Watch Jack Antonoff’s wife Margaret Qualley get painfully awkward when asked about Taylor Swift’s new album

Jack Antonoff’s wife, Margaret Qualley, raised eyebrows during her appearance on Wednesday’s episode of the Today show when the subject of Taylor Swift’s new album came up.

Despite Antonoff, 41, and the pop star, 35, having collaborated on 10 albums and several one-off singles over the last 13 years, it was revealed Wednesday that Swift had chosen to work with pop music heavyweights, Max Martin and Shellback, on her forthcoming project, The Life of a Showgirl.

Which could explain why Qualley, 30, appeared caught off guard when co-host Craig Melvin mentioned Swift’s upcoming album during their sit-down.

After noting that Antonoff has ‘produced for Taylor for years’ and has ‘an album that’s coming out,’ Melvin asked Qualley to ‘tell us about’ the record.

‘I don’t know anything,’ she replied as her eyes widened in surprise.  

Qualley proceeded to let out an awkward laugh before adding, ‘I’ll be excited to listen to the music.’

Melvin responded with a pointed, ‘OK. Alright,’ signaling he wasn’t entirely convinced she was as out of the loop as she claimed.

After Today uploaded her interview on YouTube, many users took to the comments section to call out her stiff reaction. 

‘That was very awkward,’ one wrote. 

Another argued it was ‘inappropriate and irrelevant’ of Melvin to ask Qualley about her husband’s coworker. 

‘I would also be so annoyed,’ the viewer stated underneath the post. 

Antonoff has served as Swift’s primary co-songwriter and producer on her most recent albums, 2022’s Midnights and 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department. 

Her latest record, however, is being entirely produced by Martin and Shellback.

Martin used to be a major collaborator with Swift, but the two haven’t worked together since recording music for 2017’s Reputation. 

The news of their reunion was confirmed Wednesday as Swift unveiled the artwork and release date for The Life Of A Showgirl, which is her upcoming 12th studio album.

She spoke about co-producing the highly-anticipated album with Martin and Shellback while appearing on the latest episode of her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast.

The superstar said she made frequent trips to Sweden to work with Martin during her rare days off from performing around the globe on her Eras Tour, which ran from March 2023 to December 2025.

‘I would do like three shows in a row. I’d have three days off. I’d fly to Sweden, go back to the tour, and was actually working on this.

‘I was physically exhausted at this point in the tour, but I was so mentally stimulated and so excited to be creating,’ she explained. 

The album also marks the ‘first [full] album [Swift, Martin and Shellback] made just the three of us.’ 

She referred to the duo as ‘geniuses’ and made no mention of Antonoff despite their longstanding work relationship.

However she did say that the albums she made without Martin and Shellback — such as Folklore (2020) and Midnights (2022), which Antonoff produced — were more ‘esoteric’ and ‘specific in their sound’ because she was ‘exploring and trying to challenge [herself] as a writer.’ 

Swift teased that The Life Of A Showgirl was a ‘really special’ creative experience for her and teased that her, Martin and Shellback came up with ‘the best ideas we ever had.’

She also told New Heights listeners: ‘This is the record I’ve been wanting to make for a very long time.’ 

Swift first hinted that she was working with Martin again on Monday after creating a Spotify playlist featuring only tracks, from 1989, Reputation and Red, that had been produced by Martin.

Martin was notably absent from Swift’s recording sessions to rerecord the songs they had previously worked on. 

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Antonoff praised Swift as he took home the award for producer of the year.

‘Taylor Swift kicked that f**king door open for me,’ he said in his acceptance speech. ‘I love you to death, Taylor.’

Swift was also in attendance at Antonoff’s August 2023, where she reportedly gave a lengthy toast.

According to Page Six, she lovingly ‘roasted’ the couple for 15 minutes. 

In 2017, Swift said it is an ‘absolute joy’ working with Antonoff.

‘Sometimes he sits at the piano and we both just start ad-libbing and the song seems to create itself,’ she told Time. ‘His excitement and exuberance about writing songs is contagious. He’s an absolute joy. That’s why everyone loves him. I personally wouldn’t trust someone who didn’t.’

Swift is also close to Qualley, who she danced with at the Grammy Awards as Billie Eilish performed Birds of a Feather earlier this year.