When you date one of the most famous women on the planet, perhaps it's no surprise that everyone talks about her.... including right in front of you... during a TV interview. On Dec. 31, Laura Dern told a story about Taylor Swift on The Graham Norton Show, but as reported by People, viewers were quick to point out that she told the story while sitting right next to one of Swift's famous exes.
If you've seen The Graham Norton Show, you know that it features several celebrity guests, who are all on stage at the same time. In this case, Dern was being interviewed alongside Tom Hiddleston, who dated Swift in 2016. The other guests were Carey Mulligan, Tim Key, and Will Arnett.
In the episode, host Graham Norton points out that Dern has a connection to "a friend of ours, Taylor Swift." The Is This Thing On? actor replies that they are "friends" and that she has "been in a music video"—she starred in Swift's video for 2022's "Bejeweled". The 58-year-old then tells a story about how she once thought she was going to be approached by Jurassic Park fans in front of her kids, but instead, Swifties ran up to her.
While on vacation with her family in Hawaii, Dern accidentally ended up in front of a big Jurassic Park sign. (There are fan experiences in the state since Dern's 1993 movie was filmed there.)
"I was like, 'This is going to be a nightmare for mom, guys'" Dern recalled, jokingly noting that she was "So concerned about my celebrity."
"Suddenly I see it," she continues. "I see these three teenage girls start to lose their minds and run toward me. I'm like, 'Guys, let’s just try to get in the car.' They’re like, 'Oh my god!— right under the Jurassic Park sign—'You're the girl in the Taylor Swift video!'" Dern added, "I just loved that so much."
Hiddleston listened and laughed along to the story like the other guests, but YouTube commenters pointed out his connection to Swift and wondered if Dern was aware of it.
Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift photographed at Los Angeles International Airport in July 2016.
Swift and Hiddleston dated for three months, breaking up in September 2016. The whirlwind romance was closely followed by fans and will always be remembered for the Avengers actor wearing an "I heart T.S." tank top on the Fourth of July. (By the way, he later gave a clear explanation for why he would wear such a thing.)
"Taylor is an amazing woman" Hiddleston told GQ in 2017. "She's generous and kind and lovely, and we had the best time." He went on, "I only know the woman I met. She's incredible ... A relationship always takes work. A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it's not just the limelight. It's everything else."
With the new year here, 2016 is 10 years ago, so both Hiddleston and Swift have long moved on in their love lives. Swift is now engaged to NFL player Travis Kelce, and Hiddleston has two children with his partner, actor Zawe Ashton.