6 minutes readPop star Taylor Swift has always drawn inspiration for her music from her personal life, and that includes her family. In her song “The Best Day,” she sings: “God is smiling on my brother inside and out, he is better than me.”
The younger brother in question is actor and producer Austin Swift, who has always stood behind his sister throughout the evolution of her career. In a 2023 interview with Time magazine after winning Person of the Year, she said: “My mom, dad, and brother have come up with some of the best ideas of my career. We always joke that we’re a small family business.”
So here’s everything you need to know about her younger brother, Austin Swift, who is part of Taylor’s essential behind-the-scenes support system.
Learn more about Taylor Swift
Who is Austin Swift?
Austin Swift was born on March 11, 1992, just three years after his older sister was welcomed by her parents, Andrea and Scott Swift. The two children spent their childhoods on the famous Swift Christmas Tree Farm in Pennsylvania, then moved to Nashville when Austin was about nine years old to support Taylor’s music career.
Creativity runs in families. Austin has been a huge movie buff since childhood and studied film and acting at the University of Notre Dame. He told Vanity Fair in 2017 that as a child, when he felt alienated from his peers, he turned to movies for connection.
“I used to go to the movies and Daniel Craig was my friend, Christian Bale was my friend, Clive Owen was my friend, Viggo Mortensen was my friend,” he said.
In a 2018 interview with People magazine, he said, “I’m pretty reserved in all situations, so I didn’t think[acting]was for me. But then I kind of fell in love with it and realized it might be an opportunity to be creative.”
While attending the University of Notre Dame, he landed the lead role in the play “Six Characters in Search of an Author,” which he told People was a big mental challenge.
“I got really worried that I wasn’t good enough,” Austin explained. “It became clear that I needed to buckle up or leave. I stayed after rehearsal every night and performed the entire play by myself over and over again, performing every part until the sun came up…By the first day, it had become a different play and I felt like I was a different person.”
Austin graduated in 2015 and made his film debut in the 2016 thriller IT, followed by Live by Night in the same year. In 2017, he appeared on TV in the series “Still the King” with Embeds and Billy Ray Cyrus. Other notable roles include “Cover Versions,” “We Summon the Darkness” and “Braking for Whales.”
The actor has also branched out into producing, and is credited as executive producer on Taylor’s Disney+ documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions.
As for his personal life, Austin was first reported to be dating model Sydney Ness in September 2022, and since then, she has been spotted out and about with the entire Swift family.
Are he and Swift close?
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Austin passionately talked about how his sister’s talent and commitment to her career was an inspiration to him.
“She found singing, and I knew early on that that was her direction. She was never going to quit. It was her job and her life,” he said. “And I was always doing a little bit of this or that.”
“What I learned myself and what I learned from watching her is respect. Just respecting everyone’s time, everyone you work with. They’ve all been there, it’s their whole life, and you have to do the work to deserve it.”
Apart from the obvious admiration between them, they also work well together. In 2022, Austin received an ACM nomination for his work as a producer on the music video “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version),” which was directed by Taylor’s close friend Blake Lively.
“I was so lucky to work with Blake, Taylor, and the entire amazing team that created the ‘I Bet You Think About Me’ video, and I’m so proud and grateful to now be nominated for Video of the Year at the ACM Awards!” Austin wrote on Instagram when the news was announced.
Taylor also shared a photo with Austin on National Siblings Day 2020 and the premiere of his film We Summon The Darkness, and spoke warmly about her brother. In the caption, she wrote how proud she was of one of her “best friends.”
That same year, he celebrated the release of her album Evermore, writing, “I couldn’t be more proud of her as a brother and friend. As a lifelong fan, I’m thrilled beyond words. As a human being, I’m simply stunned by this level of artistry and depth of insight into what it means to love, lose, and just be.”
On his 29th birthday in 2018, Austin shared an adorable photo of them together as kids.
“I will always have a best friend, role model, and caring, tireless, and dedicated champion in my corner,” he shared. “You pulled me out of the fire and took me to the mountains. It has been the greatest privilege and honor of my life to witness you grow into the amazing person you are today.”
And on her 27th birthday, he wrote some equally sweet words along with an equally cute photo.
What does Austin think of Travis Kelce?
Austin hasn’t spoken publicly about Taylor’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, but he has shown some support for the Kansas City Chiefs player. On Christmas Day 2023, Austin was in Kansas City with his parents and Austin’s girlfriend to watch Kelce’s team play the Las Vegas Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. At the VIP box, the support guy was wearing a Santa Claus costume.
The brothers arrived together in a golf cart, with Austin ringing a golden bell.
On the New Heights Podcast, Kelce reflected on the festive atmosphere of the Christmas game and shared a gift from Austin.
“His gifts really made me feel like a kid because they were straight out of the bag,” Kelce said. “It was in Santa’s bag. He took it out and gave me a VHS copy of my favorite football movie, ‘Little Giants.’
Ness and Austin also attended the Super Bowl in February 2024, watching Kelce win the big game.
What role did Austin play in Taylor getting her master back?
During an August 2025 appearance on the New Heights Podcast, Taylor recalled that he sent his mother and brother to see Shamrock Capital when he tried to buy back the master recordings of his first six albums. “Instead of sending a large team of lawyers and executives, I sent my mother and brother, who I work with, to Los Angeles,” she said. “They told them what this meant to me… They told me all the times we tried to buy it, all the times we failed, all the times we planned together and figured out something we thought would work, but at the last moment it didn’t work.”
A few months later, while she was in Kansas City with her then-boyfriend, Travis Kelce, her mother called. “She was like, ‘I get your music,'” Taylor said. “And I just got slammed to the floor dramatically.”
Kelsey was the first person she said this to. “I’m just crying, rolling my eyes and crying. I thought, ‘I’ve got all my music back,’ and I just completely started crying.”
“I started crying too,” Kelce admitted. “I’m so happy for you, because I’ve seen how you make music, how you make these videos, and the effort and focus and strategy behind it, and I’m just amazed that you’ve been able to do this all your life.”
What role did Austin play in the development of Life of a Showgirl?
During an Oct. 8 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Swift talked about how her family, including her brother Austin, joined her for the opening week of Life of a Showgirls.
“This is my first album release, and I’ve been spending the whole album release with my mom, dad, and brother,” she said.
“The fact that they wanted to come the week of my release made perfect sense to me,” she continued. “And I work with my mom and brother, so releasing the album was the most fun I’ve ever had.”
