Taylor Swift Drops New 13-Second ‘Patient Zero’ Music Video Tease Featuring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell Earlier this week, Swift announced an expanded version of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ with the new single ‘Patient Zero’ dropping FridayBy Rachel DeSantis, Daniela Avila, and Rachel McRady Published on September 24, 2026 08:08AM EDT

Three individuals seated and standing in a stylish room dressed in formal attire conveying a cinematic or dramatic co
Taylor Swift teased her cinematic “Patient Zero” music video featuring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell on CBS Mornings
The video, shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, will premiere at the MTV Video Music Awards
Swift also announced an expanded edition of The Life of a Showgirl with four new songs, including “Patient Zero”
Taylor Swift is keeping the surprises coming!

Days after the pop superstar teased fans with various Easter eggs on the Emmys, Spotify and social media before revealing a new single and an album expanded edition, Swift debuted a sneak peek clip of the upcoming music video for her single “Patient Zero” on Thursday, Sept. 24 on CBS Mornings.

The cinematic video stars Swift alongside actors Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, features the work of Oscar-winning cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who worked on The Revenant, Birdman and Gravity.

Taylor Swift appearing contemplative with her hands near her face
Taylor Swift looking emotional in the ‘Patient Zero’ music video.

The clip was 13 seconds long (of course) and looked dark and romantic. Images of Swift washing her hands, two bodies plunging into water, a black rose, two women standing at a gravesite, a tear-streaked Swift and more played, giving Swifties plenty to speculate about.

After her Emmys tease, fans quickly pointed out that Dakota’s involvement was likely tied to the “North or South” hint she dropped.

The full music video will air Sunday, Sept. 27 at the MTV Video Music Awards, with the single dropping on Friday.

On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the singer-songwriter, 36, announced her new single “Patient Zero.” The following day, she revealed that an expanded edition of The Life of a Showgirl is coming on Friday, Sept. 25, featuring “Patient Zero” and another three brand new songs.

“About a year ago, you guys did a truly unfathomable thing. Something that completely blew my mind… You gave The Life of a Showgirl the biggest first week for an album in history,” Swift captioned a post on Instagram showing the new cover. “I took a trip to Sweden to celebrate with Max [Martin] and Shellback, my two collaborators on this album. Really we just wanted to reflect and take in how grateful we were for the moment we were in, but there was a studio there and we did what we do when we feel anything at all: We wrote more songs.”

Two figures in winter clothing standing in a snowy cemetery one has a hand on the others back
Two women stand at a grave in Taylor Swift’s ‘Patient Zero’ music video.
CBS
The expanded edition, called The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, will include four new songs and is available to preorder. In addition to “Patient Zero,” the other songs include “Pink Clouding,” “Babylon” and “Cleveland!”

“I hope you love them, because they were born out of pure gratitude for your exuberance for and celebration of the album we made,” Swift concluded in her post.

Taylor Swift Life of a Showgirl Encore
Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl The Encore.
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Swift’s announcement came days after she sent fans reeling with various Easter egg theories when she appeared in a sketch that aired during the 2026 Emmy Awards.

In the sketch, the Grammy winner appeared alongside host and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star Mariska Hargitay to jokingly solve the mystery of whether Swift would show up to the award show.