Claim:
Pop star Taylor Swift canceled multiple Eras Tour shows due to poor ticket sales following her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election.
Rating:
Labeled Satire ( About this rating? )
A rumor that pop star Taylor Swift had canceled multiple Eras Tour dates due to backlash from her endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election circulated online in September 2024.
For example, on Sept. 14, 2024, the Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub shared the claim in meme form in a post ( archived ). At the time of this writing, the post had received around 47,000 reactions and 18,800 comments.
(Facebook page SpaceX Fanclub)
The meme consisted of a photo collage of Harris and Swift paired with text reading:
Taylor Swift Cancels Eras Tour Dates After Endorsement Backlash: 'Only 2,300 Tickets Sold'
A pinned comment under the Facebook post shared a link to an article on Esspots.com ( archived ), which stated:
The dramatic drop in ticket sales has left many questioning whether Swift's political endorsement was the catalyst for the decline. While some speculate that it's just a temporary dip and that Swift will recover, others believe that this could mark a turning point for the superstar's career.
Faced with the harsh reality of dwindling ticket sales, Taylor Swift and her team made the tough decision to cancel several future Eras tour dates. In a statement released on her website, Swift explained the decision: "It's heartbreaking to have to cancel these shows, but I believe it's the best decision for everyone. I've always prided myself on bringing people together through music, but right now, it seems like the best way to do that is to take a step back."
Variations of the rumor spread on Threads and on X , as well as on multiple other Facebook pages.
Some readers seemed to interpret rumor as a factual recounting of real-life events. For example, one comment on the Sept. 14 SpaceX Fanclub post on Facebook read : "Great news. Karma."
However, there was no evidence that Swift canceled any Eras Tour dates after she endorsed Harris in an Instagram post on Sept. 10, 2024.
Archived versions of Swift's U.S. and international tour schedules captured by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine on Sept. 5, 2024, showed that Swift had a total of 18 upcoming Eras Tour shows scheduled prior to her endorsement of Harris: nine in the U.S. and nine in Canada. As of Sept. 17, 2024, all 18 shows were still listed as upcoming on Swift's U.S.-based and international tour schedule pages.
Furthermore, a Google search for the quote attributed to Swift in the Esspots.com article found no credible evidence that she had ever made such a statement, whether on her website or elsewhere.
Rather, the rumor about Swift canceling Eras Tour concerts due to backlash over her endorsement of Harris originated with Esspots.com — a website that described its output as being humorous or satirical in nature. Its About page ( archived ) stated:
Welcome to the U.S. page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America. Our team of writers and editors is dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest in fake news and absurdity, all with a healthy dose of humor and satire.
Esspots.com and its associated SpaceX Fanclub Facebook page, both of which are part of the SpaceXMania network of websites and social media accounts, have a history of making up stories for shares and comments.
Snopes has addressed similar satirical claims about Swift in the past, including the assertion that Kid Rock refused to let Swift onstage with him and a rumor that Swift lost $125 million in brand deals after her "big endorsement."
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.
Sources:
Esposito, Joey. "Taylor Swift Lost $125M in Brand Deals for 'Big Endorsement'?" Snopes, 13 Sept. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/taylor-swift-lost-125m-brand-deals/ .
Ibrahim, Nur. "Kid Rock Refused to Let Taylor Swift Join Him on Stage?" Snopes, 17 Sept. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/taylor-swift-kid-rock-stage/ .
Lee, Jessica. "Why Snopes Covers Satire and Parody." Snopes, 26 July 2024, https://www.snopes.com//notes/snopes-satire-parody/ .
"Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris after Presidential Debate." NBC News, 11 Sept. 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/taylor-swift-endorses-kamala-harris-rcna170547 .
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