Oscars viewers spot major red flag with how Taylor Swift’s ex Joe Alwyn eats a burger

Joe Alwyn enjoyed a scrumptious burger with his The Brutalist co-star Guy Pearce during the 2025 Oscars on Sunday – but some viewers have pointed out a red flag.

The British actor, 34 – who recently broke his silence on whether he would play the role of James Bond – took to his Instagram page on Monday to share photos from the glamorous event.

In one image, Alwyn flashed a smile while standing next to Pearce as the pair ate yummy burgers on the red carpet.

But some fans couldn’t help but notice that a pile of lettuce was taken out of Joe’s burger and placed in the small box in his hand – and the action sparked a major debate among social media users on X.

One typed out alongside the picture, ‘Joe Alwyn taking the lettuce off his burger… he’s just a boy.’

Another penned, ‘I’m a fan of Joe, but I’d never get why some people take out the tomato or the lettuce.’

‘So cute!’ an X user shared in regards to the snap, but then added with a crying face emoji, ‘But also did Joe Alwyn remove all of the veggie in his burger?’ 

However, others came to the star’s defense with one tweeting, ‘he’s just like me lol,’ while another added, ‘Adding “removing lettuce from a burger” to the list of things we have in common.’ 

One fan expressed, ‘You know, maybe Joe Alwyn just doesn’t care for warm, soggy lettuce on a burger. Maybe he was saving it to eat last. 

‘Maybe he didn’t want to it to fall out of the burger onto his clothing. Why do people always have to vilify every move Joe makes?’ they continued. 

A social media user penned, ‘Joe alwyn getting canceled over lettuce,’ in response to a tweet that read: ‘real men eat lettuce, no wonder he will only be a boy.’ 

‘Might have to stan I also love taking lettuce off my burgers,’ another commented on X. 

Alwyn made an appearance at the 97th Annual Academy Awards over the past weekend where his latest film The Brutalist was up for a total of 10 nominations – and won three. 

He was dapper wearing a classic black tuxedo which was paired with a white dress shirt and black shoes. 

The Favourite actor also opted for an accessory to the look by adding an eye-catching brooch on the left lapel of his suit jacket. 

The sparkling piece was a similar fashion move that Taylor Swift’s boyfriend and NFL player Travis Kelce wore when he arrived to Super Bowl LIX earlier last month in New Orleans. 

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end had donned a burnt-orange suit as well as a large gold brooch that was in the shape of a rose. 

Alwyn and Swift previously dated  from 2016 until their split six years later in 2023. 

The actor made rare comments about their relationship earlier this year during an interview with The Guardian. 

When questioned if he felt that the singer would overshadow his own career, Joe replied with, ‘I have tried just to focus on controlling what I can control. 

‘Right from the beginning, tried to focus on the things that are meaningful for me: friends, family, work, of course.’ 

He added, ‘So noise outside of that, I think I’ve done what lots of people who find themselves in the public eye do, which is just try and ignore it. 

‘If you don’t, and if you let all of that other stuff in, and if it starts to affect you and your behavior, you’re living from the outside in. And then you’re pretty f***ed.’ 

While talking to the outlet, Alwyn also shared, ‘I have great family and friends and real things in my life; those are the things that kept me tethered to the ground. So I don’t know how else to say it, it’s… just in a different room.’

The star continued, ‘That’s something for other people to do. We’re talking about something that’s a while ago now in my life. So that’s for other people. That’s what I feel.’ 

And in June of last year, Alwyn revealed that the split had been ‘a hard thing to navigate’ during an interview with The Sunday Times Style. 

‘As everyone knows, we together – both of us, mutually – decided to keep the more private details of our relationship private. It was never something to commodify and I see no reason to change that now.’

The actor added, ‘And, look, this is also a little over a year ago now and I feel fortunate to be in a really great place in my life, professionally and personally. I feel really good.’ 

He also told the publication that the pair’s relationship had been ‘long’ and ‘loving’ as well as ‘fully committed.’

Alwyn has been filtering through a busy schedule following the critical acclaim of The Brutalist and his appearance at the 2025 Oscars. 

The star has a number of projects under hit belt, including an upcoming adaptation of Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. 

While on the red carpet at the Academy Awards on Sunday, he was asked by Variety whether he would consider stepping into the shoes of James Bond.

In response to the question, Joe replied with: ‘Oh, wow – who wouldn’t throw their hat in the ring? You know?’