{
  "id": 10338371,
  "title": "Taylor Swift Premieres ‘Patient Zero’ Music Video at VMAs, Turning Her New ‘Showgirl: Encore’ Single Into a Dramatic Ghost Story",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swift-premieres-patient-zero-music-video-at-vmas-turning-her",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-28T01:55:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Variety",
    "slug": "variety",
    "url": "https://variety.com/2026/music/news/taylor-swift-vmas-patient-zero-music-video-premiere-1236876944/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Taylor Swift premiered her music video for \"Patient Zero\" at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. The video, which she directed, stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell and features Swift herself. According to Variety, the video is a ghost story that follows the triangle in the song.\n\nThe video begins with Johnson holding a black rose in a snowy cemetery alongside Swift, as reported by Consequence. Johnson and Farrell act out a doomed romance, with Swift serving as an angel on Johnson's shoulder. In the second half of the video, Swift switches places with Johnson, who then appears to put the rose on her grave. Consequence also reported that the video was shot with cinematography by Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki.\n\nThe song \"Patient Zero\" was released as part of Swift's deluxe edition of The Life of a Showgirl, also referred to as \"The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore\" or \"Showgirl: Encore\" by some sources, which includes four new tracks. TheWrap provided lyrics from the song, which appears to be about a past lover and a new relationship. The song's inspiration came from experiences Swift and her friends have had with women dating their exes and reaching out to them for advice, as reported by TheWrap.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Taylor Swift and Dakota Johnson Share Colin Farrell in ‘Patient Zero’ Music Video",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swift-and-dakota-johnson-share-colin-farrell-in-patient-zero",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:12:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Forbes",
        "title": "Taylor Swift Unveils World Premiere Of ‘Patient Zero’, Honored: MTV VMAs Winners List (UPDATING)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swift-unveils-world-premiere-of-patient-zero-honored-mtv-vmas",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:15:57.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Consequence",
        "title": "Taylor Swift Premieres New Music Video for “Patient Zero”: Watch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swift-premieres-new-music-video-for-patient-zero-watch",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:40:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Stereogum",
        "title": "VMAs 2026: Taylor Swift Receives The Inaugural Artist Director Honors, Debuts “Patient Zero” Video With Dakota Johnson & Colin Farrell",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/vmas-2026-taylor-swift-receives-the-inaugural-artist-director-honors",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:42:58.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Taylor Swift Debuts Music Video for New Single “Patient Zero” Starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell at 2026 VMAs",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swift-debuts-music-video-for-new-single-patient-zero-starring",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:43:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "MTV VMAs 2026: Taylor Swift premieres Patient Zero video, receives new director award from Dakota Johnson",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/mtv-vmas-2026-taylor-swift-premieres-patient-zero-video-receives-new",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:45:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Rolling Stone",
        "title": "Taylor Swift Turns a Phone Call Into a Thriller for ‘Patient Zero’ Music Video",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swift-turns-a-phone-call-into-a-thriller-for-patient-zero",
        "published": "2026-09-28T01:51:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Billboard",
        "title": "Taylor Swift’s ‘Patient Zero’ Video Arrives With a Haunting Plot Twist: How to Watch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/taylor-swifts-patient-zero-video-arrives-with-a-haunting-plot-twist",
        "published": "2026-09-28T02:43:42.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}