Taylor Swift “Patient Zero” Music Video Teaser: All the Easter Eggs

Sep 24, 2026 - 19:04

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Bet you’re thinking about all the Easter eggs in Taylor Swift’s latest announcement.

Just one day after confirming The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, Swift revealed that the music video for the expansion project’s single “Patient Zero,” will star Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell and premiere at the VMAs Sept. 27.

In a 13-second teaser shared to her Instagram Sept. 24, Swift is seen starring in the upcoming video alongside Johnson and Farrell. The clip highlights the video’s somber tones, with one scene seeing Johnson and Swift standing in front of a gravestone that appears to have the words “daughter” and “gone too soon” on the front.

One fan considered the moment to be a call back to Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, where she rises from a grave marked with the pseudonym she used to write “This is What You Came For” with ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris.

“TTPD Taylor Swift CONFRONTING her Nils Sjöberg reputation era grave?” the fan wrote on X. “Not ready for this music video of ‘Patient Zero.’"

Meanwhile, Johnson and Farrell’s casting in the music video appears to be an Easter egg in and of itself. In an Emmys 2026 sketch, Swift—whose Encore project will release Sept. 25—delivered a confusing jumble of words including “Saccharide, Ares, from the vineyard, North or South,” and one fan noted that the Verity actress could be the answer to the final clue.

“‘North or South’” the fan posited in an X post, referencing the states bearing Johnson’s first name, “Being an Easter egg for (Dakota) Johnson.”

As for Farrell? “Saccharide” could be a nod to his role in the Apple TV drama Sugar. As one X user put it, “Colin Farrell literally plays John Sugar in Sugar the TV show!!!!"

What’s more, the Banshees of Inisherin star’s relationship with the late Elizabeth Taylor could be the reason for his involvement. After all, Swift has long expressed her love for the Cleopatra actress and even included an homage to her on the original The Life of a Showgirl album with the song “Elizabeth Taylor.”

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After Farrell and Taylor happened to be at a hospital at the same exact time in 2009, it created an unexpected friendship that lasted until the Hollywood star’s death in 2011.

“I loved Elizabeth,” Farrell said in a speech at The Elizabeth Taylor ball in 2022. “I was fortunate enough to be her friend the last few years of her life.”

And even the cinematographer for the “Patient Zero” music video, Emmanuel Lubezki, proves to be another Easter egg cracked. In addition to the three-time Academy Award winner taking home an honor for Birdman, a film about a former film star taking a gamble to revitalize his career, he also worked on Digger, the upcoming Tom Cruise film.

Earlier this month, Swift attended husband Travis Kelce’s first NFL game of the season—and naturally her seatmate at Arrowhead Stadium was none other than Cruise.

For more The Life of a Showgirl Easter eggs, keep reading…

TaylorSwift.com

Taylor Swift Put Up a Countdown Clock

Taylor Swift wouldn't have had a countdown clock on her website ticking down to "12 AT 12:12 AM ET," set against a glittery orange background, for no reason.

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images

Taylor's Version of an Elaborate Album Tease

On Aug. 12, 2024, Taylor was photographed in a matching plaid miniskirt and cropped jacket—but there was nothing clueless about it.

As pointed out by super-sleuth Kristen (@perfectlyfine89), not only could it be construed that Taylor is making very purposeful eye contact with the camera, but also the orange and green print of her outfit matches the color palette of the cover of The Life of a Showgirl, which Taylor revealed exactly one year later on Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast.

In an episode teaser posted at 12:12 a.m. ET on Aug. 12, 2025, Taylor picked up a mint-green briefcase emblazoned with "T.S." in orange and pulled out the cover of what will be her 12th studio album. Blurred for now, but obviously green and orange.

Of course, Taylor is pretty mad about plaid, and she also wore a tartan print to the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards—where she said the fateful words "my boyfriend Travis."

TaylorSwift.com

Did Taylor Swift Subtly Reveal the Release Date of The Life of a Showgirl?

The Life of a Showgirl is already available to preorder from Taylor's website, which notes that whatever hard copy you desire—vinyl, CD or cassette—will ship before Oct. 13.

Fair enough, Taylor's connection to the number 13 well-established. But, as Kristen also noticed, Oct. 3 (a.k.a. 10-3) not only adds up to 13, it's both National Plaid Day and National Boyfriend's Day. See above.

John Shearer/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Orange You Glad the Fans Are Always On It?

Hindsight is always 20/13 in the Taylorverse. On the morning of Aug. 11, the official Taylor Nation social accounts posted a carousel of 12(!) pics showing Taylor onstage in a variety of orange ensembles, captioned, "Thinking about when she said 'See you next era…"

Travis Kelce's Key Assist

Travis and Jason made a half-hearted trick play when they teased a "VERY special guest" on a "special episode" of New Heights—dropping Aug. 13 at 7 p.m. ET, mind you—including what to even amateur Swifties was obviously a silhouette of Taylor in the post.

Gary Hershorn/Getty Images, Aeon/GC Images

New York Hearts Taylor Swift Right Back

The top of the Empire State Building was preemptively lit up orange in honor of the occasion. The official X account for the New York City landmark posted a photo of the color-coordinated building on Aug. 11 at 1:45 p.m. ET, captioned, "See you next era."

John Shearer/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Low-Hanging Orange Fruit

A TikTok from Oct. 18, 2024, her first Miami show of the Eras Tour, showed Taylor standing in front of section A12 (Aug. 12, album 12?!) at Hard Rock Stadium.

Then she proceeded to wear a glittery orange bodysuit when she declared, "Miami, we are so back!" and then a green skirt and orange bustier during the 1989 portion of the concert, not to mention a very show girl-esque white feathery costume as she belted "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"?

Her way of saying that her next album was finished and this is what it looks like?

To be fair, orange and green are also the official Miami Hurricanes colors—but hey, two things can be true at the same time.

Dan MacMedan/Getty Images, Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images

Spotted on Spotify

There's already a Spotify playlist prophetically titled "And, baby, that's show business for you," featuring the now emblematic orange T.S. initials against a green background.

There are, ahem, 22 existing Taylor songs, all produced by Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback (a.k.a. Karl Johan Schuster), bolstering fans' speculation that she wrote the entirety of The Life of a Showgirl while on tour in Europe and these two helped her pull it off.

Instagram

Did You Catch These Possible Variants?

Fans noticed that the background of the New Heights podcast featured multiple boxes in orange, red, white and purple bearing her initials "T.S."—hinting at possible variations of the album or more music to come.

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation

Let's Applaud These Lady Gaga Collab Rumors

Taylor herself liked a fan theory on X (formerly Twitter) that pointed out how Lady Gaga released her song "Applause" 12 years to the day on Aug. 12 when Taylor announced Life of a Showgirl. The significance? Taylor had used "Applause" as her lead-in song before opening the Eras Tour each night, along with Lesley Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me."

Taylor liked a fan's post that hinted at a possible Gaga collab: "Is this just the most insane coincidence or like is she clinically insane.”

TAS2024/Getty Images for TAS

Get a Taste of This Sabrina Carpenter Theory

Swifties began speculating Sabrina Carpenter may be involved on Life of a Showgirl after she appeared in the 12th slide of a photo gallery from Taylor Nation teasing the next era. Not to mention, Sabrina unveiled a message on her website with the date Aug. 12.

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