The Lautners tend to call it “the franchise.” We’re currently laughing about how, as a tween, Taylor, now 28, grew up a franchise superfan: She owned the franchise merch and threw a franchise-themed birthday party. She even pledged unfaltering loyalty to a franchise team (funnily enough, it wasn’t her future husband’s).
The franchise, of course, is Twilight, the colossal paranormal romance series that redefined the young adult film genre and made a megastar out of the other Taylor, now 33 (yes, it’s delightfully confusing, and yes, the couple has found a way around it by referring to the she/her Taylor as “Tay,” which we will as well, henceforth).
“I was too young for Jacob’s abs,” Tay says in defense of her Team Edward status. It’s a well-trodden joke between the two of them and their combined 12 million Instagram followers. It also serves as a testament to how different their comings-of-age were: she as an ordinary zillennial with internet access; he as an internationally famous teen phenom.
For their first major editorial interview together, the couple is sitting side by side in their Los Angeles home studio, in the same cozy green chairs they use while cohosting their mental health podcast, The Squeeze.1 I can’t help but feel a bit like Kevin Jonas, Dylan Efron, Jordan Chiles, or one of the many other notable guests they’ve lightly therapized on the show. True to form, Tay and Taylor are moving in synchronicity, finishing each other’s thoughts to the point that I wonder if it would feel incomplete to speak to one without the other. They’re also candidly sharing new details about how their relationship has healed both of them, particularly Taylor. He credits Tay for equipping him with the confidence to go for a Hollywood comeback with his upcoming metafictional TV series, Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter.
1. The weekly podcast, launched in early 2023, boasts around 250,000 loyal YouTube subscribers and counting.
It’s a rare look at a rare kind of couple, where one person could so easily completely overshadow the other, especially on a public stage. To be married to a cultural fixture comes with a prerequisite of sorts: a near-bulletproof sense of self, something Tay says she’s working on. “It’s funny that I’m trying to distinguish myself as being more than just being married to Taylor Lautner, even though I am also Taylor Lautner,” she laughs. Her tone is playful, but her background suggests she may not have much left to prove. The California native is a registered nurse who worked 12-hour shifts treating COVID-19 patients during the height of the pandemic. That experience weighed on her, and she was later diagnosed with severe PTSD, depression, and anxiety. She resigned from the hospital and, in 2022, started Lemons by Tay, a platform designed to offer mental health resources and support, before she had the idea for The Squeeze. Fans of Tay will often praise her candor and unfussy demeanor, which is exactly what attracted Taylor in the first place.
By the late 2000s, there was no corner of pop culture he—or his bronzed, chiseled image—had not touched. His shirtless Twilight stills were plastered on t-shirts and underwear worldwide. Extra-committed fans turned them into tattoos. There were (highly problematic) blogs counting down the days until his 18th birthday 2 and forums dedicated to tracking his every movement. In 2009, he became one of the youngest people ever to host Saturday Night Live, one half of the ultimate teen dream couple with yet another Taylor (Swift), and Twilight’s most popular product—the approachable everyman in contrast to Robert Pattinson’s brooding anti-hero.
2. Taylor was 16 when filming for the first Twilight began. Before the franchise, he’d starred in kids’ movies like The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and Cheaper by the Dozen 2. He was 20 when the final Twilight installment, Breaking Dawn Part 2, was released.
Offscreen, Taylor was experiencing Hollywood in its most intense, impatient, and scrutinizing form. Expectations for him to maintain his momentum, lest he quickly be deemed a has-been, felt crushing. For a while, staying relevant was his top priority. Then along came Tay.
“Right when I met Tay, I realized what was important in life,” he says now.
Their fans like to tease Tay that she’s now living a Twilight stan’s dream, having manifested what every young fangirl dreams of.3 But that narrative—the kind that reduces Tay to a girl who just got lucky—isn’t one the couple embraces. As they build their new chapter together, says Taylor, “I’m ready to battle people so she gets the respect she deserves.”
3. Some select fan comments under Taylor and Tay’s 2018 hard-launch post: “Ur one lucky gal,” “Awww this makes me wanna die but soo cute,” “How’d you get with @taylorlautner like fucking shark boy omg.”
Taylor’s sister, Makena, introduced you two. She’d met Tay and was like, This is the girl for my brother.
Tay: I had just befriended her, and I really wanted to make her feel like I was friends with her for her, which I was. I had also recently gotten out of a relationship, and I was just about to start nursing school, so I wasn’t looking to date.
Taylor: The timing would’ve been great for you to be single. It was the worst time to jump into a new relationship. My sister had other plans.
Did Makena make a habit of trying to set you up, Taylor?
Taylor: This was the first. And I’ll be completely honest, I did not have any faith in it. I was like, “Sure, you can bring her to a game night….” People ask all the time if it was an instant thing, and I never know how to answer. In this moment, as I’m speaking, I’m realizing that it wasn’t an instant thing because I was hesitant about my younger sister setting me up.
Sometimes it’s better when you gradually arrive at the feeling. How long did you date without putting a label on things?
Taylor: Not long. That is one thing about me: Once I realize I really like somebody, I want to be going steady.
Tay: We met at the beginning of December 2017, hanging out as friends, and then...
Taylor: We had our first kiss on New Year’s Eve.
Tay: I just kept waiting for the catch, for something to go wrong because it was too good to be true. When Taylor came to me, like, “Do you want to be exclusive?” I was like, “Well, do you want to be exclusive?”
Was there an added layer of anxiety because he’s a movie star?
Tay: You see all the gossip headlines about celebrities, so there was definitely a fear of the unknown.
Taylor, it seems like you were also stepping into the unknown. Before Tay, you had never dated anyone outside the industry.4
Taylor: It had been a long time since I dated somebody who wasn’t a costar or something. It was a breath of fresh air. I’m not saying that industry relationships can’t work, because many do, but they have an added layer of pressure and competitiveness. I live a very normal life—my idea of fun is having friends over. So it felt like I was home when I met Tay.
4. Over the years, Taylor has been linked to It Girls like Selena Gomez, Lily Collins, and, of course, the aforementioned Taylor Swift, whose 2010 song “Back to December” is allegedly influenced by him.
Tay, you’re becoming a celebrity in your own right. What has the adjustment to a public-facing life been like?
Tay: Observing how Taylor approaches fame has really made it an easy adjustment. Because he loves me so well, I have this newfound level of individual confidence. That’s not to say there aren’t times when I’m like, I don’t like the way that makes me feel, but it’s a lot easier.
In what moments do you still struggle with the adjustment?
Tay: It’s hard because I would literally delete everything, not speak to another soul, and just be his wife because that’s literally my favorite thing. But I want people to see me as me and not just as the wife. It’s hard sometimes when you know people’s intentions aren’t to know you—they don’t genuinely want to get to know me or come on the podcast because of me.
Taylor: That’s probably the toughest part for me, too, because I’m so protective of her and I’m so proud of everything that she’s built in her life. I was actually talking with our therapist about this the other day. He asked, “Is it fine with you that Tay makes it clear that she wants to not only be known as your wife?” I have full confidence in the love she gives me. So I’m right there behind her.
Tay: He’ll crack me up. I’ll be invited to some event, and he’s like, “You’re a celebrity.” Taylor is the ultimate hype man.
Do you guys ever compare timelines? Tay, what were you up to when the first Twilight movie dropped?
Tay: I was very much living my normal life in my normal suburb.
Taylor: Yeah, when I was walking around in my little booty jean shorts and ripping my shirt off and my abs were on big screens, she’s 11 years old, throwing a Twilight birthday party.
I was reading an old interview with you, Taylor, where you said something wise about the girls who were drawn to Jacob—that they wanted safety and to be in love with their best friend. Tay, given you were Team Edward, do you see anything in Taylor now that reflects the Edwardian energy you were once drawn to?
Tay: Nothing! I always say I wasn’t into “hotness” yet then.
Taylor: Yeah, like Robert Pattinson isn’t hot…
Tay: There’s nothing Edward about you, which I love.
Taylor: My advice for finding a partner is always to just find your best friend. At the end of the day, we’re truly best friends. If you have that foundation, you’re unbeatable.
Taylor, how has this relationship reshaped your relationship with Hollywood, particularly now that you’re about to reenter the industry?
Taylor: When I met Tay, I was like, “I just want to be at home with her and our dogs and our friends and family and create memories that aren’t on a set.” When I was finally comfortable in that, I felt safe enough to open the curtain to the industry again. Now I have my priorities straight: If I do a project and it doesn’t go as planned, I’ll still be coming home to my family that’s always going to be there.
When the Taylor Lautner: Werewolf Hunter logline5 dropped, everyone was like, “Wait, what?”
Taylor: People didn’t know if it was real or not. It was brought to me as a two-line idea from somebody who worked on the Twilight films. He gave me the short pitch, and I essentially told him to get lost. Six months went by and he hit me up again. He was like, “I can’t stop thinking about this.” So I listened. I said, “Okay, this will either be absolutely terrible or completely genius.” The moment I gave him permission to pitch the idea to writers, he had a list of them who wanted to hop on Zoom. My mind was blown. I haven’t done anything for years, and we’re pitching a show about me being a werewolf hunter.
5. “Playing himself, Taylor is drawn into a secret society of werewolf trackers who need his unique expertise. As he navigates his double life—Hollywood actor by day, supernatural warrior by night—Taylor must wrestle with the ultimate irony: fighting the very creatures that made him famous.”
Were your initial hesitations about reentering the Twilight space or just working in Hollywood again in general?
Taylor: It was stepping back into the industry. If the show hits, you could be doing it for five, six seasons, for years. It really is a commitment, and I wanted to make sure I was prepared and ready. I’m proud of the Twilight franchise and I’m proud of everything I did with it. Of course, I don’t want to just be known for that, but I’m at the point in life where I’m comfortable with it. And I truly think that that franchise has the greatest fan base I’ve ever seen in my life, and it’s a slap in the face to them if I continue to want to bury it and hide it.
