The Cult of Taylor Swift

The Worship Problem

As the father of three young girls, I’ve come to understand that Taylor Swift is cancer…

As her wedding to Travis Kelce has approached, I’ve been keeping a little eye on her proceedings. I haven’t been interested in the nuptials, the guest list, or all the glitz and glamour, but I’ve been interested in seeing the players’ actions and the public’s reactions. The split has been an interesting look at celebrity culture.

When Taylor Swift came onto the scene, I bought her album “Fearless” on compact disc (CD).¹ Yes, this was a time before Apple Music and Spotify. As an aside, I wasn’t interested in pirating music from Napster. I am always interested in discovering new artists. For some reason, I gravitate toward female singers and songwriters.

When Liz Phair first hit the scene, I bought Liz Phair’s “Whip-Smart.” I loved Tanya Donelly’s “Belly.” I loved Hope Sandoval’s delicate voice as part of Mazzy Star, too. I saw Alanis Morissette perform at the Paradise Rock Club with Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters fame on drums. I still think that Alana Davis of “32 Flavors” remake fame and Kelly Sweet of “Raincoat, featuring Dave Koz”, which made some waves on smooth jazz radio, have never been given their proper due. I fuckin’ love Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine because she’s got the beat. After listening to Taylor Swift’s second album a few times, I simply didn’t feel that same love for her music.

I wanted to like Taylor Swift, but she became an afterthought. After Kanye West made her an infamous victim at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), Taylor became the standard-bearer for young White girls being accosted by older Black men.² That moment became a cultural flashpoint which catapulted Taylor’s stagnating career into the stratosphere over the next decade and more.

In the following years, Taylor built a cult following of “Swifties,” mostly young girls and young women, with some older women mixed into the group.

“When you reach number one, look like you’re bluffing, but really, you’ll be clocking the sun.” — Seal³

The frenzy over Taylor’s “The Eras Tour” started to sicken me a bit because parents were almost forced to pay thousands of dollars for their young daughters’ tickets; it was protracted emotional bank-account sabotage.⁴

The Human Scale

Taylor released “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)” as a concert film on Disney+ in 2024.⁵ I mean, why wouldn’t she? There were millions of dollars to be made. I’d see my daughters watching it from time to time. I’ve never said anything to them, but I was aghast at the reactions of the girls and women during those concerts. At that point, my opinion of Taylor Swift began to change dramatically. Taylor, a woman with a pretty face and a thin body, was being idolized. In fact, she was being deified. Taylor and her lyrics, like “his love was the key that opened my thighs”, were being memorized and repeated by young girls, including mine.⁶

This winter, after my oldest daughter finished competing at a Turn It Around (TIA) Tour competition at the Mystic Marriott Hotel & Spa in Groton, Connecticut, I decided to take a small detour on the way home to Massachusetts. I thought my three young daughters would enjoy driving by Taylor’s home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island.⁷ I hate traffic, but knowing how coastal tourist towns work, I knew that it’d be empty. In some ways, I wanted to show them that Taylor Swift is nothing but another human being. My girls were happy that I took the time to drive by — I did not stop to gawk — and I was pleasantly surprised by their muted reactions.

Let’s fast-forward to Taylor’s July 3rd wedding at Madison Square Garden (MSG). The fact that she chose MSG in itself is an affront to the ideals of marriage wherein two people — in humble fashion — give themselves to each other for eternity. The Empire State Building illuminated in blue sparkles as a nod to the “something blue” tradition, whether Taylor and her team had arranged that or not.⁸

The Public Affair

Prior to the wedding, it was announced that Taylor and Travis, wink, had donated $26 million to charities across the United States.⁹ I don’t believe it was an act of goodwill. I think it was meant to be used as a bit of armor — some social engineering — as a way to clap back at any criticisms of her gauche proceedings; it was not a wedding, but a carefully crafted public affairs promotion.

