Taylor Swift and Dakota Johnson sweetly hugged while watching the premiere of the singer’s “Patient Zero” music video at the MTV VMAs 2026 ceremony on Sunday.
Swift was seen holding her friend close with one hand as she held her shiny new Moonman trophy in the other.
Meanwhile, the “Fifty Shades of Grey” actress clutched Swift’s hand as they both looked giddy viewing their project.
At one point, Johnson pointed at herself on screen as the two pals smiled proudly at their collaboration.
Johnson, who stars in the video alongside Colin Farrell, had just presented Swift with the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors award.
Swift thanked her fans while accepting the award before announcing the premiere of the video — just days after the song hit streaming services last Friday.
She also won the Video of the Year award, thanking the late Dolly Parton for being an inspiration to her.
This year’s awards show, hosted by Snoop Dogg at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, marks a major milestone for the pop star, as the honor made Swift the most-awarded solo artist at the MTV VMAs.
The new honor, according to a press release, is meant to celebrate “groundbreaking music artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling.”
This award breaks her and Beyoncé’s tieas the most decorated artists in VMAs history with — up to this point — 30 wins each.
Additionally, Swift was nominated in multiple categories this year, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Best Visual Effects.
The songwriter chose the VMAs to debut the music video for her latest single.
Swift announced the news on Thursday while teasing a clip from the project.
“Patient Zero” is one of four new songs that were released Friday as part of “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.”
While many Swifties believe the song is a scathing diss track about her ex Joe Jonas, the “Better Than Revenge” hitmaker clarified the inspiration to “Capital FM.”
“I was hanging out with a bunch of friends, and one of my friends told us that she had been reached out to by the new girlfriend of an ex of hers, asking for guidance on if she had had the same experiences with this guy,” she explained.
“Everyone in our group just immediately started saying like, ‘Oh, I’ve been through that too’, and telling the stories of when this kind of reach out had happened for them.”
As for “Cleveland!,” the song is an homage to Swift’s husband, Travis Kelce — and even features a nod to their July wedding.
In the lyrics, Swift clapped back at those hating on the relationship and delivered her raunchiest line yet: “The taste of me is acquired, but it’s his favorite dish.”
She and Kelce, 36, have been together since the summer of 2023, with the Kansas City Chiefs player missing from her VMAs appearance that year and the one after.
However, Swift thanked the athlete in a 2024 acceptance speech, gushing, “Everything this man touches turns into happiness and fun and magic.”
Swift was not in attendance in 2025.
The post Watch Taylor Swift, Dakota Johnson react to ‘Patient Zero’ music video as it debuts at MTV VMAs appeared first on Page Six.
