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Why the internet cancelled Jake Gyllenhaal this weekend.

There are a few key points we can take away from this weekend. 

The first being that Taylor Swift's still got it; the second being that no one can escape her ire, no matter how many years have passed, and the third being that Jake Gyllenhaal has effectively been 'cancelled' in the eyes of the internet. 

And it all has to do with the way he allegedly treated Swift over 10 years ago. 

Of course, we can provide all the context you need. 

Watch: The teaser trailer for 'All Too Well'. Post continues below video.


Video via Youtube.

Why has the internet cancelled Jake Gyllenhaal... And what has Taylor Swift got to do with it? 

Over the weekend, Swift dropped 'Taylor's version' of her hit Red album, originally released in 2012. Of course, in it were new songs we had never heard before, along with re-recorded takes of all the tracks originally on the album. 

What had fans most excited was her 10-minute version of 'All Too Well'. Along with it, came a bloody glorious 15-minute feature film starring Stranger Things' Sadie Sink, 19, and Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien, 30. 

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It is widely believed (as in, basically confirmed by fans who double as the CIA) that she wrote the song about Gyllenhaal, who had a short-lived relationship with Swift right before her 21st birthday... He was 29-years-old. 

The lyrics are as brutal as one can imagine. And fans believe they all refer to Gyllenhaal.

For example, there is a lyric specifically referring to Swift and Gyllenhaal's three-month-long romance: "Check the pulse and come back swearing it's the same / After three months in the grave / And then you wondered where it went to as I reached for you / But all I felt was shame and you held my lifeless frame".

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And of course, there is also the 21st birthday party he apparently didn't come to: "You who charmed my dad with self-effacing jokes / Sipping coffee like you're on a late-night show / But then he watched me watch the front door all night, willing you to come / And he said, 'It's supposed to be fun turning twenty-one'".

Swift is known for dropping major hints about who her music is about, and the easter eggs were plentiful in not only 'All Too Well' but the music video as well. 

Read more: "A clear Jake song." Every single Easter egg and hidden meaning in Red (Taylor’s Version).

Lyrics from the 10-minute version of 'All Too Well'. Image: Youtube. Some of the most talked about lyrics perhaps refer to Gyllenhaal's new girlfriend, Jeanne Cadieu who is 25-years-old. They've been dating since 2018.

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There is a pointed reference to his new partner, where Swift sings: "You said if we had been closer in age / maybe it would have been fine... And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punch line goes / 'I'll get older, but your lovers stay my age'".

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There's also that whole scarf incident, which in 'All Too Well', Swift accuses him of never getting it back to her: "And I left my scarf there at your sister's house / And you've still got it in your drawer, even now... Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone / But you keep my old scarf from that very first week / 'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me".

It's become such a controversy over the years, that even Gyllenhaal's actor sister Maggie, has weighed in on it. 

While on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, she was asked if Swift had actually left a scarf at her house.

"I never understood why everybody asked me about this scarf... It's totally possible, I don't know," she responded.

Lyrics from the 10-minute version of 'All Too Well'. Image: Youtube.  While speaking to Jimmy Fallon, Swift explained her feelings while writing 'All Too Well'. 

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"I was going through a bit of sad time," she said. "I was in band rehearsals for a tour that I was about to go out on called the Speak Now tour. I showed up for rehearsals, and I just was really upset and sad and everybody could tell — it was really not fun to be around me that day — and so I started playing guitar and just playing the same four chords over and over again. 

"The band sort of joined in, and I started ad-libbing what I was going through and what I was feeling, and the song kept building and building and building in intensity, and the song just went for about 10 to 15 minutes of us doing this."

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While you're here, listen to Mamamia's entertainment podcast for your ears, The Spill. Post continues after audio.


What was the reaction to 'All Too Well'? 

There have been a few, to say the least. 

Fans across the globe have jumped on the Gyllenhaal hate train, and as a result, some quite hilarious tweets, memes and reactions have been produced. 

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How has Jake Gyllenhaal reacted to the criticism? 

To keep it short and sweet, the actor is yet to say absolutely anything about his relationship with Taylor Swift. 

But over the weekend, he was seen out at the 11th Hamilton Behind The Camera Awards, in support of his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal who was awarded Breakthrough Director for her work on The Lost Daughter. 

Mandell Winter, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Maggie Gyllenhaal at the Hamilton Behind The Camera Awards. Image: Getty. Of course, Gyllenhaal may never open up about his short-lived three months with Taylor Swift, but fans have pointed to his silence.

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In 2009, Swift said in an interview: "If guys don't want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn't do bad things."

 After this weekend, we can only hope Jake Gyllenhaal has learnt his lesson. 

Feature Image: Getty / Mamamia. 

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