Taylor Swift’s 'Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)' Ignites The Handmaid’s Tale’s Pivotal Season 6 Episode

Taylor Swift’s Reimagined Anthem Finds a New Home in Gilead

If you caught the latest episode of Taylor Swift’s favorite dystopian drama, The Handmaid’s Tale, you might have done a double take during the tense opening minutes. That’s not just your imagination—Swift’s blistering 'Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version)' blared through season 6, episode 9, marking its first-ever appearance on television. This wasn’t just a background tune. It arrived as June Osborne, played by Elisabeth Moss, spearheaded the Mayday resistance’s largest attack yet on the Gileadian regime’s commanders. The moment was loaded with symbolism—defiance, anger, and the kind of cathartic power shift fans have been waiting seasons to see.

Elisabeth Moss, who hasn’t been shy about her Swiftie allegiance, opened up about what went on behind the scenes. For Moss, who’s been juggling dual roles as the show’s lead and executive producer, featuring Swift’s music has been a personal goal. She revealed that when she and editor Wendy Hallam Martin hit this episode—just one installment away from the series finale—they both knew a Reputation-era Swift track would turn the moment electric. Moss said the song’s energy nailed what the Mayday movement represents: not just survival, but a rallying cry to take back control. It turns out, even Yvonne Strahovski, who plays Serena Joy, shares Moss’s devotion to all things Swift.

Why This Song, and Why Now?

Fans of Taylor Swift know she’s been on her own quest for control, re-recording her music catalog after losing rights to her original masters. She’s compared her notorious journey to epic scavenger hunts—talking about 'collecting horcruxes' like Harry Potter or 'infinity stones' like a Marvel superhero. This new version of 'Look What You Made Me Do' is part of that quest, and landing it in a moment of high-stakes uprising in The Handmaid’s Tale felt like the stars aligning.

Wendy Hallam Martin, the show’s editor, handpicked the track after sifting through dozens of options for the high-tension episode. She and Moss were after a song with grit, vengeance, and finality. As the camera follows June through the shadowy corridors, plotting with the rebels, Swift’s lyrics bite through the tension, underlining every glare and whispered order. Moss has said that using this song at this point in the show, just before its series finale airs on May 27, 2025, gives the moment extra weight for both Swift’s fans and longtime viewers.

On set, the cast and crew reportedly shared a sense of pride that Swift’s reimagined anthem made it into the show’s climactic moments. For them, it wasn’t just about having a pop song as a soundtrack—it was about making a statement. Now, as the final episode looms, both Swifties and Handmaid’s Tale devotees have a new cultural crossover to talk about: two stories of reclamation and resistance, set to a beat everyone recognizes.