Regardless of whether you’re a Swifty or a The 1975 stan, you will have by now heard the buzz online over rumours that Taylor Swift is dating the band’s frontman and resident problematic British boy Matty Healy. I know, we were surprised too—especially given Healy’s history with questionable comments and actions. Of course, Swift has also had her moments in the past, so maybe this actually makes total sense.

What is very surprising though, is the fact that the Grammy award-winning artist is now teaming up with gen Z icon and rapper Ice Spice—an artist who was actively laughed at and mocked by Healy himself on a podcast earlier this year.

For those of you who might not have caught up on the recent events, in January 2023, Healy appeared on an episode of The Adam Friedland Show in which co-host Nick Mullen made racist remarks over Ice Spice’s ethnicity, calling her an “inuit spice girl” and a “chubby Chinese lady.” Chinese and Hawaiian accents were also reportedly mocked, all while Healy can be heard laughing along in the background. To say it’s an uncomfortable listen would be a serious understatement.

@chang3ofheart

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The disgusting remarks thankfully saw the episode pulled from Spotify and Apple and, as reported by Rolling Stone in April, Healy issued an apology to the rapper during a concert in New Zealand. Issuing a public apology after receiving a torrent of backlash doesn’t really hit the same, nor does it excuse his behaviour.

“I just feel a bit bad, and I’m kind of a bit sorry if I’ve offended you,” The 1975 frontman told the audience, adding: “Ice Spice, I’m sorry. It’s not because I’m annoyed that me joking got misconstrued. It’s because I don’t want Ice Spice to think I’m a dick. I love you, Ice Spice. I’m so sorry.”

@arlysversion

Replying to @pacciu92 **video not mine** #fyp #fypシ #fypage #fypシ゚viral #foryou #foryoupage #mattyhealy1975 #mattyhealytiktok #icematty #icespice #fyp #fypシ #fypage #fypシ゚viral #foryou #foryoupage #foryourpage

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Apologies are important, but this one screams of a lack of understanding or willingness to accept responsibility over the incident. I’m not sure he even realises how harmful the jokes were, which is even worse. Ice Spice didn’t publicly respond to Healy’s half-hearted apology, but her recent collab with Swift might imply that she’s moved on from the incident.

https://twitter.com/icespicee_/status/1661423928533712909?s=20

So, why is Swift partnering with Ice Spice now? Is this just industry matchmaking at its finest? Clearly, pairing ‘America’s sweetheart’ up with one of gen Z’s hottest stars right now is a good move, but maybe the ‘August’ singer should address the elephant in the room first, aka her potentially bigoted boyfriend.

Regardless of the motivations behind this surprising collaboration, we’re glad Ice Spice is getting the recognition she deserves. We just wish Swift would be more transparent over the rumours that she’s dating someone as problematic as Healy. If you’re going to parade him round like a Balenciaga purse, you need to just own it and be upfront with your fans.