From an Ellen DeGeneres Tattoo to a Potential Hayley Kiyoko Collab: All the Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's New Music Video

In proper Taylor Swift fashion, the music video for "You Need to Calm Down" features dozens of easter eggs

01 of 10

"You Need to Calm Down!"

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

Taylor Swift, 29, released the celebrity-packed music video for single “You Need To Calm Down” Monday, and in proper Swift fashion, the video is filled with unending easter eggs.

From LGBTQ references to potential collabs, the singer left her Swifties pausing and playing the new video trying to spot every single reference.

Here they are, so you don't have to!

02 of 10

It's 13 o'clock!

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

By now, everyone knows that Swift has an affinity for the number 13. She was born on Dec. 13, the release date for her album Lover is on Aug. 23, 2019 (which adds up to 13) and throughout her career she’s sneaked in the number in her music.

This music video is definitely not the exception! In a close-up of Swift’s watch, the 13 replaced the typical 1 on it — a brief, yet clever nod to the singer’s favorite number. Now, fans can sport the same watch, as Swift included it in a merch release after the music video premiered.

The watch also features the newest addition to her cat family: Benjamin Button! Swift’s newest kitten was introduced to fans when Brendon Urie handed her a kitten during the “ME!” music video.

“When I started holding him I was obviously in love with him and his handler was like ‘He doesn’t have a home’ and he looked at me like ‘Adopt me, please,’” the singer said during an Instagram Live introducing the kitten.

03 of 10

Bye, Karyn! Hello, butterflies.

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

Taylor’s snake days are over!

We get a closer look at the single cover of “You Need To Calm Down” in the music video when the camera zooms in on Swift’s tattooed back featuring a lonesome snake, with dozens of butterflies flying from it.

It’s clear that the reputation era is behind her now — and maybe Karyn, the inflatable snake used on Swift's tour, is too. The singer included a similar snake-to-butterfly theme at the beginning of the “ME!music video when butterflies began to fly after a slithering snake explodes into a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

04 of 10

A Hayley Kiyoko Collab?

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

One of the many LGBTQ celebrity appearances comes from Hayley Kiyoko, dubbed by fans as Lesbian Jesus.

Fans are thinking that Kiyoko's cameo teased a little more than just the duo’s friendship — the “Girls Like Girls” singer shoots an arrow at a target with the number five on it. Will the duo collab on track No. 5 of Lover?

Whether or not the two collaborate on it, track 5 must be significant, as she appeared on her Entertainment Weekly cover sporting a pin with the words "track 5" on it.

Kiyoko and Swift became friends after some bashed the "What I Need" singer and accused her of throwing shade at Swift during an interview. Swift defended Kiyoko.

The two women used the moment to become friends, which Kiyoko appeareing on the Reputation World Tour stage alongside Swift, where the two performed “Delicate."

05 of 10

Lover galore!

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

In multiple scenes during the video, fans spotted the name of Swift’s upcoming album, Lover.

Toward the beginning, Swift checks her phone and chucks it onto her bed. Emblazoned on the glittery case is the word "Lover" in the same cursive font used for the album’s cover. Fans can have their own Swift case.

The word “Lover” also appears in another sequence where Swift is sipping from a plastic straw. Fans were introduced to Lover when she released the “ME!” music video.

When asked about her album title, Swift told The Independent, “I think you’ll see it once and hear it twice.”

“ME!” includes the lyric “Baby doll, when it comes to a lover” and both the lyric video and music video feature the word “lover” in the same cursive font as the album cover.

06 of 10

Return to sender?

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

Is Swift teasing a new song... on a small mailbox?

One scene shows Dexter Mayfield and Hannah Hart in front of their trailer, with an overflowing milbox with the words “Love Letters Only” painted on it. Perhaps it's just a symbol of receiving notes about love, but could it also be a title of one of Lover’s tracks?

Mayfield’s appearance in the clip isn't the first time he cameos in a pop queen’s music video. The plus-sized model was featured in Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” video. Hart, on the other hand, is the lesbian-in-chef of the YouTube series My Drunk Kitchen. Hart is a Swiftie herself.

07 of 10

A tattooed talk show host

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

Adam Lambert gives Ellen DeGeneres a tattoo in the video — and what was put on her arm raised some eyebrows.

The words “Cruel Summer” were written on the talk show host’s arm, and fans think that this might be the title of a new track.

The DeGeneres cameo was hinted at over a month ago when Swift appeared on The Ellen Show. Fans were clueless that it would actually happen!

“I think you said you wanted me in it,” DeGeneres says in the interview.

“I mean, yeah, that would be a dream,” Swift responds. “Would you want to do that?”

“Hmm I don’t know. I’ll think about it for sure,” Ellen says, unenthusiastically. “Okay. Yeah, I’ll do it,” she later added.

08 of 10

Cher-ing is caring!

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

Introducing us to the video’s colorful trailer park world, the camera focuses on a framed painting with the feminist-inspiring Cher quote, “Mom, I am a rich man.”

The iconic quote is straight from a 1996 interview with Cher, where the musical legend says that men are really not a necessity, and instead are a luxury, like dessert.

“I adore dessert, I love men,” the "Believe" singer said in that interview. And it seems like Swift loves dessert, too — the music video is filled with sweets and pastries. In one frame, she puts cotton candy in a blender and the video ends with a cake-throwing fight.

09 of 10

Ryan Reynolds or Bob Ross?

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

Toward the end of the colorful video, Ryan Reynolds makes a special appearance.

In a Bob Ross-esque moment, the actor is seen painting a replica of iconic New York City LGBTQ bar Stonewall Inn.

Just last week, Swift appearaed at the Stonewall Inn for an intimate performance. The singer has used this era to promote LGBTQ equality and even includes a nod to LGBT organization GLAAD in the lyric video for "You Need to Calm Down."

Reynolds, 42, is no stranger to paying homage to Ross. In a teaser promoting Deadpool 2, the actor (in his Deadpool costume) portrayed the iconic PBS painter.

10 of 10

A happy meal!

Taylor Swift - You Need To Calm Down
Taylor Swift/YouTube

The biggest surprise in the music video comes when Katy Perry, sporting her Met Gala burger suit, unites with french fry-wearing Swift signaling the official end to a longtime feud.

Last week, Perry, 34, shared a picture of a plate of cookies from Swift on Instagram. The words "peace at last" were written in red icing and Perry captioned the photo, "feels good."

Could "Peace at Last" be the title of a Katy-Taylor collab in the works — or was it just a precursor to Monday's surprise appearance?

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