Taylor Swift Protests Patrick Schwarzenegger Romance Rumors

Another day for Taylor Swift, another rumor about whom she might be dating...and this week, the pop/country superstar is fielding off reports that she's getting cozy with Patrick Schwarzenegger.

"Patrick's a friend!" Swift told Access Hollywood of her 18-year-old alleged pal--son of former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kennedy scion Maria Shriver. "That's why I don't read any gossip about me, because I don't want to be weirded out by who people think I'm dating."

Swift commented on the rumor while backstage at Sunday's Teen Choice Awards, where she won in five categories and was escorted by the sedatest of dates--her younger brother, Austin.

However, whether the two really are just friends or something more, there are a bunch of interesting threads connecting Swift and Schwarzenegger. Swift has been in the news several times recently for her activities with the legendary Kennedy family--including an invitation to Rory Kennedy's new documentary about mom Ethel, a Fourth of July boat ride in Massachusetts with several members of the clan, and her new role as the recipient of the prestigious 2012 Robert F. Kennedy award. Swift was even spotted taking a beachside walk with Schwarzenegger over the Independence Day holiday.

Meanwhile Schwarzenegger, who's dabbled in modeling, is currently working on his first major film role alongside famous Swift ex Taylor Lautner in Grown Ups 2. (Okay, so that's not a direct link, but it's still serendipitous.)

This isn't the first well-publicized name Swift has been linked to--rightly or wrongly--but the Kennedy link does demonstrate a bit of diversion in Swift's usual list of straight-up artistic types. The singer has been linked in the past to rockers Joe Jonas and John Mayer, as well as actors Lautner and Jake Gyllenhaal.

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