If there's one thing Taylor Swift is sure to do, it's cause a stir online even when she doesn't even mean to. In the penultimate episode of The Handmaid's Tale on Hulu, the singer debuted an extended sneak peak of "Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version)," but that wasn't the only surprise that had fans in an uproar. They thought they spotted her in the episode, too!
During the scene featuring Swift's updated version on her No. 1 hit Reputation single, there's a brief moment featuring a person walking out of a truck and into the street. This person is only shown from behind with no defining characteristics visible, not even hair. But devoted Swifties investigated the clip and were convinced that was Swift's walk making a secret cameo. (Admittedly, as a loyal fan of the singer since her debut, I didn't make the connection.)
Following the show's series finale release, The Handmaid's Tale creator Bruce Miller spoke with Variety about the show's ending. Of course, the publication asked Miller about that supposed Swift cameo in episode 9, but the creator didn't give the definitive answer we were hoping for. Instead, Miller decided to keep the speculation alive with a cagey tease. He told Variety:
"I can’t say anything. I’m not allowed to say anything."
When Variety teased him for making chatter about the supposed cameo worse, Miller still didn't budge on giving fans any sort of satisfaction:
"All right, I’m good at making things worse — that’s how I make all of my money."
Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but series star Elisabeth Moss already cleared about the rumors about Taylor Swift's much-debated "cameo" appearance in The Handmaid's Tale. The actress confirmed that Swift didn't make a cameo in the episode beyond her single being used in a pivotal moment. While Miller chose to play it coy, Moss shot down the Swift sleuthing.
No, Taylor Swift wasn't in The Handmaid's Tale
When TV Line introduced and explained the fan theory to Moss, she admitted that as a fellow Swift fan, she loved the Swifties' enthusiasm but revealed that was not her:
"That’s amazing! Of course it’s not. Of course it’s not her. Oh my God, that’s hilarious. I love that idea, though. But this is why, one of the reasons we were so excited about this moment, just the fan engagement on Handmaid’s is so intense, and then marrying that with the Swifties is like, Jesus Christ. It’s so fun! So no, I’m afraid that’s not Taylor. She’s pretty busy. I feel like if she was going to come do our show, we would’ve made sure we saw her face."
If you're not inclined to believe Moss about whether that extra walking out the truck was in fact Taylor Swift, I think we should believe the star of the show who's also an executive producer. She knows what's going on throughout production and would certainly know if one of the most famous people on the planet had dropped by for a cameo that didn't even show her face. As Moss points out, we definitely would have known it was Swift if that person actually had been Swift.
Some fans might believe that since Swift brought her Eras Tour to Canada in late 2024 at the same time The Handmaid's Tale season 6 filming, the cameo could be real. The cast of the series even attended one of the shows in Canada in November 2024! But Moss further confirms that the cast simply attended the concert as fans, which obviously led to Moss and the creative team securing the rights to "Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version)" for season 6.
Sure, we all would have loved to see Taylor Swift make an actual cameo appearance in The Handmaid's Tale, especially since her most propulsive song was used in the sequence, but the speculation was for nothing. Whether it's background vocals in a Beyoncé song, a cameo in one of TV's biggest shows, or supposedly announcing an album at the AMAs, some fans always tend to see Taylor even when she isn't there. "Tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?"