Taylor Swift premiered the “Patient Zero” video at the 2026 MTV VMAs on Sept. 27. Colin Farrell plays Swift’s former partner, now with Dakota Johnson; Swift appears as a ghost warning Johnson to run, while a clipping suggests Swift’s character died mysteriously.
The video is streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. It ends with Johnson leaving flowers at Swift’s grave; a newspaper clipping suggests Farrell inherited her fortune. The plot appears inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, which Swift called a favorite in 2025.
“Patient Zero” appears on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, an expanded edition released Sept. 25 with three other new songs: “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”
