UPDATED with video: The music video for Taylor Swift’s new song “Patient Zero” made its world premiere during the MTV Video Music Awards tonight on CBS and MTV.
A teaser clip of the video dropped Thursday, when news of Sunday’s full video fleshed out the storyline hinted at in the teaser released Thursday: Swift and Dakota Johnson playing doppelgangers of a sort, both of whom fall in love with a billionaire (played by Colin Farrell), and both of whom meet tragic ends.
In a post about the video, which she directed, Swift wrote, “Giggling with your friend because you’re twinning for an entire shoot was a new and truly delightful experience.”
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Swift continued, “With the Patient Zero video, I got to explore the cinematic and literary genres I love so much. I wanted to incorporate elements of gothic ghost stories, true crime, psychological thrillers all in a setting I hadn’t really shot in much. The house was a metaphor for the coldness of a relationship that’s faded and atrophied.”
You can watch the video on Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon Music.
The Patient Zero video is finally out in the world! Getting to work with Emmanuel Lubezki was something out of a dream sequence, and I learned so much from getting to watch his genius in action. I want to thank Dakota and Colin for trusting me with their time, taste, and talent… pic.twitter.com/vkLCO167Ea
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) September 28, 2026
The debut was announced by CBS and MTV in a statement earlier this week. “The exclusive premiere builds on the longstanding VMAs tradition of bringing artists and audiences together for major live music moments while giving artists a global stage to introduce new work and shape the cultural conversation in real time.”
The premiere, they continued, “also reflects the unpredictability that has long defined the show – where unexpected pairings, performances and premieres can become the moments everyone is talking about.”
This time around, the “unexpected pairings” include the appearance of guest stars Farrell and Johnson in the video directed by Swift with cinematography by Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant, Birdman, Gravity).
“Patient Zero” is Swift’s new song from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, the expanded Showgirl album that includes four previously unreleased song and will be available to stream beginning Friday.
CBS Mornings unveiled a brief (13 second) sneak peek at the video today just before Swift posted the teaser on her social accounts. In the clip, Farrell and Johnson appear in blink-and-miss-it fashion, and we see a cemetery, lots of water, Swift crying, and some other cryptic images.
Watch the teaser below.
On Wednesday, Swift announced that the expanded version of last year’s The Life of a Showgirl album will be released Friday with four previously unreleased songs including the first single “Patient Zero.” (The other new songs are “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”)
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the VMAs air Sunday (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.