Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire Aren’t Fighting, Despite Reports to the Contrary

Country royalty Reba McEntire is speaking out against claims that she took superstar Taylor Swift to task this weekend, after a popular social media account alleged that McEntire called Swift “an entitled little brat.”

The trouble began, as it so frequently does, on Facebook. That’s where an account called “America Loves Liberty” published this post: “Reba McIntire (sic) talks about how disappointed she was to look up at the big screen while performing The National Anthem, only to see Taylor Swift laughing and drinking and making a mockery of the event. ‘I let her have it afterward. She’s an entitled little brat.’”

There isn’t a link to any story that backs this up, and a look at the account’s main page suggests that the entire America Loves Liberty operation is intended to spread misinformation. “Nothing on this page is real” reads its “about” information, which credits a person named “Busta Troll” as responsible for the Facebook account. 

Its associated website describes its publications as satire, writing that “Everything on this website is fiction. It is not a lie, and it is not fake news because it is not real. If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.” 

It’s unlikely that McEntire went as deep on the “America Loves Liberty” as we just did (and she’s certainly not alone in failing to look into the account before reacting), which is probably why she responded to the post in an understandably earnest fashion. Via Facebook and Instagram, the actor and singer wrote, “Please don’t believe everything you see on the Internet. I did not say this. Taylor is a wonderful artist, strong role model and has done so much good for so many people and the music industry.”

Following McEntire’s response, the “America Loves Liberty” account posted a follow-up, writing “Oh my. Reba McEntire herself responded to our nonsense. Thank you, Ma’am. We love your work. The article is as silly as the headline for a reason. It’s not supposed to be believable. Your fans were staunchly on your side long before this post.”

It’s nice when a disagreement such as this one ends with both sides reaching the same conclusion—that one should vet one’s sources before believing any online assertions. That’s wisdom that also feels applicable to another person who (well and truly) went after Swift this weekend: disgraced former Republican Rep. George Santos.

Santos, who is expected in federal court for claims including identity theft, wire fraud, and money laundering, took time out of his possibly dwindling days of freedom to tweet about Swift, writing “I see @taylorswift13 endorsing  @JoeBiden for president.”

The fabulist, who apparently follows Swift’s work so closely he’s capable of a statistical analysis of its topics, followed that prediction by writing, “I mean, I see how this makes sense since 95% of her songs are about choosing the wrong guy. I guess we can all expect a Taylor Swift revenge song on Biden in 2025…” 

Santos did not explain the reasoning for his Swift endorsement prediction, nor did he note how many residents of New York’s third congressional district have suggested that Santos was also the so-called “wrong guy.” But though Swift has encouraged voter registration, she has not offered an endorsement in the current presidential election. Candidates including Donald Trump have speculated that Swift will endorse President Joe Biden, with some conspiracy theorists falsely assuming that the singer is part of “a covert government effort” to ensure Biden’s success. 

A representative for Swift has not responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment on the matter.