A few days ago, the header photo got wide play, with many people suggesting that the photo showed Taylor Swift enjoying a lunch date with Conor Kennedy, her 18-year-old boyfriend, and her parents in Nashville. I think it does look like Conor Kennedy from behind, but Swifty’s people quickly rebuffed those reports, claiming that the dude was actually Swifty’s brother, and the photo is from June. Hm. But! There WERE sightings of Conor Kennedy and Swifty in Nashville. So… he probably did meet her parents…?
Taylor Swift’s love story with Conor Kennedy is moving to her home turf. On Thursday, Swift, 22, and Kennedy, 18, were spotted at Edley’s BBQ in Nasvhille, where she posed for pictures with fans.
“They were both very relaxed and casual and for the most part were left alone to enjoy their dinner with a friend,” one fan writes of the couple.
Writes another: “All I know is that she seems so, so happy right now and when Taylor is happy, so am I!”
Another photo posted by a fan shows Swift dining with her parents and a young man with shaggy hair.
Despite widespread reports that this was Conor meeting her parents, the photo actually depicts her brother at a Father’s Day meal in June, Swift’s rep tells PEOPLE.
A 22-year-old country music superstar brought her just-turned-18-years-old boyfriend home to Nashville and… I don’t know how to feel. I wonder how Conor’s dad feels about him moving so fast with Swifty? Traveling from Massachusetts to Tennessee with this girl, it seems kind of sketchy to me. Last week, tabloids claimed that the Kennedy family is actually becoming divided over Swifty’s sudden appearance on the shores of Hyannis Port. Some even feel like Swifty has “manipulated” her way into the inner fold, and that she’s taking advantage of a young kid who is emotionally vulnerable just a few months after he lost his mother. Thankfully, Page Six got an interesting take on the situation from a source who is solidly Team Swifty:
The romance between Taylor Swift and Conor Kennedy continues to blossom, with friends saying the singer’s “positive spirit” is helping him through the heartbreak of losing his mother.
Pals say the 22-year-old superstar has really helped 18-year-old Conor, the son of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following the death of his mother Mary Richardson Kennedy. And Taylor has encouraged Conor to pursue his interest in whale research as well as take on the huge responsibility of becoming administrator of his late mother’s estate.
A source told us, “Taylor has a really generous and positive spirit, and the whole Kennedy family loves her. She met Ethel at Sundance in January [when the singer attended the screening of HBO documentary “Ethel”], and then she came out to visit the family at Hyannis Port on the Fourth of July. It has been a very difficult time for Conor, losing his mother, and Taylor has great positive energy. She is definitely helping him through this. He is so young and has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, becoming the administrator of his mother’s estate. It’s a lot of work, but he is smart and reliable, and will stand up to the role.”
The source said Conor has been doing volunteer work to help extract DNA from whales to research how the Gulf of Mexico oil spill affected the mammals. His father is the president of Waterkeeper Alliance, which campaigns for safe waterways worldwide.
Our source added, “Conor is a genuine guy and, like his father, is interested in environmental issues and is trying to save the world.”
Aside from spending time with the family, the Kennedy kids have been concentrating on personal projects as they grieve the loss of their mother. Kyra, 16, has been in Africa on a church mission. Fin, 14, has been at ski camp.
Conor’s half-sister Kick, 24, appears in HBO’s “Newsroom” and has been working with patients at Bellevue Hospital. She told us, “Conor has the biggest heart in the world, and Taylor is lovely. It’s been a tough summer, and I hope he gets to enjoy a little peace now.”
He’s administrator of his mother’s estate? That seems kind of odd, given his age. And I’m really not sure how much I buy this whole “Taylor has great positive energy, she’s helping him through all of it” take. Frankly, this whole thing is making my stomach churn. Even if Swifty isn’t actively trying to manipulate her way into the Kennedy clan (which she’s probably not), she is moving incredibly fast and working to make herself invaluable to a young guy who has had a really, really difficult year. Ugh. I really wish she would just take a step back.
Photos courtesy of Twitter, Fame/Flynet.
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