If we turn back the clock a bit to June of this year, just before the announcement that Taylor and Travis would be married at MSG, she was seen sitting courtside at Game 4 of the Knicks’ NBA Finals series there.¹⁰ In my mind, she had already settled on MSG as her wedding venue and wanted to show New Yorkers that she was one of them. The seeding of this constant barrage of sightings and news stories was meant to ameliorate any public protests.

As the wedding has concluded, I’ve noticed a few more issues. As of today, I haven’t seen any official wedding images or videos released. I did happen to see one image which looked as though it was taken by one of MSG’s staff; it was clearly unauthorized.¹¹

The Sealed Spectacle

I’ve seen images of attendees across social media, but I’ve noticed that many of them have been coy. Many have announced that they attended a wedding in New York City, but most leave out Travis’s and Taylor’s names.¹² In response, there have been images of random netizens inserted into faux wedding images with Travis and Taylor, dressed for their nuptials, in the background.

There have been rumors that Taylor required all wedding attendees to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).¹³ This idea, with many attendees failing to mention Taylor’s name within their social media posts, seems to make sense. The idea of having NDAs signed by your closest 1,000 family members and friends makes me believe there’s more going on behind the scenes.

In fact, I believe that Taylor’s nuptials will be released as some sort of production, which will undoubtedly make billions of dollars.¹⁴ Imagine having to sign an NDA while simultaneously being used as an unpaid prop for another Taylor Swift venture. The idea is sickening to its core.

When that production is released, I bet that “you’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess” will be the capstone of the entire film, whether it’s a full-length feature or a documentary.¹⁵

Taylor Swift’s marriage may become as famous as Princess Diana’s day-long ceremony.¹⁶ In fact, it might become more famous. In celebrity culture, only Céline Dion’s marriage, which was televised across Canada, is the only other affair to compare.¹⁷

I don’t care what Taylor Swift does with her life — you must be laughing because I’ve just written a screed — but I do care about the mental health of young women, including the mental health of my young daughters.

A few attendees’ names have piqued my interest. Lori McKenna of Stoughton, Massachusetts, where we both live, was in attendance.¹⁸ She’s collaborated with Taylor in the past,¹⁹ and there’s obviously a continued affection between the two; it’s nice to see a bit of long-term loyalty being displayed in the business of show.²⁰

The Hypocrisy Ledger

I’ve been critical of Mike Vrabel for his “alleged” affair with Dianna Russini, which seems to have lasted for many years.²¹ An image with Mike and his wife Jennifer with Robert “Bob” Kraft has been posted by the New England Patriots social media team that seems to be powering through the drama.²² That entire scandal is its own story.

Kareem Hunt, a guy who was filmed kicking a woman as she lay on the ground, was also in attendance.²³

Brad Pitt was in attendance, although he “allegedly” choked one of his adopted kids.²⁴

An attendee named David Rozenblatt, the husband of Melanie Nyema, one of Taylor’s backup singers, has drawn criticism because he “allegedly” threatened to physically harm family members.²⁵

Harrison Butker, however, was not invited because he believes in traditional marriage.²⁶

“They’ll be punching tickets the minute you fall out of line.” — Seal²⁷

As I return to the idea of a Swifties cult, I truly believe that it’s reached an epic proportion of dangerousness for the average girl and woman. They’re not hapless extras in The Princess Bride. There is no prince. There are no princesses. There are only men and women trying to do the best for themselves and their families.

