Joe Alwyn had reunited with his Conversations with Friends co-star Alison Oliver at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in Berlin, Germany on Thursday evening.
The actor and ex boyfriend of Taylor Swift, 34, looked in good spirits as he wrapped an arm around the Irish actress, 28, on the red carpet held at The Metropol.
Joe, who graced the cover of GQ Germany’s 2025 Men of the Year issue, cut a dapper figure in a long black leather jacket which he teamed with matching trousers.
He was supported during the evening by Alison, who stunned in a plunging green velvet midi dress and black heels.
The former co-stars were all smiles as they posed for photos together at the star-studded bash after first meeting in 2022 while filming the BBC Three series.
Joe and Alison starred in the 12-part series where Alison portrayed character Frances, a 21-year-old student who becomes wrapped up in an affair with an older actor named Nick (Joe).
Joe Alwyn had reunited with his Conversations with Friends co-star Alison Oliver at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in Berlin, Germany on Thursday evening
The actor and ex boyfriend of Taylor Swift, 34, looked in good spirits as he wrapped an arm around the Irish actress, 28, on the red carpet held at The Metropol
At the time of filming, Joe was dating pop superstar Taylor and Alison revealed what the Shake It Off hitmaker thought of their intimate scenes.
The actress, who made her acting debut in the Sally Rooney adaptation, told The Times that Taylor – who was regularly on set to support her boyfriend of six years – was ‘totally cool’ about the pair’s rather risqué scenes.
She added that Taylor understood that they were ‘part of Joe’s job, all part of the story,’ but acknowledged that it was a surreal situation to find herself in nevertheless.
Joe’s appearance comes as he graced the cover of GQ Germany’s 2025 Men of the Year issue, and public relations experts have said it could be a clever move to distance himself from simply being ‘Taylor Swift’s ex.’
Joe, was featured as Actor of the Year in the issue, showing off his toned torso in a striking photoshoot and posing shirtless with a horse on the cover.
‘Seeks the role, not the glory,’ GQ Germany captioned a carousel of pictures. ‘An actor who embodies more than just roles: he imbues them with depth, serenity and authenticity. That’s why @joe.alwyn is our GQ Actor of the Year 2025.’
The cover comes just a few months after Travis Kelce, his ex Taylor’s fiancé, was featured on the September cover of the US GQ.
Emily Reynolds Bergh, CEO of R Public Relations, called the move ‘strategic’ during an exclusive chat with the Daily Mail, as she said it helps him step away from the ‘Taylor’s ex’ label.
Joe and Alison starred in the 12-part 2022 series where Alison portrayed Frances, a 21-year-old student who becomes wrapped up in an affair with an older actor named Nick (Joe)
At the time of filming, Joe was dating pop star Taylor – who was regularly on set to support her boyfriend of six years – and Alison revealed what the hitmaker thought of their intimate scene; pictured 2020
The actress said Taylor was ‘totally cool’ about the pair’s rather risqué scenes and added that the singer understood that they were ‘part of Joe’s job, all part of the story’
‘When the biggest pop figure on earth and the NFL’s most visible tight end confirm their engagement [their] narrative becomes the cultural tide everyone else must either fight or surf,’ she said.
The PR expert added that Travis fronting the September GQ issue – where he was dubbed ‘America’s Sweetheart’ – was him showing the world that he’s more than just a ‘sports headline.’
Bergh theorized that Joe also had to try distinguish himself, claiming the timing of the of the cover was no accident.
‘[Throughout Taylor’s album] Tortured Poets, [her] engagement, post engagement, the headlines on Joe not caring and focusing on his career have been trying to outweigh the world’s most famous couple,’ she pointed out.
Lucy Donaghey, a celebrity publicist at Streamline PR, disagreed, saying it would be ‘unfair’ to suggest the GQ cover was purely a strategic move to capitalize on Taylor’s engagement buzz.
‘While his highly-publicized relationship with Taylor and the current media interest around her wedding will inevitably drive extra attention, I believe the timing also reflects his own achievements,’ she said.
‘With standout work in The Brutalist, the stage production The Woman of the Sea and the upcoming release of Hamnet, Joe is clearly making waves on his own merit,’ she pointed out.
‘His newfound confidence and sense of superstardom seem to stem directly from his recent career success.
‘GQ has even tipped him as a contender for the next James Bond, which shows just how strongly he’s now being positioned in the industry, far beyond the title of “Taylor Swift’s ex.”‘
Joe’s appearance comes as he graced the cover of GQ Germany’s 2025 Men of the Year issue, and public relations experts have said it could be a clever move to distance himself from simply being ‘Taylor Swift’s ex’
He was supported during the evening by Alison, who stunned in a plunging green velvet midi dress and black heels
Joe and Taylor, 35, were first romantically linked in 2016 and split in 2023.
The couple was notoriously private when it came to their relationship and made an effort to keep it out of the spotlight.
There were reports that Joe apparently struggled with Taylor’s level of fame during their relationship, and he has kept a relatively low profile since they broke up.
In January, the actor gave an interview to The Observer where he was asked if he feared Taylor would overshadow his career.
Making a rare comment about his ex, the star – who famously inspired the pop star’s 2019 hit London Boy – replied: ‘I have tried just to focus on controlling what I can control.
‘And, right from the beginning, tried to focus on the things that are meaningful for me: friends, family, work, of course. So noise outside of that, I think I’ve done what lots of people who find themselves in the public eye do, which is just try and ignore it.’
While Joe and Taylor kept their relationship mostly quiet, Taylor and Travic, 36, are regularly seen out and about together.
The singer has been in a high profile relationship with Kansas Chief Tight End since 2023, making her first appearance at his game in Kansas City in September of that year.
The pair announced their engagement in August 2025 in a post shared to their respective Instagram accounts.
Recently, the star gave a rare look into her romance with Travis in a new trailer for her upcoming Eras Tour docuseries.
The singer shared the first full trailer for the upcoming series last week, and it contained a slew of clips that showed how the Cruel Summer songstress prepared for the massive tour, and gave an intimate glimpse into Taylor’s private life and romance with Travis.
Entitled Taylor Swift: The End of an Era, the six-part show will premiere on Disney+ on December 12.
