Find out all the “Anti-Hero” Easter eggs.
Taylor Swift “Anti-Hero” Video Easter Eggs
The video opens with Swift eating breakfast: A happy face made with sunny-side-up eggs, a piece of broccoli for a nose and a bacon mouth. It’s a reach, but this may be a callback to the “breakfast at midnight” line from “22.” We see a ghost appear wearing a sheet, aviators and a cowboy hat. Swift runs off in terror. VEVO Could the ghost represent not just people she’s ghosted, but the country music community that she was accused of abandoning in favor of pop stardom? Or a version of “The Old Taylor” that she said died in “Look What You Made Me Do?” VEVO Swift flees to a rotary landline phone and a second ghost appears. The phone cord is disconnected, and she runs and hides in a corner. As she screams, another ghost with heart-shaped sunglasses and a crown of laurels raises a glass of whiskey to her. She runs to the front door, opens it and sees another version of herself in a leotard similar to those she’s worn on tour (especially during the Red and 1989 eras), introducing herself: “It’s me! Hi! I’m the problem, it’s me!” Swift and her alter-ego do shots together and high-five. VEVO VEVO Later, Swift sits down and plays a blue guitar while her alter-ego, standing up, smashes one next to her. Could it reference Phoebe Bridgers, who dueted with Swift on evermore and smashed a guitar on Saturday Night Live? Swift’s alter-ego stands next to a chalkboard and points to an all-caps message reading, “EVERYONE WILL BETRAY YOU.” Swift takes notes and nods. VEVO In the next scene, a group of diverse characters sits at a table while Swift, as a giant, waves from a doorway and frightens them and crawls into the room. VEVO A man with a bow and quiver (remember “The Archer” from Lover?) shoots her with an arrow, eliciting more blue-violet sparkles from the hit. VEVO She grabs the cloth from the group’s dinner table and sends their meal into disarray as they flee the room. She covers her wound with a button that says “VOTE FOR ME FOR EVERYTHING.” This may reference her desire to win literally every Grammy and being let down when she lost Album of the Year for Red. VEVO VEVO She eats their food and drinks their wine, then jumps on a bed with her alter-ego, who shoves her down. They then do more shots together, and Swift vomits into her hard-partying alter-ego’s lap. Her alter-ego is disgusted. We then see Swift step onto a scale, which just reads “FAT.” Her alter-ego shakes her head in disapproval. Swift sings elsewhere on the album (namely track 5) about her eating disorder, which she previously revealed in the documentary Taylor Swift: Miss Americana. VEVO In a behind-the-scenes photo Swift shared from the “Anti-Hero” video, we get a closer look at her alter-ego, and she rocks cat-eye liner—like the one described in “Vigilante S**t,” perhaps? VEVO We then see a funeral which appears to be for an elderly Swift, who is pictured holding cats—all of whom resemble Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey, and Benjamin Button. Taylor Swift Her last will and testament are unrolled, reading, “The last will and testament of Taylor A. Swift: I bequeath the majority of my assets to the following: Meredith Grey Swift, Olivia Benson Swift, Benjamin Button Swift. The beach house will be converted into a cat sanctuary for the aforementioned. And to my children, I leave 13 cents each.” VEVO Mike Birbiglia is Preston and Mary Elizabeth Ellis is Kimber, and John Early’s Chad play Swift’s kids, who are mortified at being left nothing. Chad, who appears to be a DJ, says that there’s “probably a secret encoded message that means something else.” Preston reads, “P.S. There’s no secret encoded message that means something else. Love, Taylor.” VEVO As he reads, Swift lifts the coffin lid slightly and peeks out before closing it again. Kimber accuses Chad of “finally pushing [Swift] too far,” while Preston says that Chad was “always trading on mom’s name.” Does anyone else get Calvin Harris vibes from Chad? Just a little? Preston says Kimber is wearing Swift’s clothes from Fearless era circa 2009. Chad, who’s been recording the wake for his Swift-themed podcast, accuses Kimber of murdering Swift by pushing her off of a balcony. Preston says Chad went too far and the wake descends into chaos. Swift comes out of the coffin and no one notices her. Swift is seen sitting on her rooftop when her alter-ego appears and they share wine from the bottle. They see a third giant version of Swift and wave her over to join them. The giant Swift kneels in front of the house that the first two sit atop and drinks wine with them. Next, look back at 13 of Taylor Swift’s sweetest fan surprises!
