Why Do Taylor Swift Fans Call Joe Alwyn ‘Yogurt Boy’? The Nickname — Or Insult — Explained
For all we know, Joe Alwyn might still be working at that yogurt shop.
OK, that’s a bit of a stretch, but the actor’s public appearances have been even more few and far between since his April 2023 split from Taylor Swift. It seems Alwyn has gone largely off the grid (but was he really on it in the first place?).
With the release of Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department looming, fans on social media have warned “yogurt boy” to stay in hiding as he is speculated to be the subject of many new songs.
Here’s the thing, Alwyn — or “yb” as “yogurt boy” has been shortened to — has procured some wins over the past year, but those have been forgotten in the eyes of Swifties on social media.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn: The Way They Were
The origin of this nickname — or perhaps insult — comes straight from one of Swift’s songs.
“Teal was the color of your shirt / When you were sixteen at the yogurt shop / You used to work at to make a little money,” she sings on “Invisible String” from 2020’s Folklore.
Alwyn previously revealed that he worked at Snogs' Frozen Yogurt in London, where all the employees wore the same teal polo featuring the company’s logo.
“I did have this one job in London. Do you know that frozen yogurt place, Snog?” he said during a January 2020 interview with Red Magazine, calling the experience “exceptional.” (It’s unclear if he was being serious with that response.)
When Swift wrote “Invisible String,” there’s no telling if she knew that that yogurt shop reference would come back to haunt her now-ex. (Some fans, however, are convinced she’s a witch with sorcery magic, so maybe it all was part of her “mastermind” plan.)
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Split Raised a Lot of Eyebrows: Hints Leading to Their Breakup
Swift and Alwyn dated for six years before Us Weekly confirmed their split, and the Conversations With Friends star made his first public appearance after the breakup news in May 2023. At the time, he attended a dinner hosted at the Cannes Film Festival.
Months went by before Alwyn surfaced again. This time around, he walked the red carpet at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in November 2023.
When it comes to any forthcoming sightings, Alwyn does have a starring role in the upcoming Yorgos Lanthimos film Kinds of Kindness, so a promotional tour could be in his future. Since Alwyn was so against speaking of Swift when they were together, it’s a safe bet that he will not be commenting on his ex’s new album — or addressing the “yogurt boy” of it all.
