Taylor Swift Sends Dakota Johnson Warning in Chilling “Patient Zero”

Hayley Santaflorentina Mon, September 28, 2026 at 3:11 AM UTC

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Originally appeared on E! Online

Fans have been expecting Taylor Swift’s call.

And the Grammy winner officially delivered when she dropped the music video for “Patient Zero” during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27.

Starring Dakota Johnsonand Collin Farrell, the video brings to life Swift’s vision of two women who have a shared romantic flame, with one ultimately passing on the accrued wisdom after having dealt with her now ex.

In this case, Farrell plays the man in question while Johnson and Swift—the latter of whom attended the 2026 MTV VMA Awards dressed in a black halter gown featuring an asymmetrical silver skirt—play his current and former lovers.

Throughout the video, Swift stands as the third-party observer, a ghost bearing secret witness to the current woman’s struggles and remembering her own with the same man.

One dramatic scene includes Johnson and Farrell’s characters at an elegant event in a golden ballroom, where Swift's pal Cara Delevingne stars as a woman flirting with the man played by Farrell.

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Witnessing this, Johnson's character becomes ill and shaken up. The music stops and cuts to the couple in the car, where Farrell's character is upset with Johnson's for humiliating him at the party, saying he thought she was "different."

As the music restarts, it's then revealed the scenes at the beginning were a direct parallel to that of Swift's character, an heiress who died of a "mystery illness" and her husband, played by Farrell, inherited her fortune.

The grave Johnson's character visited in the beginning is shown to be Swift's character, with the headstone reading: "Beloved wife and daughter, gone too soon," alongside a framed wedding photo of Farrell and Swift.

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Prior to the video’s drop, Johnson shared some insight into how she landed the starring role in the Midnights artist’s newest video.

“Taylor and I have been friends for a really long time, and we're very close,” the Fifty Shades of Grey star explained to Fan Girl Nation on Sept. 24 during a joint interview with her Verity costar Josh Hartnett, “and we decided to work together, and it's great."

And while many caution against mixing work and play, Johnson added, “I would say don't work with your friends, but we work really well together.”

Which is why it was only natural for Swift—who wed Travis Kelcein July—to tap the Materialists actress to bring to life her inspiration for the song.

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“I was hanging out with a bunch of friends, and one of my friends told us that she had been reached out to by the new girlfriend of an ex of hers,” Swift revealed to Capital FM radio on Sept. 25, “asking for guidance on if she had had the same experiences with this guy that this new girlfriend was having.”

She continued, “And everyone in our group just immediately started saying like, 'Oh, I've been through that too', and telling the stories of when this kind of reach out had happened for them.”

The experience was enough to get the “Karma” singer’s writing neurons firing.

“I thought to myself, if this has happened to all of us,” she explained, “it's such an interesting kind of angle on humanity and on relationships, and I wonder if I could write something from the perspective of getting this phone call, and really only from the perspective and the side of the phone call of the ex who's been through it before.”

Which is how “Patient Zero,” and the newly-dropped music video, came to be.

For a more in-depth look at the many Easter eggs hidden within The Life of a Showgirl and its four-song Encore, read on.

"Patient Zero"

Back in 2024, theLos Angeles TimescalledTaylor Swift"patient zero for emotional contagion," which may have inspired her lyrics from this single offLife of a Showgirl: The Encore, out Sept. 25, 2026.But it turns out "Patient Zero"—which featuresDakota JohnsonandColin Farrellin 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."If an ex having a halo (or lack thereof) sounds familiar, she also touched on that theme in "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" fromTortured Poets, which seemingly alluded to her exMatty Healy. Taylor sang at the time, "He had a halo of the highest grade/ He just hadn't met me yet."Now that Taylor is happily married, she is imparting wisdom on her ex's new partner in "Patient Zero.""Take it from somebody who lost his games but won the race / Take it from someone who said all of this to his face," she says. "Someone who knows she's more than just the chase / Someone who had him and walked away."So, who could she be singing about? It could have been inspired by her girls' night out withSophie Turnershortly after the actress' 2023 split withJoe Jonas, who Taylor dated in 2008. (He is also believed to have inspiredFearless' "Forever & Always" and "Mr. Perfectly Fine.")"Cleveland!"

