Time for a History Lesson on Taylor Swift and Dakota Johnson’s Friendship

Both Taylor Swift and Dakota Johnson have seemingly been everywhere you look this month—and while they haven’t been together, their names have certainly been included in the same stories. Dakota had a meetup with MGK at Taylor’s house after reportedly meeting him at Taylor’s wedding, and Taylor announced that Dakota would be starring in her new music video for “Patient Zero”...which is rumored to be part of the soundtrack for Dakota’s new movie, Verity.And if you’re thinking, “Hi, when did these two become friends?” then the answer might surprise you, because they’ve actually been tight for over a decade. Let’s take it back to the beginning of Taylor and Dakota’s friendship, starting with...Jump to:February 2015October 2016January 2024March 2024May 2025April 2026July 2026August 2026September 2026February 2015Both Taylor and Dakota attend the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Celebration, where Dakota hosts a special audience Q&A and Taylor makes a surprise cameo in “The Californians” sketch.D Dipasupil//Getty ImagesGary Gershoff//Getty ImagesDid the two actually meet this night? Unclear!! But there’s a good chance!October 2016A year and a half later, fans first become aware of their friendship on Dakota’s 27th birthday, when Cara Delevingne posts a (since-deleted) Instagram photo of herself and Dakota on a FaceTime call with Taylor.Instagram“Happy birthday @dakotajohnson #facetimefamilyphoto @taylorswift,” she captions the post.Just a week later on October 12, the three of them are spotted going to dinner at NYC’s Waverly Inn...Raymond Hall//Getty Images...and then again the following night going to Bowery Ballroom with a group that includes Lily Donaldson, Serena Williams, Martha Hunt, Karlie Kloss, and Zoë Kravitz, among others.Raymond Hall//Getty ImagesJanuary 2024While hosting SNL, Dakota alludes to the SNL40 anniversary and gives Taylor a shoutout during her opening monologue, calling Tay “someone who would become the most powerful person in America” as part of a bit. (You’ve gotta just watch it to get it.)March 2024Dakota opens up about her friendship with Taylor to Bustle, calling her “really radical.” She adds, “She’s a fabulous songwriter. She works so hard. She is really kind to the people that love her.”May 2025Tay and Dakota step out for a night on the town with their brothers—Austin Swift and Jesse Johnson—at NYC’s Via Carota.April 2026Dakota is named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026, and Taylor is tapped to pen her profile, where she calls Dakota “one of the most empathetic people I’ve ever known.”July 2026Taylor ties the knot with Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, and Dakota is one of the 1,000 lucky guests in attendance (as is MGK, which is reportedly where they first cross paths).August 2026Dakota and Taylor enjoy a rare girls’ night out at Bird Streets Club in L.A., according to Deuxmoi.September 2026Dakota is spotted meeting up with MGK at Taylor’s Tribeca compound on September 11 before they head out to dinner at Estela.BACKGRIDAn Us Weekly source later explains, “They hit it off and wanted some privacy. So, Dakota contacted Taylor, and Taylor said she wasn’t home, so they could use her place.”The insider adds, “Apparently, Taylor lets her close friends use her place when she’s away.”Not long after on September 24, Taylor reveals that a “Patient Zero” music video is dropping at the VMAs...starring Dakota!Dakota is asked about the collab at the London premiere of Verity later that night, and she says, “Working with your friends is like the most fun thing on the planet because we’ve known each other for so long, we respect each other’s creative minds, and to be able to work alongside her and support and assist and be a person whom she tells what to do is wonderful.”She also talked about her excitement on Ambar Lee and Leah Briars’ Fangirl Nation podcast, saying, “Taylor and I have been friends for a really long time and we’re very close, and we decided to work together and it’s great. Normally I would say ‘Don’t work with your friends,’ but we work really well together. It was so fun. So fun. It was the best. We just had the best time.”Here’s hoping we get more cute moments from these low-key friends soon!