Claims Taylor Swift cut 'red states' from tour stem from satire

Social media posts claim Taylor Swift -- who endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president ahead of the November 5 election -- canceled concerts in US states where more votes went to Republican President-elect Donald Trump. This is false; the US segment of the pop icon's top-grossing Eras Tour ended before Election Day and the claim originated from a satirical site.

"Taylor Swift Cancels Red State Shows After MASSIVE RED WAVE, 'I Won't Be Performing Here Anymore,'" says a November 11, 2024 Facebook post.

<span>Screenshot of a Facebook post taken November 13, 2024</span>
Screenshot of a Facebook post taken November 13, 2024



The claim circulated elsewhere on Facebook, Threads, X and TikTok.

Between her billion-dollar Eras Tour and a high-profile romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Swift is a widely influential cultural figure -- a position that has also made her a central figure in several conspiracy theories.

Following the September 10 presidential debate, the singer shared an Instagram post publicly endorsing Harris. Swift had been largely silent on the election prior but said she was inspired to speak up after discovering altered and synthetic images falsely showing her endorsing Trump.

Her support for the Democrat sparked a backlash and triggered a wave of erroneous claims suggesting the musician lost brand deals or canceled her tour, but many stemmed from parody. The latest claims, following Trump's decisive victory over Harris, are similarly false.

No US tour dates

In November, Swift was nearing the end of her Eras Tour, which kicked off March 17, 2023, and she has no more US concert dates left on her schedule. Her last US show was in Indianapolis on November 3, 2024, two days before the presidential election.

The singer's final stop in her performance series is in Canada, with the show scheduled for Vancouver on December 8 (archived here).

Parody website

A keyword search uncovered that the claim about canceling shows was shared by The Patriots Network Facebook account, which is labeled as satire. The page's profile includes a written declaimer that says: "The Patriots Network is a Network of Satire and Parody affiliated with SpacexMania.com."

The post itself has several indicators disclosing it as parody, including text in the bottom right corner stating: "This is a 'fictional quote.'"

<span>Screenshot from Facebook taken November 14, 2024 with satire disclaimers outlined by AFP</span>
Screenshot from Facebook taken November 14, 2024 with satire disclaimers outlined by AFP

It also includes a link to a SpaceXmania article, a satire website whose About Us page says: "Our mission? To bring you the freshest fake news, some sassy analysis, and a good dose of satire."

Although some Facebook posts are clearly labeled, others are not -- an example of what the News Literacy Project calls "stolen satire," or "a satirical story that is removed from its original context and presented online without an immediately apparent disclaimer."

AFP has fact-checked other misinformation about the 2024 presidential election here.