The love song is a clear nod to her husbandTravis Kelce's roots as a native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The pair have already spent time there, as Travis reportedly purchased a $5.35 million lakefront property in the area in March 2026.Similar toTortured Poet's "But Daddy I Love Him," Taylor is clapping back at anyone questioning their relationship in "Cleveland!""And now I guess there's / Something we all can agree on / But my baby likes what he likes," she sings. "He already took me to Cleveland / And showed me The Heights, so hate all you like / This is the love of my life."Beyond defending their romance, Taylor also fires back at critics of her career and fashion sense by quoting some frequent disses she's heard."She's not as hot as she was, but she was only a four / She was never a girls' girl, she was just a— / And with all of that money, why's she dressed like trash? / When she smiles, it's annoying, and have you seen her / Stumbling clumsily? / Would you even call that dancing?""Pink Clouding”

Forget the lavender haze. Instead, "Pink Clouding" expresses regret over how Taylor handled a past breakup: "Years later, I still wonder how to tell you sorry / I didn't wanna let you down / So I left you up there on a, pink cloud."The self-reflection has fans speculating that she could be writing aboutTom Hiddleston(post-"Getaway Car") orTaylor Lautner(post-"Back to December"), who she's been on good terms with in recent years.However, she also refers to meeting her lover during a challenging time in her life, possibly alluding to her exJoe Alwyn, who she grew close with during herreputationera."Ripped all my orchids from the vine / You met me at a cursed time /I told you I was fine," she sings, reminiscent of "I once was poison ivy, but now, I'm your daisy" from 2017's "Don't Blame Me."During her relationship with Joe, she frequently expressed worry about thrusting him into a life of fame and scrutiny (like infolklore's "Peace") and "Pink Clouding" plays on similar themes."I hope / You realized my kind of trouble wasn't worth it," the lyrics read. "And the way I treated you, you never deserved it / And I swear to God, to this day / I wake up scared that I left scars on a good person."“Babylon"

Taylor sings about knowing hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to love, writing about "missing all the best parts" of a past relationship: "You never knew that it was Babylon 'til it was gone."She previously mentioned the Gardens of Babylon—one of the Seven Wonders of the World, located in modern day Iraq—in her 2020evermoresong "Cowboy like Me," which features the lines, "Now you hang from my lips / Like the Gardens of Babylon / With your boots beneath my bed / Forever is the sweetest con."Of course, she's since found that forever with Travis—who got down on one knee in (you guessed it) an enchanting garden in their Kansas City backyard."The Fate of Ophelia"

The opening song on Taylor'sThe Life of a Showgirlreferences the character Ophelia fromWilliam Shakespeare'sHamlet, who faces a tragic fate.According to the song's lyrics, Taylor "might've drowned in the melancholy" if she hadn't been saved by her true love."I heard you calling / On the megaphone," Taylor sings. "You wanna see me all alone."The lyrics appear to be a nod to Travis calling Taylor out on hisNew Heightspodcast for not meeting him at her Eras Tour, which is how their romance began."I swore loyalty to me, myself and I," the lyrics continue. "Right before you lit my sky up."Before meeting Travis, Taylor was fresh off a breakup from Matty Healy, havingdeclared herselfone of the "independent girlies" in July 2023.But after Travis went to her concert in Kansas City that same month, sparks began to fly.Now, Taylor's fiancé is even in on her Easter egg game, teasing "The Fate of Ophelia" lyrics onInstagramback in July. (Had some adventures this offseason," he captioned pics with Taylor, adding, "Kept it [100].")How does that connect to Taylor's song? Well, as the lyrics go, "You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia / Keep it one hundred.""Elizabeth Taylor"

