Taylor Swift praised by Jeff Lang's mother after emotional 'Ruin The Friendship' tribute

16 October 2025, 19:02

Is Taylor Swift's Ruin The Friendship about her late friend Jeff Lang? Picture: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images, Taylor Swift/Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott

By Katie Louise Smith

Taylor's emotional 'Ruin The Friendship' lyrics appear to be about her late friend Jeff Lang and his mother has now revealed what she thinks of the song.

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Taylor Swift's 'Ruin The Friendship' has emerged as a fan favourite from The Life of a Showgirl and now, the mother of Jeff Lang, a late friend of Taylor's who fans think she wrote the song about, has praised the superstar for keeping her son's memory alive.

In 'Ruin The Friendship', Taylor sings about how she wishes she had risked a friendship in order to pursue a romance, singing: My advice is to always ruin the friendship / Better that than regret it for all time / Should've kissed you anyway.

Taylor has not specifically confirmed who the song is about but based on the details weaved into the lyrics, fans have deduced that it's likely about her high school friend Jeff Lang.

Jeff's mother Susan also believes the song is about her son and in an interview with The Tennesseean, she has shared a sweet message about Taylor.

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In 2010, Taylor Swift opened up about singing at Jeff Lang's funeral and thanked him in an acceptance speech. Picture: via YouTube

Is Taylor Swift's 'Ruin The Friendship' about Jeff Lang?

Much like the rest of her songs, Taylor has not disclosed exactly who the track is about. However, there are several real life references to her teenage years in Nashville, going to prom and her bestie Abigail Anderson within the lyrics.

The devastating twist in the bridge, in which she mentions the sudden passing of the person she's singing about, also seems to point towards Jeff who tragically died in 2010.

In 2010, at the BMI Awards in Nashville, Taylor paid tribute to her friend Jeff in her acceptance speech.

"Yesterday, I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends, and he was 21," an emotional Taylor said. "I used to play my songs for him first. So I would like to thank Jeff Lang and as always, all the creative minds in this room who inspire me every day."

Taylor Swift name checks her best friend Abigail in her 'Ruin The Friendship' lyrics. Picture: via Twitter

In response to the song, Jeff's mother Susan said she was amazed that "after all this time, she hasn't forgotten about him."

"She's keeping his name alive," Susan continued. "They were really good friends. That's rare these days. They hung out at her house a lot. They were always joking around with each other."

According to The Tennessean, Susan's home proudly displays a photo of Jeff posing with Taylor that was taken back in their high school days.