Charlie Puth Responds to Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' Callout

Swift thinks Puth "should be a bigger artist."

Charlie Puth Performs At Pepsi Center In Mexico City
(Image credit: Getty)

If a picture's worth a thousand words, how many is an Instagram Story share worth?

After Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department name-checked Charlie Puth in its title track, the "We Don't Talk Anymore" singer subtly acknowledged the attention on Sunday. Puth reposted Swift's most recent Instagram post about the album to his Story, without adding any additional message.

The lyric in question shows Swift is a fan of Puth: "You smokеd, then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist," she sang. Not everyone liked the lyrics, though, with some fans arguing Swift could have spotlighted a less-popular artist.

In Swift's post about her eleventh album, she thanked her fans "for listening, streaming, and welcoming Tortured Poets into your life."

A post shared by Taylor Swift

A photo posted by taylorswift on

Puth and Swift's mutual respect spans years, too. Puth covered "Teardrops on My Guitar" in 2021. That same year, Swift called Puth the "piano prince" on TikTok.

While Puth didn't put any words to his Tortured Poets Department Instagram message, it's safe to say he's no doubt more than happy about the shoutout. Swift's latest work is the top-selling album of the year so far, and it set a record streaming week, according to the Associated Press. Yes, Puth was already famous, but the Swift bump could take him to the next level.

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Meghan De Maria
Celebrity News Writer

Meghan is a freelance news writer at Marie Claire. Her work has also ppeared in Bustle, Refinery29, Popsugar, and other outlets. When she isn't writing, Meghan runs a community for plus-size people in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina.