Taylor Swift’s ‘Patient Zero’ Music Video Featuring Colin Farrell & Dakota Johnson To Debut At VMAs; Watch Teaser Clip

The music video for Taylor Swift‘s new song “Patient Zero” will make its world premiere during the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday, September 27, on CBS and MTV (streaming on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S.).

A teaser clip of the video dropped today. News of Sunday’s full video debut was announced today by CBS and MTV in a statement that noted, “The exclusive premiere builds on the longstanding VMAs tradition of bringing artists and audiences together for major live music moments while giving artists a global stage to introduce new work and shape the cultural conversation in real time.”

The premiere, they continued, “also reflects the unpredictability that has long defined the show – where unexpected pairings, performances and premieres can become the moments everyone is talking about.”

This time around, the “unexpected pairings” include the appearance of guest stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson in the video directed by Swift with cinematography by Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant, Birdman, Gravity).

“Patient Zero” is Swift’s new song from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, the expanded Showgirl album that includes four previously unreleased song and will be available to stream everywhere Friday, September 25.

CBS Mornings unveiled a brief (13 second) sneak peek at the video today just before Swift posted the teaser on her social accounts. In the clip, Farrell and Johnson appear in blink-and-miss-it fashion, and we see a cemetery, lots of water, Swift crying, and some other cryptic images.

Watch the teaser below.

Yesterday, Swift announced that the expanded version of last year’s The Life of a Showgirl album will be released Friday, September 25, with four previously unreleased songs including the first single “Patient Zero.” (The other new songs are “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding” and “Babylon.”)

Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the VMAs air Sunday, September 27 (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.