Taylor Swift’s new song Patient Zero has sparked fan theories about Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner, with listeners analysing the lyrics for clues about the identity of the relationship at the centre of the track.

Released on Friday, September 25, as part of The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, Patient Zero sees Swift sing from the perspective of a woman who has experienced a toxic relationship and is warning another woman about the same man.

In the song, Swift tells the woman that she understands what she is going through because she was “patient zero”. She describes the man as having “the devil on his shoulder under his halo” and sings about his ability to charm those around him.

The lyrics have led some fans to speculate that Swift could be referring to Joe Jonas and his former wife, Sophie Turner. The theory is partly based on Swift’s friendship with Turner and the support she offered the actor following her 2023 separation from Jonas.

Turner and Jonas were married for four years and share two daughters. Following their separation, Turner was photographed spending time with Swift, and the Game of Thrones star and her children stayed at Swift’s New York City home during the divorce proceedings.

Fans have connected those circumstances to the song’s storyline, particularly the lyrics about a woman reaching out after hearing there is “trouble in paradise”. Swift sings that she would understand the situation because she had previously experienced the same man’s behaviour.

However, the Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner theory has not been confirmed by Swift. In fact, the singer has explained that the idea for Patient Zero came from a conversation among friends about relationships rather than identifying a specific former partner.

Swift told Capital FM that the song was inspired by a friend who had been contacted by the new girlfriend of one of her exes. The woman was seeking guidance about whether the friend had experienced similar behaviour from the man, prompting others in the group to share their own experiences.

Swift said the conversation made her interested in writing the song from the perspective of someone receiving that phone call from another woman who is experiencing a similar relationship.

The lyrics have nevertheless led to several other theories. Some fans believe Patient Zero could reference Swift’s former partner Joe Alwyn, while others have suggested that the song could draw from multiple relationships rather than being about one particular person.

Swift has not confirmed that any of those interpretations are correct. Her representative also did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly’s request for comment.

The song is the first of four new tracks on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. Swift also released Cleveland!, Pink Clouding and Babylon as part of the expanded edition.

Meanwhile, the Patient Zero music video is set to premiere during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, September 27. The video stars Swift alongside Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.

For now, the identity of the man referenced in Patient Zero remains unconfirmed, leaving fans to interpret the song’s lyrics while Swift’s own explanation points to a broader experience of women sharing warnings about relationships.