A few days ago, the header photo got wide play, with many people suggesting that the photo showed Taylor Swift enjoying a lunch date with Conor Kennedy, her 18-year-old boyfriend, and her parents in Nashville. I think it does look like Conor Kennedy from behind, but Swifty’s people quickly rebuffed those reports, claiming that the dude was actually Swifty’s brother, and the photo is from June. Hm. But! There WERE sightings of Conor Kennedy and Swifty in Nashville. So… he probably did meet her parents…?
Taylor Swift’s love story with Conor Kennedy is moving to her home turf. On Thursday, Swift, 22, and Kennedy, 18, were spotted at Edley’s BBQ in Nasvhille, where she posed for pictures with fans.
“They were both very relaxed and casual and for the most part were left alone to enjoy their dinner with a friend,” one fan writes of the couple.
Writes another: “All I know is that she seems so, so happy right now and when Taylor is happy, so am I!”
Another photo posted by a fan shows Swift dining with her parents and a young man with shaggy hair.
Despite widespread reports that this was Conor meeting her parents, the photo actually depicts her brother at a Father’s Day meal in June, Swift’s rep tells PEOPLE.
A 22-year-old country music superstar brought her just-turned-18-years-old boyfriend home to Nashville and… I don’t know how to feel. I wonder how Conor’s dad feels about him moving so fast with Swifty? Traveling from Massachusetts to Tennessee with this girl, it seems kind of sketchy to me. Last week, tabloids claimed that the Kennedy family is actually becoming divided over Swifty’s sudden appearance on the shores of Hyannis Port. Some even feel like Swifty has “manipulated” her way into the inner fold, and that she’s taking advantage of a young kid who is emotionally vulnerable just a few months after he lost his mother. Thankfully, Page Six got an interesting take on the situation from a source who is solidly Team Swifty:
The romance between Taylor Swift and Conor Kennedy continues to blossom, with friends saying the singer’s “positive spirit” is helping him through the heartbreak of losing his mother.
Pals say the 22-year-old superstar has really helped 18-year-old Conor, the son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following the death of his mother Mary Richardson Kennedy. And Taylor has encouraged Conor to pursue his interest in whale research as well as take on the huge responsibility of becoming administrator of his late mother’s estate.
A source told us, “Taylor has a really generous and positive spirit, and the whole Kennedy family loves her. She met Ethel at Sundance in January [when the singer attended the screening of HBO documentary “Ethel”], and then she came out to visit the family at Hyannis Port on the Fourth of July. It has been a very difficult time for Conor, losing his mother, and Taylor has great positive energy. She is definitely helping him through this. He is so young and has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, becoming the administrator of his mother’s estate. It’s a lot of work, but he is smart and reliable, and will stand up to the role.”
The source said Conor has been doing volunteer work to help extract DNA from whales to research how the Gulf of Mexico oil spill affected the mammals. His father is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance, which campaigns for safe waterways worldwide.
Our source added, “Conor is a genuine guy and, like his father, is interested in environmental issues and is trying to save the world.”
Aside from spending time with the family, the Kennedy kids have been concentrating on personal projects as they grieve the loss of their mother. Kyra, 16, has been in Africa on a church mission. Fin, 14, has been at ski camp.
Conor’s half-sister Kick, 24, appears in HBO’s “Newsroom” and has been working with patients at Bellevue Hospital. She told us, “Conor has the biggest heart in the world, and Taylor is lovely. It’s been a tough summer, and I hope he gets to enjoy a little peace now.”
He’s administrator of his mother’s estate? That seems kind of odd, given his age. And I’m really not sure how much I buy this whole “Taylor has great positive energy, she’s helping him through all of it” take. Frankly, this whole thing is making my stomach churn. Even if Swifty isn’t actively trying to manipulate her way into the Kennedy clan (which she’s probably not), she is moving incredibly fast and working to make herself invaluable to a young guy who has had a really, really difficult year. Ugh. I really wish she would just take a step back.
Photos courtesy of Twitter, Fame/Flynet.
Were it not for the fact that she has squillions in her own name, I almost would have gone down the goldigger line of thinking.
Can you be a social/political goldigger?
or just a desperate singer that is trying to cling on to any high status man or boy…actually ya…lol. Ew
I think it’s a social/status/creepy obsession thing. She admitted to being fascinated with the Kennedys even before dating this kid.
I saw a photo in People that made me want to hurl — her sitting on a sailboat, all preppy, trying SO HARD to channel Camelot. Seriously creepy.
Grace Kelly’s father was a social/political climber and Prince Rainier needed the Kelly family money so, yes, a rich person can and will “marry up” to gain social/political status. I would not be surprised if Swifty was just so enamored by the thought of being with (or eventually being) a Kennedy to the point she specifically targeted Conor to be her bf and maybe even pushing the relationship to achieve her unicorns and rainbows American princess fantasy
Yep. Plus I hear she just bought the house across the street. I really hope that’s not true.