There is only an agreement to love another person, through thick and thin, for a lifetime. That idea might draw laughs, especially when there’s fighting between a husband and wife, but it’s something that helps young girls to see and to witness that committed love and all the thorns that come with it as a stabilizing force in reality. As Seal wrote, we’re merely human beings who bleed and die…

1. Apple Music, Fearless (Platinum Edition), Taylor Swift. ↩︎
2. People, “Kanye West Infamously Stormed Taylor Swift’s VMAs Speech 15 Years Ago”, September 13th, 2024. ↩︎
3. Apple Music, Human Being, Seal. ↩︎
4. Associated Press, “Fans are following Taylor Swift to Europe after finding Eras Tour tickets less costly there”, May 8th, 2024; NBC Bay Area, “Taylor Swift at Levi’s Stadium: Cheapest, most expensive resale tickets for Eras Tour shows”, July 18th, 2023, updated July 27th, 2023. ↩︎
5. Disney+, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), official title page. ↩︎
6. Apple Music, “Wood”, Taylor Swift; Apple Music, “Wood (Lyric Video)”, Taylor Swift. ↩︎
7. Architectural Digest, “Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island Mansion: Here’s Everything You Need to Know”, August 26th, 2024. ↩︎
8. Associated Press, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce marry in front of famous friends at Madison Square Garden”, July 4th, 2026; Associated Press, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married. What to know about the wedding”, July 5th, 2026; Associated Press, “Permit obtained by AP shows schedule for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding”, July 2nd, 2026. ↩︎
9. Associated Press, “Swift and Kelce’s $26M charity donation marks wedding week at MSG”, July 2nd, 2026; ABC7 New York, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce donate $26 million to 20 charities across the country”, July 3rd, 2026. ↩︎
10. Entertainment Weekly, “Taylor Swift attends NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden amid wedding venue speculation”, June 11th, 2026. ↩︎
11. Sports Illustrated/On SI, “Photos From Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift Madison Square Garden Wedding”, July 5th, 2026. The link supports leaked or guest-media context; it’s not a universal claim about official release status. ↩︎
12. Sports Illustrated/On SI, “Photos From Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift Madison Square Garden Wedding”, July 5th, 2026. ↩︎
13. TMZ, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Wedding NDA Lacks Penalties for Guests”, June 30th, 2026; Cosmopolitan, “Details on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s NDA for Wedding Guests Just Leaked”, July 1st, 2026. ↩︎
14. TMZ, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Wedding NDA Lacks Penalties for Guests”, June 30th, 2026. TMZ’s report pressures the film-release theory. ↩︎
15. Apple Music, “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)”, Taylor Swift. ↩︎
16. History, “How Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s Wedding Became a Global Phenomenon”, November 13th, 2020. ↩︎
17. The Knot, “A Look Back at Celine Dion’s Wedding to Rene Angelil”, 2024. ↩︎
18. People, “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Wedding Guests, in Alphabetical Order: Photos”, July 4th, 2026. ↩︎
19. Lori McKenna, “Songwriter”, official site. ↩︎
20. Songwriting Magazine, “Interview: Lori McKenna”, October 20th, 2023. ↩︎
21. People, “Mike Vrabel and Wife Jen Spotted Heading to Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Wedding After Dianna Russini Photo Drama”, July 4th, 2026. People supports the wedding-attendance and public photo-scandal context, not the stronger affair-duration claim. ↩︎
22. New England Patriots (@patriots), Instagram post, July 4th, 2026. The post is used as a social-post receipt for the Vrabel and Kraft public-image context. ↩︎
23. ESPN, “Kareem Hunt says he was ‘in the wrong’ for shoving, kicking woman”, December 2nd, 2018. ↩︎
24. Associated Press, “Jolie details Brad Pitt abuse allegations in court filing”, October 4th, 2022. ↩︎
25. A local evidence posture was retained for the David Rozenblatt allegation. The public wording stays allegation-framed; no public source was captured. ↩︎
26. EssentiallySports, “Travis Kelce Reportedly Keeps Controversial Chiefs Star Off His Wedding Guest List”, July 4th, 2026; National Catholic Register, “Full Text: Harrison Butker of Kansas City Chiefs Graduation Speech”, May 16th, 2024; Associated Press via WSAZ, “Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker says a woman should be a ‘homemaker’ in commencement speech”, May 15th, 2024. ↩︎
27. Apple Music, Human Being, Seal. ↩︎