The Handmaid’s Tale is where Taylor Swift has showcased her new revamp. Credit to Steve Wilkie/Disney.
Los Angeles, California (May 21, 2025)- The old Taylor may not be able to come to the phone — but the new one just set fire to one of television’s most gripping scenes of the year.
In a strikingly cinematic moment from Season 6, Episode 9 of The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu audiences were treated to an almost full-length preview of “Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version),” the reimagined lead single from Reputation (Taylor’s Version). The episode opens with June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) leading a silent, searing uprising against the Commanders — and Swift’s re-recorded anthem of vengeance and reclamation fuels every beat of the rebellion.
With its thunderous drumline, razor-edged synths, and a newly matured vocal performance from Swift, the song doesn’t just score the scene — it amplifies it. The tone is unflinching, the pacing impeccable, and as explosions erupt and June barely escapes to safety, the music lands with emotional and narrative precision.
For Moss, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, this moment was years in the making. “I’ve been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show,” Moss tells Billboard, “and we finally found the perfect spot. I’m so glad we waited, because there could not be a more perfect song for a more perfect moment.”
Moss, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, wasn’t alone in her enthusiasm. Emmy-winning editor Wendy Hallam Martin echoed the sentiment, describing the synch as a rare instance of everything clicking into place. “When I laid the song up against the scene, it just landed perfectly — thematically, rhythmically, magically,” she said. “It was as if it was meant to be.”
The track selection wasn’t accidental. As Moss shared, she approached Martin specifically hoping to feature Swift in one of the final episodes. “All the credit goes to Wendy for picking this track,” she added. “It’s such an honor to be able to use Taylor’s music as we close this chapter of the show.”
This is not the first time Swift has teased material from Reputation (Taylor’s Version). Since last year, fragments of her re-recordings have appeared in trailers and streaming series — a snippet in Apple TV+’s The Dynasty: New England Patriots, another in Prime Video’s Wilderness, and “Delicate (Taylor’s Version)” in The Summer I Turned Pretty. But this latest appearance marks the most significant reveal to date: two full verses and two choruses, giving fans their clearest sense yet of how Swift is reinterpreting her 2017 persona.
Originally released at the height of a media firestorm and personal reinvention, “Look What You Made Me Do” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and propelled Reputation to the top of the Billboard 200 for four weeks. It was the start of Swift’s edgier, armor-clad era — and in this updated version, the sharpness remains, but there’s added gravitas. Swift’s voice is fuller, her delivery colder, and the vengeance more deliberate.
Only two albums remain in Swift’s six-album re-recording journey: her self-titled debut, and Reputation. Fans have waited nearly two years since her last Taylor’s Version release — 2023’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version) — and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Clues planted across her website and social media suggest something major may be announced at the upcoming American Music Awards on Memorial Day, May 26.
If the full release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is on the horizon, the explosive placement in The Handmaid’s Tale may be just the beginning of a larger rollout. And if this updated anthem is any indication, the new era of Reputation may prove even more powerful than the first.
About the Author
