Taylor Swift Talks Using Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' Kids' Names in New Song

The rumor is totally true: Taylor Swift did use Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' kids' names in "betty," a song on "folklore," Swift admitted.

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  • The rumor's totally true: Taylor Swift did use Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' kids' names in her new song "betty."
  • This is the first time we've heard their third child's name. The couple has remained private on the subject and even joked about it when asked directly.
  • Here are more deets on Swift's surprise album that she dropped late last month.

Taylor Swift totally just confirmed it! Her new song off of her new folklore album, "betty," about a young man losing the love of his life and having to apologize to get it back, uses the names of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' three daughters—essentially confirmed their third daughter's name (Betty), which hadn't been released to the public yet following her birth in October 2019. If that isn't basically the coolest birth/name announcement ever, I don't know what is.

Swift introduced the song on Country Radio. She explained, "I've always loved that in music you can kinda slip into different identities and you can sing from other people's perspectives. So that's what I did on this one...I named all the characters in this story after my friends' kids...and I hope you like it!"

ICYMI, the lyrics "She said 'James, get in, let's drive,'" "You heard the rumors from Inez / You can't believe a word she says," and "Betty, I know where it all went wrong," all directly reference Lively and Reynolds' three kids.

Reynold and Lively didn't comment on the news, but it seems pretty obvious they're on board. Swift actually sampled James' voice on "Gorgeous," so this isn't the first time the famous friends have bonded over their kids.

The full excerpt of Swift's explanation is here:

And it's a cute little add-on to what's already a super-popular song.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.