Who is Austin Swift?

Austin Swift, Taylor Swift’s younger brother, has been a loyal supporter throughout her rise to fame, though he’s generally kept a lower profile. Recently, he gained more attention by joining Taylor at a Kansas City Chiefs game on November 4, 2024, where she cheered on her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Born on March 11, 1992, in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Austin is about two-and-a-half years younger than Taylor. The Swift family, originally from a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania, moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to support Taylor’s music aspirations. While Taylor pursued country music, Austin took a different route, following his passion for film.

Austin attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated in 2015 with a degree in film studies. Film had been a source of comfort for Austin, who often found himself turning to the movies during his school years. As he shared in a 2017 Vanity Fair interview, characters like Daniel Craig’s and Christian Bale’s became his “friends” when he didn’t have many of his own.

After college, Austin broke into acting, with his first role in the 2016 thriller I.T. He went on to appear in Ben Affleck’s Live by Night and had his first leading role in Cover Versions in 2018. His most recent acting role was in the 2019 movie Braking for Whales. Austin also ventured into TV, making appearances on the CMT comedy Still the King with Billy Ray Cyrus and the political satire Embeds in 2017.

Though he enjoyed acting, Austin’s interest in filmmaking extended beyond acting. He started working behind the scenes on his sister Taylor’s music videos. He was a producer for the 2009 You Belong With Me video and an executive producer for the 2011 video for Mean. In 2020, he took on a more prominent production role as an executive producer for Taylor Swift: Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, which offered fans a look at the creative process behind Taylor’s Folklore album. Austin also co-produced Taylor’s 2021 music video for I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version), directed by actress Blake Lively.

Taylor often references her close bond with Austin in her music. On her 2008 album Fearless, she honors him in The Best Day, singing, “God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he’s better than I am.” In Never Grow Up from her 2010 album Speak Now, she adds a tender line about “All your little brother’s favorite songs,” capturing their sibling connection in her lyrics.