I’ve always felt something is off about taylor. She’s never photogd with any friends or family, only by herself feeding the ducks or some new dude whom never lasts and then she lyrically hates on them..Now she’s creepin on some 18 year old? Idk…something is definitely strange and I cannot quite put my finger on it..
Haha feeding the ducks.
Huh? She’s with a friend in almost every single set of candids. In this particular set, she was with her LA-based friend Ashley Avignone. Taylor, Ashley and Claire Kislinger seem to be inseparable when Taylor’s in LA. In Nashville, she hangs out with her band & dancers, as well as others in the music community. She’s also close with Selena Gomez and Emma Stone, and stays in touch with her high school BFF Abigail Anderson.
As for her family, her parents constantly accompanied on tour up until 2010, and are still often photographed with her. Her father and brother travelled with her on the Australian leg of her tour at the beginning of the year. And her brother was with her in Hyannis Port over the July 4 holiday.
Thanks for the info Taylor!
Well when they break up she BETTER not write a song about him. Good, bad, nothing. She’s a one trick pony and we all know it but if she’s so positive in his life and helping him she shouldn’t EVER exploit him and her time with him through one of her crappy, teeny-bopper songs.
I don’t get the Swifty love. The country fans are the extreme conservatives and Bible Belts yet this girl clearly phucked John Meyer (out of wedlock!?!?!?!) and people still think she’s so freshly laid snow pure?
I want some of whatever they’re smoking because it sounds heavenly to be that delusional. The way she whined over “Dear John” and him doing her wrong it’s like he got her pregnant and forced her to get rid of it it was so traumatic! It wasn’t that bad.
After that, how people see her as this innocent doe eyed, all sequin dresses girl is beyond comprehension.
Hahaha….this^^^
You’re right, IMO. Also, I’ve always got a “conniving vibe” from Taylor, the ‘one-trick pony.’ I loved how you termed her….great.
I dunno….yeah, her schtick, & she really encourages people to get that impression of her (fairy-tale princess)…LOL. There’s something about her beady eyes I don’t like. I get a kind of LeAnn Rimes crazy biotch vibe from Taylor Swift.
I think in this scenario, w/a Kennedy…a MUCH YOUNGER Kennedy….she seems a predator.
Not all country fans are severely conservative. That’s a broad generalization, like saying everyone who listens to rap music is a gangster, and that kind of thing. I personally enjoy country music, but am not a raging bible thumper, or an extreme conservative.
I think most of the people that see her as doe-eyed and innocent are her young fans, the same with the Biebs.
After some Swyifty die hard fan went wacko on me last week regarding my comment about her….it is so good to see I’m not the only one that is NOT drinking the koolaid. All the comments were really witty (true & witty). Yours however had me literally LOL…. Thanks:).
Over-rated. She is the female John Mayer. She is a predator. She’s childish. Singing a song about it doesn’t make the intention any less mean. How is it different from posting insults on Facebook? Ms.Swift is a bully and bitter.
Almost all singer-songwriters use their personal lives for inspiration. Taylor just gets more flack for it because she’s very famous right now. When all the gossip fades, her work will stand up imo.
She gets flack for it b/c she’s…childish and a predator! Artists frequently use their personal lives for inspiration, but they are usually capable of doing it in a more nuanced way and also find other areas of life inspiring. This chick is a developmentally arrested broken record who has used the same gimmick so many times that people have begun to question the legitimacy of what she presents. She’s old enough to be in graduate school. Fairy tale OVER.
I’m almost 22 and there is no way I would date an 18 year old boy. How does she go from John Mayer to a boy?
Well John Mayer is a teenager after the expiring date.
You mean how did she go from a boy to a boy?
This relationship won’t end well
I really hope my suspicions are wrong and this realtionship is totally healthy and normal. But something screams “WILL END BADLY” to me everything I hear about them.
Yeah, me too.
I hope she has good intentions. I lost my Mom when I was 19 and remember feeling very vulnerable and the need to fill this huge void. I definitely wasn’t in the right mindset to be in a romantic relationship. I wanted to feel loved, but not be in love. I’m not saying you can’t find that special someone in the midst of tragedy, but Conor is young and Taylor will fall in love with anything as long as it gives her attention. It’s all bad. Ugh. I’m sure she’ll write a song about it.. “It started as a fairy tale. Youuuu were a broken boy and I tried to fix you, but you just didn’t love meeeee…. Whoaaa whoaaa…”
Totally agree. Such a young age & such tragedy..his emotions are very vulnerable.
I really hope she doesn´t make things worse for him. She seems like a predator and my guts tell me that this won´t end well. This won´t end well.
This realtionship makes me feel icky. If she were a boy she would be labeled as seedy or worse. I just feel like they’re not on the same level. I honestly feel like she’s taking advantage of him.