You also, together, have The Squeeze. What’s it like working with each other on something that requires you to unpack such deep topics every week?
Tay: There were things we learned about each other in the beginning, like how emotionally taxing it is on me versus on Taylor. And there’s obviously an added layer because we’re married, we see each other all the time, and the studio is in our home. But it’s been really cool and fun.
Taylor: Our goal was to help people, but in turn, it’s also helped us. It truly is free therapy.
I have to ask about the shared-name thing. What’s the greater significance of sharing a full first and last name with your partner?
Taylor: It’s hilarious in a lot of ways, but sharing a name just adds to my feeling like she’s literally my other half and we are one and the same. Of course, we have different lives and independence. But it’s a really special thing.
Tay: We giggle about it all the time.
So many brides forgo taking their husbands’ last names nowadays. What was your decision-making process, especially given the unique outcome?
Tay: We were just like, “This is going to be a little confusing.” But it was something that I wanted. Being Taylor’s wife, I wanted his last name.
Taylor: You’re not my wife. I’m your husband.
Have you looked into your attachment styles? If so, how do they manifest?
Tay: I feel like we’re both in a pretty good, secure, organized attachment spot right now.
Taylor: But if any of the styles are slightly codependent, that’s me.
Have you always felt like you were a codependent partner?
Taylor: It’s something that I know has not been a super-healthy thing for me in the past, but I’m getting better—I’m a lot better today than I was a decade ago. And a lot of that has to do with Tay and how confident and comfortable I feel in our relationship.
Tay, you’ve really carved out your own lane, through Lemons and The Squeeze. Would you ever return to nursing?
Tay: Never say never. I just renewed my license last year, and it’s definitely something that is a part of my identity and that I still very much have a passion for. But who’s to say? Maybe down the road, I’ll have a few kids and I’ll just want to inject Botox into people a couple times a week.
Speaking of kids, I know most young couples constantly get asked about their plans....
Taylor: Nobody puts more pressure on it than Tay’s parents.
How do you feel about that?
Taylor: I can see how some people would feel like that’s nobody’s business, but it’s never bugged me.
Tay: We haven’t tried having children. We don’t know if it’s going to be a struggle, so there’s no negative connotation around it.
Taylor: I’m ready when she is. I think we’re getting closer.
What are you waiting for?
Taylor: Got to make sure you got the right guy….
Tay: Being an only child, I grew up wanting to be married and have kids young. But when I met Taylor, I was like, “Oh, I’m not actually in a rush to get engaged or get married.” When you’re with the right person, there isn’t any pressure. It’s the same thing with kids. I’m really just loving life so much now. I’ve found this love for my career, which I think is so special. Not to say you can’t do both. The two of us can pick up and go whenever we want—I’m trying to get Taylor to do a couple of months in New York. You’ve said no, but I’m not going to let it die. Maybe we go to New York, and then I’ll give you a baby.
Taylor, would you ever let your future kids pursue an acting career?
Taylor: I’d definitely have reservations. I feel like you can’t say, “No, I’m not going to allow you to do something that you feel passionate about.” But I would give a lot of other options.
At this stage in your relationship, what is it about each other that you admire the most and want to emulate more?
Taylor: Tay is as loyal as they come. She’s extremely driven and hardworking. I would want to emulate her drive. She loves people as well, and that’s something we have in common.
Tay: I was going to say that about you!
Taylor: It’s really nice when you have a partner that you’re able to love bomb people with together. There’s nothing better than being able to do that as a couple.
Tay: You’re a fighter. If someone hurts a friend or a family member, you want justice for them. I also admire Taylor’s discernment. He’s the wisest person I know. I’m not just saying that because I’m his wife, but this man had lived seven lives by the time we met.
Taylor: We balance each other out.
Tay: There are parts of Taylor’s codependency that I need to balance out my frantic energy. I would work myself into the ground every single day if I could. So we’re really just the perfect match.
Styled by Marcus Allen. Hair by Ginger Leigh Ryan for Bumble and Bumble. Makeup by Grey Hoffman for Milk Makeup. Shot on location at New York Beach Club and Laurel Diner.
(Cover) on him: All clothing Polo Ralph Lauren, sunglasses from Depop, belt Artemas Quibble. On her: Jacket Golden Goose, shirt and pants Polo Ralph Lauren, earrings David Yurman, bracelets and belt from The Society Archive.
(Couples Quiz video) Director: Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick. Director of photography: Darren Kho. Cinematographers: Jake Mitchell and AJ Lodge. Sound mixer: Griff Snyder. Editor: Jef Sharkey. Senior producers: Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick and Rae Medina. Associate producer: Jordan Abt.
(Video loops) Director: Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick. BTS cinematographer: Maxwell Losgar. Editor: Sarah Ng.