Taylor Swift Video Sparks Wild Theory

From accusations of witchcraft to the belief that she sneaks around town in an oversized suitcase, Taylor Swift has endured her fair share of conspiracy theories.

While the pop star is known for leaving Easter Eggs for her fans to find, this latest theory would take the 33-year-old's love of puzzles to the next level.

Since the upcoming spy novel Argylle was picked up by Hollywood in 2021, internet sleuths have longed to discover the identity of the mysterious author Elly Conway. In a video shared to TikTok on October 22, user Chloe (@chloeandpercy) breaks down why she is convinced that the elusive thriller writer is Swift in disguise.

"There's a mystery going on in the literary world at the moment about the identity of the author Elly Conway," the self-described Swiftie says in the clip.

"A lot of people think she might be Taylor Swift. The coincidences are just too much in my opinion, and I am fully on the train of believing this is Taylor Swift," Chloe says.

Unlike most debut authors—whose publishers work tirelessly to drum up publicity for—there is very little information about Conway available online. Her bio on the Penguin Random House website has no portrait and just says that she "lives somewhere in the United States," while her social-media presence is very limited.

Although the book isn't released until January 2024, the novel has already been snapped up by Hollywood. Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn is helming the project for Universal Pictures, with Henry Cavill, Dua Lipa, Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson and Bryce Dallas Howard signed up to star. The film is set to release on February 2, 2024.

"When I read this early-draft manuscript, I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming's books of the '50s," Vaughn, best known for directing The Kingsman franchise, said in July 2021. "This is going to reinvent the spy genre."

Some have said that Conway doesn't exist at all, with U.K. newspaper the Telegraph's Jake Kerridge believing the novel is a clever PR stunt to help launch the film franchise. The book was originally meant to be published in September 2022 to align with the original release date for the movie, but has been pushed back several times.

"It's widely understood that Elly Conway is a pseudonym, and she is a pseudonym for somebody well-known," Chloe says in her video breakdown.

"Plus, her first debut novel has already got a film deal, which isn't unheard of, but it is quite unusual, especially as this deal was made before the book was even published.

"There must be something about it, more than the plot, to make a film studio commit to it. Now, we all know who's got a proven track record of box office success, and that's our girl Taylor," Chloe adds.

Swift's Eras tour movie was released on October 13 and racked up $92.8 million in just three days. The Exorcist: Believer moved its release date ahead to October 6 to avoid clashing with the concert film's release. The Eras tour movie managed to beat out Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon at the box office.

Next, Chloe cuts to a poster for the film version of Argylle, which shows a Scottish fold cat in a suitcase-style carrier. The carrier has a bubble-shaped window so the feline can look out, and is surrounded by a gun, a fountain pen and a pink lipstick. The Grammy winner owns two Scottish fold cats, Olivia Benson and Meredith Grey, along with a ragdoll named Benjamin Button.

Along with being the author, Elly Conway is also a character in Argylle—played by Bryce Dallas Howard—with the story "breaking the fourth wall."

"The author carries around a Scottish fold cat in one of these little holders, that we know Taylor has for her cats," Chloe says. "It's not something you see every day."

"The tagline is also 'once you know the secret, don't let the cat out of the bag,'" she adds.

Chloe then jumps to a clip from the Argylle trailer, which shows an author photo of Bryce Dallas Howard as Elly Conway inside a book jacket. Chloe believes Conway's look bears a striking resemblance to Swift in her "All Too Well" music video, in which the music icon sports ginger hair and a turtleneck to play a novelist, just like the fictional version of Conway.

Still, Chloe's deep dive doesn't end there. She cuts to photos that Swift posted to Instagram while rehearsing for her Eras Tour, in which she's wearing a sweatshirt that reads "Conway Studios."

"Just to add even more weird Taylor coincidences," Chloe adds. "This film is being released on the 2nd February 2024, which is 112 days from the 13th October, which is the day that the Eras tour film came out worldwide.

"If you believe Nikki's 112 theory, which I do, that is way too much of a coincidence in my opinion."

Chloe is referencing fellow TikTok user and Swiftie Nikki (@nikkiking23), who believes that the star purposefully releases her "Taylor's version" of her older albums 112 days apart.

"I do think it is a strong possibility that Taylor Swift is the author of Argylle, Elly Conway," Chloe told Newsweek. "As we know with Taylor, none of what she does is accidental.

"Taylor is known for planting Easter eggs and hinting to upcoming work, even years in advance. As such, we Taylor Swift fans are constantly looking for cryptic clues in anything Taylor does and this story just has too many for a Swiftie to ignore!"

Although Chloe believes Swift is the mastermind behind Argylle, she hasn't ruled out the book also being a PR ploy for the movie.

"I think this is a really plausible theory," she said. "I think they're aiming for a 'breaking the fourth wall' plot line with this film so Elly being a character and never actually existing is a possibility. Especially because the publication of the book has been delayed to match the delay of the film's release."

She believes the inclusion of a Scottish fold cat in the marketing is a definite nod to Swift.

"I know for some it is going to seem like a massive reach but Taylor Swift has turned us Swifties into armchair detectives by planting detailed clues about her upcoming works in music videos, on clothing, with her emoji usage… everywhere," Chloe said.

"A mind like that who is constantly trying to create mystery and think of new ideas to keep people guessing could absolutely write a spy novel," she said. "I wouldn't be surprised at all if Elly Conway is Taylor Swift… But I also wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't."

Although the identity of Elly Conway is a mystery, Swift is working on her feature film directorial debut with Searchlight Pictures. The singer-songwriter has written an original script for the movie, and has previously directed the music videos for her tracks "All Too Well" and "The Man."

Update 10/26/23, 3:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Chloe (@chloeandpercy).