Tom Hiddleston Reminded He’ll Never Outrun His Taylor Swift Era

Tom Hiddleston probably thought he’d finally outrun his Taylor Swift era. Nearly a decade, an engagement, and two kids later, their three-month fling felt firmly in the 2016 archives. But celebrity timelines don’t work the same way real ones do — and a casual radio interview just reminded him of that fact in real time.

The actor, 44, was on the U.K.’s Heart Radio on Thursday when host Devin Griffin unexpectedly brought up his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift. Sitting alongside The Life of Chuck co-star Karen Gillan, Hiddleston had been gamely chatting about his late-night habit of reading sports recaps when Griffin jumped in with a quip about Swift’s own internet hobby: sourdough recipe blogs, which she brought up during her guest appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce‘s New Heights podcast earlier this month.

It was a harmless enough aside — unless you’re the guy who wore the “I ♥ T.S.” tank in 2016. Hiddleston froze, his face flickering through several stages of regret in real time, before finally forcing a polite non-reaction. The radio station’s TikTok spelled it out: “When you accidentally mention their ex.” Fans piled on: “His life flashed before his eyes,” one joked. Another noted he looked “mentally in a getaway car.”

Here’s the thing: it’s been nine years. Hiddleston has moved on — engaged to Zawe Ashton, already a dad with a second baby on the way. Swift has moved on too, dating Joe Alwyn for six years, breezing through Matt Healy (and catching a lot of flack while doing so). Yet a throwaway comment in an interview still yanks Hiddleston back into the Swift media cycle, whether he likes it or not.

And that’s the real story. This wasn’t about a lingering flame. It was about the machinery of celebrity coverage, where a Swift mention is never just a Swift mention. She’s an economy unto herself. In two seasons of showing up to Chiefs games, she’s been valued at over $1 billion in revenue for the NFL. Even posing near a Dude Wipes logo back in June generated six figures in media value for the small brand.

So yes, the host’s comment was awkward. But it was also inevitable. Publications know that whether readers click out of Swift devotion or Swift fatigue, they’re still clicking, becoming interested in products, and scrolling past ads that generate even more revenue. She is, in internet terms, evergreen. For Hiddleston, the moment was a reminder that dating her — no matter how briefly — comes with lifetime membership in a club that never quite lets you leave.

Before you go, click here to see celebrity couples you probably forgot dated.