been open about his problems with heroin addiction in the past.
6.Olivia Rodrigo's songs "drivers license," "good 4 u," and many others on her debut album Sour are about her rumored relationship with Joshua Bassett.
Lyrics in question: "And you're probably with that blonde girl / Who always made me doubt / She's so much older than me / She's everything I'm insecure about" ("drivers license")
"Well good for you I guess you moved on really easily / You found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks" ("good 4 u")
The evidence: Back during the summer of 2020, Olivia began hinting that she was experiencing a breakup on her social media. Shortly after, Joshua was spotted hanging out with Sabrina Carpenter, who is blonde and older than Olivia.
7.Then, Joshua Bassett released an EP with the songs "Crisis," "Set Me Free," and "Secret" that seemingly commented on his relationship with Olivia, and the media frenzy that followed.
Lyrics in question: "And if you get to tell your truth, then so do I / And it's cool if you want me to play the bad guy," "Half the shit you're saying's only half-true / Messin' with my life as a career move / I can't help but wonder why you won't make it end" ("Crisis")
"And nothing I say will ease the pain / Why must I hurt for you to feel okay?" ("Set Me Free")
"Pulled into your driveway again / We kissed, but it felt different" ("Secret")
The evidence: After Olivia released "drivers license," she launched into stardom almost overnight, and she was widely praised for her vulnerability in her lyrics — several other celebs even said the song felt like it was "ripped out of Olivia's diary." At the same time, Joshua and Sabrina were widely villainized in the media. Joshua also opened up about being admitted to the hospital due to heart failure from all the stress the situation brought him.
8.The Weeknd's song "Call Out My Name" is believed to be about his ex Selena Gomez.
Lyrics in question: "I put you on top, I put you on top / I claimed you so proud and openly." "I almost cut a piece of myself for your life." "Guess I was just another pit stop / 'Til you made up your mind."
The evidence: During their 10-month relationship, Selena and The Weeknd were extremely public, and she appeared on his Instagram several times. During the summer of 2017, Selena was in need of a kidney donor because hers "were just done" due to her lupus. And after their relationship ended, Selena got back together with Justin Bieber, who she'd been dating on and off for years.
9.Kelly Clarkson's song "Mine" is about her marriage and divorce from Brandon Blackstock.
Lyrics in question: "I hope one day someone will take your heart and hold it tight / Make you feel like you're invincible deep inside / And right when you think that you'll try again, they cross a line / And steal your shine / Like you did mine"
The evidence: After almost seven years of marriage, the couple split up in 2020, and their divorce was finalized in March of 2022, where Kelly was granted primary custody of their two children River Rose and Remington Alexander. Kelly was also the stepmom to Brandon's two children from a previous marriage and agreed to pay child support, spousal support, along with a one-time fee of $1.3 million. Then to make the situation even more messy, Narvel Blackstock, Brandon's father, sued Kelly shortly after their divorce was announced, claiming she refused to pay them in past and future commissions. Kelly then countersued, accusing them of violating the California Labor Code by “procuring, offering, promising, or attempting to procure employment or engagements” without being properly licensed.
10.Taylor Swift's song "Dear John" is widely believed to be about her relationship with John Mayer.
Lyrics in question: "Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone / Don't you think I was too young to be messed with? / The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home / I should've known," "Don't you think nineteen's too young / To be played by your dark, twisted games when I loved you so?"
The evidence: At the time of their rumored relationship, Taylor was 19 years old and John was 32. Also, the song title literally includes his name.
11.Then, John Mayer released "Paper Doll" which is rumored to be about Taylor Swift.
Lyrics in question: "You're like 22 girls in one / And none of them know what they're runnin' from / Was it just too far to fall?/ For a little paper doll," "Fold a scarf, Moroccan red / And tie your hair behind your head."
The evidence: Fans believe that "22 girls in one" and the mention of a red scarf are both direct references to Taylor's album Red, where she has a song titled "22" and writes about the "red scarf" she left at her ex's sister's house (which brings me to my next point...).
12.Demi Lovato's song "29" is widely believed to be about her ex-boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama.
Lyrics in question: "Finally twenty-nine / Funny, just like you were at the time / Thought it was a teenage dream, just a fantasy / But was it yours or was it mine? / Seventeen, twenty-nine"
The evidence: At the time of their relationship, Demi was still only 17 and Wilmer was 29. Since the song was released, she has even said that she feels like the song "says it all." And while writing it, Demi said they "put everything into perspective" when they turned 29.
13.Taylor Swift's song "All Too Well" is rumored to be about her whirlwind three-month relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal back in 2010.
Lyrics in question: "I walked through the door with you, the air was cold / But something about it felt like home somehow / And I left my scarf there at your sister's house / And you've still got it in your drawer, even now," “You said if we had been closer in age, maybe it would have been fine," "And I was never good at telling jokes / But the punchline goes: 'I'll get older, but your lovers stay my age.'"
The evidence: In 2010, the couple was spotted in Brooklyn with Maggie Gyllenhaal and her daughter. In the photos, Taylor is wearing a striped scarf that is later spotted being worn by Jake after their breakup. At the time, Taylor was 20 and Jake was 29. Now in 2023, Jake's current girlfriend Jeanne Cadieu is in her 20s while he's 42 years old.
14.The Jonas Brothers' song "Much Better" makes direct references to Taylor Swift after her breakup with Joe Jonas.
Lyrics in question: "I get a rep for breakin' hearts / Now I'm done with superstars / And all the tears on her guitar / I'm not bitter"
The evidence: Taylor's song "Forever & Always" is rumored to be about Joe, where she sings about how he allegedly broke up with her during a 27-second phone call. When this song came out in 2009, Taylor Swift was on the rise in the music industry and her album Fearless became the most awarded country album in history. Also, one of Taylor's biggest songs from her debut album is called "Teardrops on My Guitar."
15.Chase Hudson, aka Huddy's song “All the Things I Hate About You” is believed to be about his ex-girlfriend Charli D'Amelio.
Lyrics in question: "You're a showstopper / A bad liar, homie hopper, drama starter / All my friends are fucked, we all got you in common," "You could've had a rock star / But you chose up on a bum star / Bootleg version of me, that's your loss / Had to find out through a photo / Hanging on your arm like a knockoff."
The evidence: Charli met her current boyfriend, Landon Barker, through Chase, because the two of them are friends. She and Landon were first making headlines after a photo caught the two of them leaving one of Landon's shows together. Shortly after the photo came out, Chase deleted all of the photos he had with Landon on his Instagram.
16.Finally, Little Mix's song "Shout Out to My Ex" is believed to be about Zayn, who dated Perrie Edwards for about four years.
Lyrics in question: "This is a shout out to my ex / Heard he in love with some other chick / Yeah yeah, that hurt me, I'll admit / Forget that boy, I'm over it," "Guess I should say thank you / For the 'hate yous' and the tattoos / Oh baby, I'm cool by the way / Ain't sure I loved you anyway"
The evidence: Three months after Zayn and Perrie split in 2015, he began dating Gigi Hadid. Zayn also famously got a giant tattoo of Perrie on his arm that he covered up after their breakup.