I do feel sorry for him. He’s all funerals and family tragedy, while she’s all lovey and ponies. Not on the same level, IMO.
I’d venture to guess that he’s the more mature of the two.
I’ve been following his mother’s story and it is just so sad how his dad treated his mother especially after death.
I’m wondering why Conor is administrator of his mother’s estate when his mother was forced to borrow money just for groceries towards the end of her life and was desperately afraid of losing the dream home she had finished building when Conor’s dad sprang a divorce on her. I thought I read she was on the verge of bankruptcy? I find it despicable that Conor’s dad refused to turn his mother’s body over to her siblings and had her grave moved to a more remote site after the official ceremony – after he made show of burying Conor’s mother in a more “central” location.
Just judging by his father’s actions in treating women, Taylor better watch her back.
It was actually Conor and his sister who appeared in court before the funeral, asking the judge to let them bury their mother on Cape Cod where they could visit her easily. RFK Jr was in court to have the body released to him in the first place. Her body was moved because more family plots were acquired which will allow some of her children to be buried next to her.
Her body was moved WITHOUT the proper permits. One doesn’t just get to “relocate” a deceased, previously buried person as if they’re re-arranging their furniture to accommodate a new coffee table.
NOT how it works.
@ the original bellaluna Yes, I realize it was moved without proper permits, something I found distasteful and insensitive. However, their motives seem to be perfectly understandable?
He’s the candidate to be administrator to his mother’s estate because it would look bad if the father was in charge of it.
People is reporting that she just bought a home near the Kennedys…that is really creepy.
I just read that too-and I came here immediately to post! So creepy and stalkerish. I mean-he’s just 18 and they’ve been dating a few months-she had to buy a house right next door? I was always pretty neutral on this girl-I thought she seemed sweet and harmless. Now-ewwwwwwww.
I think the house buying is so much more than creepy, and verging right into psychotic territory.
Yeah I’m with you on the psychotic characterization. It’s one thing to start dressing preppy on the sailboat and picking up touch football but buying a house in the ‘hood after just weeks of dating is beyond creepy.
oh yeah.
Look I’m sure Taylor will write a song about the whole thing real soon. Eyes rolling.
she bought a home across the street from the kennedy compound-creepy! you’re dating an 18 year old for a month or so and you buy a home across the street from his grandparents? she’ moves way too fast in relationships-a sign of immaturity in my opinion
RFK Jr’s been dating Cheryl Hines for at least 3 years – the divorce wasn’t filed until 2010 (2012-2010 = 2 years, not 3) – so I’m sure he’s proud of his son. Those Kennedy men sure don’t let any grass grow under their feet, you know?
I don’t just don’t like her. I think her motives are suspect, at best; and unnerving/mentally unsound at worst.
Why any Kennedy would think a stunted-at-15-year-old woman-child who surrounds herself with cotton-candy fluff and unicorns and rainbows would be a good fit for their family needs a mental health eval.
And as I said above, I’m betting he’s the more mature of the two.
Okay buying a house near this guy’s family so soon is just creepy, even if he were 22 like her. And even worse given all the crap he’s going through right now. How can someone that young who just lost a parent three months ago be emotionally ready for a romantic relationship?
I wonder how she’ll make herself be the victim this time. With “Dear John” she used the fact that she was much younger than him to claim that he shouldn’t have messed with someone so young. Can’t do that this time around since she’s the older one.
And if she’s doing this for PR reasons then it might backfire on her. Everywhere on the gossip Internet I see comments about how she’s moving way too fast and calling her an idiot. A Taylor Swift backlash might actually be happening.
I agree the house buying is creepy there is something so off about all this; the kennedy aura may be largely passe, this girl is cunninng but certainly not bright in the intellectual sense a more spiffed up version of Sarah palin imho, I never liked her and I know her music appeals to a certain demo, but my God it is treacly juvenile immature stuff, i think this does confirm that celebs live in a very distorted unreal world when you have handlers running much of your life, reality tends to disappear.
Grace, you surely can’t believe her “music” will stand up, it is utterly generic drivel, this isn’t Janis Joplin or Aretha Franklin we’re talking about.
I am so glad people are agreeing that this is sketchy as Hell. Something has ALWAYS seemed off about her, even though I don’t follow her or know much about her. It’s the same “eugh”-ness with Katy Perry- the candy shell doesn’t match what lies beneath.
Her terrible singing is going to drive him away lol. She’s been with too many old men. Let the kid be with a fresh young lady who hasnt been defiled by old dudes. She’s got tons of baggage.
Let’s not forget about the prancing around she was doing with Jake Gyllenhaal in Park Slope, Brooklyn. I think he saw right through her. He dumped her real quick! The Nashville Babe from PENNSYLVANIA! Please. She gives me the creeps the way she runs into guys arms every few months. In my day that was called a whore. I think her mom fancies herself a Carole Middleton (Kate’s Mom).