Taylor gives a nod to another famous showgirl, the lateElizabeth Taylor, in the second song on the album, even naming Elizabeth's favorite places, Paris' Plaza Athénéeas well as Los Angeles' Musso & Frank's.In the lyrics, Taylor also draws parallels between her and theCleopatraactress. Like Taylor today, Elizabeth often made headlines for everything from her love life to her dazzling outfits.But, as Taylor notes in her song, "Oftentimes it doesn't feel so glamorous to be me.""Opalite"

In upbeat "Opalite," which Travis previously revealed as his favoriteShowgirlsong, Taylor references their love story.After weathering her fair share of lightning strikes in relationships, now Taylor's sky is calm, it's opalite, with Travis."I had written down the word opalite because I learned that it's actually a manmade opal," she revealed onCapitalradio. "Travis' birthstone is opal, so that I've always fixed on that, I've always loved that stone."As for the meaning behind the synthetic glass gemstone? "I thought it was a cool metaphor that it's a manmade opal and happiness can also be manmade, too."However, it's not without some bite, as Swifties think Taylor shadedTravis' exKayla Nicolein the lyrics by hinting the NFL player felt kind of like a prop in her social media pics."You couldn't understand it / Why you felt alone," she sings, seemingly to him."You were in it for real / She was in her phone."The song goes on, "You were just a pose / And don't we try to love love / And give it all we got / You finally left the table / And what a simple thought / You're starving 'til you're not.""Father Figure"

While Taylor,Max MartinandShellbackare credited asShowgirlwriters, the lateGeorge Michaelreceives a posthumous crediton "Father Figure" because the song includes an interpolation of George's 1987 track of the same name.George's team even gave their stamp of approval, writing onInstagramOct. 2, "Thank you@taylorswiftfor including George in such a special moment."Fans speculate that the first half of the song is written from the perspective of Big Machine Records'Scott Borchetta, who sold Taylor's masters toScooter Braun, before switching to Taylor's perspective on her reclaiming them.Taylor herself admitted that the song was "written in character.""That was a fun one to write," she said on BBC 1 Radio. "It's a very different way of using the idea of a father figure to king of talk about power, power structures, and the flipping of the power dynamics."Plus, she's "pretty proud" of a specific NSFW line about making deals with the devil because "my d--k's bigger.""Eldest Daughter"

We've reached track five onShowgirl, known to be the spot on an album that Taylor reserves for her most heartbreaking songs.In "Eldest Daughter," Taylor,whoAndrea SwiftandScott Swiftwelcomed before also becoming parents toAustin Swift, sings about navigating all of life's highs and lows, but always sticking with the ones she loves."Cause I'm not a bad bitch / And this isn't savage / And I'm never gonna let you down,” the lyrics note. “I'm never gonna leave you out / So many traitors / Smooth operators / But I'm never gonna break that vow.""Ruin the Friendship"

Track six onShowgirltells a story of regret over a romance that didn't quite get off the ground. The lyrics are filled with nostalgia, "Have fun, it's prom / Wilted corsage dangles from my wrist / Over his shoulder I catch a glimpse / And see...You looking at me / And it was not an invitation / But as the50 Centsong played / Should've kissed you anyway."Taylor's longtime best friendAbigail Anderson(of "Fifteen" fame) gets a nod in these heartbreaking lyrics of loss: "When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye, and we'll never know why."Fans think the tragic song was written about her late school friendJeff Lang, who died in 2010 and is believed to have inspired her prior song "Forever Winter.""I didn't know / You were breakin' down / I'd fall to pieces on the floor / If you weren't around," she sings on theRedera song released from the vault in 2021. "Too young to know it gets better / I'll be summer sun for you forever / Forever winter if you go.""Actually Romantic"

