No, Taylor Swift Did Not Make a Cameo on “The Handmaid’s Tale”

Taylor Swift’s fanbase has become known for their expert detective skills, deciphering Easter eggs and “clues” from the singer. But with every hypothesis that proves to be right, there are several that aren’t.

Case in point with her recent rumored cameo appearance on the beloved Hulu series, The Handmaid’s Tale. Swifties everywhere were questioning whether a recent background figure featured in the second-to-last episode of the dystopian series was actually Swift incognito, but the show’s star, Elisabeth Moss, is clearing up those rumors.

“God, I love them,” Moss said of the Swifties when asked by a TVLine reporter about the rumors. “That’s amazing! Of course it’s not [Swift]. Of course, it’s not her. Oh my God, that’s hilarious. I love that idea, though.”

Why did Taylor Swift fans think that the person in The Handmaid’s Tale season six, episode 9 was her? Well, the penultimate episode, which debuted on Tuesday, began with Swift’s unreleased “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version).” The song comes off of Swift’s Reputation album, and as many Swifities know, it’s one of the last albums that has yet to be released as a re-record. The song was exciting enough, but fans took their detective skills one step further by piecing together the filming location of Handmaid’s Tale and whether there was a chance that Swift was actually on set.

Swift made a stop in Toronto, Canada, in November 2024 for the Eras Tour, which also coincided with the filming of The Handmaid’s Tale — also in Toronto. On top of that, Moss, who plays June in the series, and her Handmaid’s Tale co-stars attended the Eras Tour show.

Moss also shared a statement following the episode’s premiere that she has “been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show and we finally found the perfect spot for a track from her.” She went on to say that Swift “has been such an inspiration to me personally,” calling herself a Swiftie. While that added fuel to the case that the mysterious figure was Taylor herself, unfortunately, it was not.

“I’m afraid that’s not Taylor,” Moss continued. “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.”

She also added that Taylor Swift has been “top of mind” for Moss throughout the series, particularly Reputation.

“Reputation came out at a really, I think it was Season 4, and we were obsessed with that album on set, as a cast. It’s been a long mutual love affair between her and a lot of our cast.”