The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss explains why they chose Taylor Swift's re-recorded song in the show

The Handmaid's Tale star and executive producer Elisabeth Moss opened up about debuting Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version) in the penultimate episode of the show's sixth season. Titled Execution, the Handmaids marched to take down Gilead in season 6 episode 9 to the beat of Taylor Swift's re-recorded version of her Reputation album's lead single.

Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version) opened the new episode as the Handmaids staged the uprising led by Elisabeth Moss' June Osborne against the Commanders. The song's theme of betrayal and vengeance fit right into the scene as the women marched in formation, setting off bombs in their wake, as they tried to destroy and escape Gilead.

During a conversation with Billboard, Moss revealed why it was the "perfect" song for that particular scene and episode in The Handmaid's Tale.

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"There could not be a more perfect song" — Elisabeth Moss on Taylor Swift's song in The Handmaid's Tale

In her interview with Billboard, published on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, after the release of The Handmaid's Tale season 6 episode 9, Elisabeth Moss talked about why Taylor Swift's song was the "perfect" choice for the episode. She admitted to being a Swiftie and that the pop star had been "such an inspiration" for her.

Moss also said she had wanted to use one of Taylor Swift's songs in the series for a while, but was glad she waited until the penultimate episode to do so.

"I've been wanting to use a Taylor song for many years on the show and we finally found the perfect spot for a track from her, and I'm so glad we waited because there could not be a more perfect song for a more perfect moment," she told Billboard.

Elisabeth Moss further mentioned that she considered it "such an honor" to be able to use Swift's song in the final episodes of the series. She also gave credit to The Handmaid's Tale editor Wendy Hallam Martin for picking Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version) for season 6 episode 9's opening scene. She said that they both agreed that the song and the show's opening scene were "meant to be."

Hallam Martin also commented on incorporating that particular Swift song in the opening sequence of season 6's penultimate episode with Billboard.

"When I laid the song up against the scene, it just landed perfectly thematically, rhythmically, and magically hit all the edit points which sometimes happens if it's meant to be," she said.

She also said that the song "couldn't have been more on point," because during the opening scene, Elisabeth Moss' character was "saying 'look what you made me do.'"

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One more episode left in The Handmaid's Tale

After six successful seasons of The Handmaid's Tale, the hit dystopian series on Hulu will air its series finale on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, only on the streaming platform. Way back in 2022, creator, showrunner, and executive producer Bruce Miller shared the news during the announcement that the Margaret Atwood adaptation would be renewed for season 6, that it would also be its last season.

Titled The Handmaid's Tale, season 6 episode 10 will mark the final chapter of Elisabeth Moss' character's journey in pursuit of freedom and justice. As teased in the synopsis, the finale will see June reflect on her experiences and figure out what she wants to do next. Co-showrunner Yahlin Chang teased what the finale will be like in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published on May 20.

"[Episode] 10 returns to a sense of that quiet realism of like, well, what happens the next day, and that feeling that we're just dropping in on this moment," she said.

The series finale will follow the events of the plane explosion that killed Commander Lawrence and Nick, among other Commanders.

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Catch previous episodes of The Handmaid's Tale streaming on Hulu.