"Actually Romantic" is notactuallyabout a romance, per se. Rather, it's a response to an unnamed person who, according to the lyrics, has spent a lot of time talking about Taylor."High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me," Taylor sings. "Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face / Some people might be offended / But it's actually sweet."While Taylor rarely reveals who a song is written about, many fans on social media believe it was inspired byCharli XCX, who opened for Taylor on herReputationTour and is friends with Taylor's ex Matty and his fiancéeGabbriette Bechtel.When Charli—who is married to Matty’sThe 1975bandmateGeorge Daniel—releasedbratin June 2024, there was speculation that her song "Sympathy is a Knife" threw shade at Taylor. However, two months later, Taylorseemed to put rumors to restby sharing her praise for Charli.“I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011,” Taylor toldNew Yorkmagazine in an articlepublished Aug. 26. “Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off."Another easter egg it could be about Charli? The Spotify cover image shows Taylor holding an apple, the title of Charli's 2024 viral song.E! News has reached out to reps for comment on the speculation and has not heard back."Wish List"

On the very top of Taylor's wish list? A forever with Travis. That includes starting a family."I just want you," she sings. "Have a couple kids / Got the whole block looking like you."The artist even admitted it's one of her favorite tracks on the album."That was the one that made me know we were done with the record," she told Magic radio. "It's really emotional. It's a very accurate stance on where I'm at in life. So, it was a feeling of, 'We're done now.'""Wood"

According to Taylor, wishing on a star "never did me any good" when it came to love. But now, with Travis, she doesn't even need to knock on wood."Girls, I don't need to catch the bouquet," she notes in the lyrics, "to know a hard rock is on the way."And she was right. Taylor and Travisannounced their engagementin August 2025 after two years of dating.The song—which contains many sexual innuendos—also includes a nod toNew Heights, which Taylor credits for the start of their relationship."Cancelled!"

In track 10, Taylor is taking someone under her wing after they've been canceled, something she too has experienced."Come with me, when they see us they'll run," she advises. "Something wicked this way comes / Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I like 'em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal."Fans have speculatedthe track may nod to her controversial friendships withBrittany MahomesorBlake Lively.For the singer, she shared it's rooted in her empathy after experiencing her own public downfall, likely referring to theKim KardashianandKanye Westfeud of 2016."Having had my own experiences with mass judgment and being at the center of many dramatic, scandalous moments in my career, where people were all weighing in at once or at least it felt like that," she told Amazon Music, "having had those experiences, it makes me move through the world a little bit differently."Taylor continued, "And when other people go through it, you find yourself thinking about how they're probably gonna get smarter because of this. If they can get through it, if they can be tough enough, they can actually learn some things through this process.""Cancelled!" is ultimately about "how I don't just naturally cast people aside just because other people decide they don't like them. I make my own decisions about people based on how they treat me within my life and their actions.""Honey"

"Honey" is as sweet as it sounds. In the 11th track, Taylor sings about how Travis has been able to redefine her vocabulary. Instead of having bad memories tied to words like "honey" and "sweetheart," Taylor now thinks of Travis."Redefine all of those blues / When you say 'honey,'" Taylor croons. "Summertime spritz, pink skies / You can call me 'honey' if you want / Because I'm the one you want."In fact, Travis did call Taylor "sweetie" during her debut appearance onNew Heightsin August."The Life of a Showgirl" (Featuring Sabrina Carpenter)

For her final act, Taylor teamed up with friendSabrina Carpenter.The lyrics tie together with "Elizabeth Taylor," giving a glimpse behind-the-scenes of a showgirl. While it may seem glamorous, there's always a price to pay, and the seasoned showgirl has to let the budding star know.And the lyrics paint a picture, "She said, 'I'd sell my soul to have a taste of a magnificent life, that's all mine' / But that's not what showgirls get / They leave us for dead."In the end, after learning about the life of a showgirl, they join together for a final bow, "That's our show / We love you so much, goodnight!""It's a song about meeting one of your idols and instead of being what you thought they would be, they warn you against following in their footsteps, because they just want to be honest with you about how hard this industry is," she told Magic radio. "And you do it anyway."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”