Ed Sheeran Says Taylor Swift Is the Carole King to His James Taylor — “It’s Like a Sibling”

To the public, Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift are among the most prominent musicians of their generation — but between themselves they share a far more familial connection.

In a podcast conversation with The Hollywood Reporter (published Dec. 8, 2024), Sheeran reflected on his close creative and personal bond with Swift. He said he identifies with the comparison some have made between their dynamic and that of James Taylor and Carole King, noting how quickly they slip back into an easy rapport whenever they reunite.

Swift and Sheeran first connected in the early 2010s — famously collaborating on the Red-era favorite “Everything Has Changed,” a song that originated during a casual meeting on Swift’s backyard trampoline after their teams introduced them. In a 2017 feature for Rolling Stone, Swift described the relationship as one built on shared moments: matching pets, homemade gifts and vacations with family. She called Sheeran “the James Taylor to my Carole King,” and emphasized that he’s someone she expects to have in her life for the long haul.

That sense of closeness has surfaced in recent interviews, too. Swift told Jimmy Fallon that Sheeran is “like family” when recounting the amusing mix-up after her engagement news to Travis Kelce broke in August — Sheeran had missed the initial call because he doesn’t always carry a phone, leading to a much later, four-hour catch-up between the friends, Sheeran revealed in a separate Access Hollywood interview.

“I’m not self-conscious about my relationship with her,” Sheeran said in November, explaining that their friendship is built on longevity and ease: they see one another when they can, and when they do, they simply pick up where they left off.

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