Watch Taylor Swift Haunt Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell in “Patient Zero” Video

Taylor Swift premiered the new music video for her The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore track “Patient Zero” at the 2026 Video Music Awards on Sunday night. The clip, which co-stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, follows a slowly dissolving marriage (Johnson and Farrell), while the husband’s now-deceased ex-wife (Swift) haunts them from a distance.

Cara Delevingne makes an appearance too. There’s a quasi twist you’ll probably see coming but I won’t spoil it here. The video is not on YouTube yet so you’ll have to head to Spotify or Apple Music to watch.

The VMAs were a fitting occasion for Swift to drop a video, as she received the last-minute, inaugural Artist Director Honors this year, a new award reserved for acts “whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling,” an MTV spokesperson said in a statement.

Swift was up for nine VMAs total on Sunday, making her the second-most nominated artist of the night, next to Madonna’s 13. The premiere also capped off a busy week for Swift, who dropped an expanded edition of her 2025 album on Friday.

Swift wrote the four new songs on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore—"Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding,” and “Babylon”—with TLOAS co-producers Max Martin and Shellback.

Follow along with all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

Courtesy of Taylor SwiftCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyTaylor Swift premiered the new music video for her The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore track “Patient Zero” at the 2026 Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

O clipe, que conta com Dakota Johnson e Colin Farrell, segue um casamento que se desfaz lentamente (Johnson e Farrell), enquanto a ex‑esposa já falecida do marido (Swift) os assombra à distância.

Os VMAs foram uma ocasião adequada para Swift lançar um vídeo, enquanto ela recebeu, em última hora, o inaugural Artist Director Honors deste ano, um novo prêmio reservado para artistas “cujo trabalho por trás das câmeras expandiu as possibilidades do videoclipe e avançou a arte da narrativa visual”, disse um porta-voz da MTV em comunicado.

A estreia também encerrou uma semana agitada para Swift, que lançou uma edição ampliada de seu álbum de 2025 na sexta‑feira. Swift escreveu as quatro novas músicas de The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore—“Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding,” e “Babylon”—com os co‑produtores de TLOAS Max Martin e Shellback.