Episode 325: Taylor Swift: The Crimes, Claims, and Controversies - Part 1
Her name is one of the most recognizable in the world. You know her lyrics. You’ve seen her concerts. But what about the more sinister side of this global superstar? Lawsuits, crimes, stalking, and more - this week’s episode is Taylor Swift: The Crimes, Claims, and Controversies - Part 1.
SOURCES
A Taylor Swift Instagram post helped drive a surge in voter registration (2023), NPR: https://www.npr.org/2023/09/22/1201183160/taylor-swift-instagram-voter-registration
Abercrombie & Fitch Pull Taylor Swift T-Shirt, Billboard: https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/abercrombie-fitch-pull-taylor-swift-t-shirt-1568057/
Alleged Waffle House shooter displayed sovereign citizen beliefs, SPLC: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/04/23/alleged-waffle-house-shooter-displayed-sovereign-citizen-beliefs
Apple to Pay Artists After Taylor Swift Shames Company in Letter, NBC: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/apple/apple-pay-artists-after-taylor-swift-shames-company-letter-n379476
Can’t Shake It Off: How Taylor Swift Became a Nazi Idol, Vice: https://www.vice.com/en/article/cant-shake-it-off-how-taylor-swift-became-a-nazi-idol/
Clarifying “nobody physically saw me for a year” timeline - July 2016 to December 2017, Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TaylorSwift/comments/18ek60q/clarifying_nobody_physically_saw_me_for_a_year/
David Mueller, the DJ that Groped Taylor Swift, Is Already Back on the Radio Under the Name “Stonewall Jackson”, W Magazine: https://www.wmagazine.com/story/david-mueller-stonewall-jackson-taylor-swift
Eras Analyzed: Taylor Swift's Reputation, Naomi Cannibal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvOFSotHHl4
Ex-DJ says $1 payment to Taylor Swift sent by mail last week, AP: https://apnews.com/general-news-celebrity-arts-and-entertainment-1056fac90866468a9a63381275638692
Family members of Waffle House shooting victims share stories of grief, loss, News Channel 5: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/family-members-of-waffle-house-shooting-victims-share-stories-of-grief-loss
Here’s why the theory that Taylor Swift is a satanist clone absolutely checks out, Mashable: https://www.yahoo.com/news/heres-why-theory-taylor-swift-134727126.html
How 1989 Changed Taylor Swift’s Career Forever, Time: https://time.com/6328790/taylor-swift-1989-2/
How Biden and Taylor Swift beat Ticketmaster, LA Times: https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-06-15/how-biden-and-taylor-swift-beat-ticketmaster
Instagram Post - October 7, 2018, Taylor Swift: https://www.instagram.com/taylorswift/p/BopoXpYnCes/
Jeffrey Reinking gets 18 months in prison for returning gun his son later used in 2018 mass shooting, NPR: https://www.wcbu.org/local-news/2023-03-03/jeffrey-reinking-sentenced-to-18-months-in-prison-for-returning-gun-his-son-later-used-in-2018-mass-shooting
Judge sanctions former Denver radio host for destroying evidence in Taylor Swift lawsuit, Denver Post: https://www.denverpost.com/2017/07/20/taylor-swift-lawsuit-denver-sanctions-evidence-destroyed/
Kanye West apologizes for interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs: 'I'm not crazy...I'm just real.', Entertainment Weekly: https://ew.com/article/2009/09/13/kanye-taylor-swift-apology/
Mississippi radio CEO issues statement on hiring of controversial DJ, WLBT: https://www.wlbt.com/story/37388552/mississippi-radio-ceo-issues-statement-on-hiring-of-controversial-dj/
Mueller v. Swift, Civil Action No. 15-cv-1974-WJM-KLM, 2 (D. Colo. May. 31, 2017): https://casetext.com/case/mueller-v-swift-1
Mueller v. Swift - Defendant's Answer and Counterclaims: https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Swift.v.Mueller.pdf
People v. Reinking, No. 4-23-0486, 2024 IL App (4th) 230486 (May 7, 2024): https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/il-court-of-appeals/116144487.html
Reinking family 'heartbroken' over Waffle House shootings, The State Journal-Reporter: https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2018/05/01/reinking-family-heartbroken-over-waffle/12328880007/
Sean Hall, et al. v. Taylor Swift, et al. - No. 2:17-cv-06882 (C.D. Cal. 2017) - Link to all pleadings, George Washington School of Law Music Copyright Infringement Resource: https://blogs.law.gwu.edu/mcir/case/inplay-sean-hall-et-al-v-taylor-swift-et-al/
Semi-naked gunman kills four at Waffle House in Nashville, Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/22/nashville-waffle-house-shooting-three-dead-four-injured
Taylor Swift's courtroom testimony is being reported by media in attendance, and it's utterly savage., Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/6svwzw/taylor_swifts_courtroom_testimony_is_being/
Taylor Swift Accepting on the Phone | Best Pop Vocal Album | 58th GRAMMYs: https://youtu.be/tMcl_lqo3yY?si=L_Vblwix1sz77u4b
Taylor Swift Making Feature Directing Debut for Searchlight Pictures, Variety: https://variety.com/2022/film/news/taylor-swift-feature-directing-debut-searchlight-pictures-1235455606/
Taylor Swift Mysteriously Deletes All Photos From Her Instagram -- Is New Music Finally on the Way?, ET: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-mysteriously-deletes-photos-171500937.html
Taylor Swift: I should take some time off and take a break from music, BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-34477895
Taylor Swift’s Biggest Controversies Through the Years: From Feuding With Kanye West to Copyright Lawsuits, Yahoo: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-biggest-controversies-years-135600847.html
Taylor Swift's Haunted House, Salem Ghosts: https://salemghosts.com/taylor-swifts-haunted-house/
Tennessee Waffle House shooter believed to have stolen BMW from dealer days before, Fox 17 News: https://fox17.com/news/local/tennessee-waffle-house-shooter-believed-to-have-stolen-bmw-from-dealer-days-before
Testimony: Waffle House shooter wrote to Winfrey, Swift, AP: https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-shootings-taylor-swift-oprah-winfrey-b2609f21c80445c09b01080d20bd97d4?utm_source=chatgpt.com
The 29-year-old hero from Waffle House shooting: 'I saw the opportunity and I took it', The Tennesseean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2018/04/22/waffle-house-shooting-hero-stopped-shooter/540061002/
The Silence Breakers: Time Person of the Year 2017, Time: https://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-2017-silence-breakers/
Taylor Swift deals with third alleged stalker this month, authorities say, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/taylor-swift-deals-with-third-alleged-stalker-this-month-authorities-say
Taylor Swift’s alleged stalker calls her a ‘virus’ and threatens her family, Mercury News: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/18/one-of-taylor-swifts-alleged-stalkers-called-her-a-virus-and-threatened-her-family/
Ten Facts About Taylor Swift, Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/10-facts-about-taylor-swift/
The Taylor Swift effect: Nashville sounds off on singer's political endorsements, Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/12/taylor-swift-democrats-midterm-election-celebrity-political-endorsements
The Waffle House shooting suspect thought Taylor Swift was stalking him and showed other signs of delusion, CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/22/us/travis-reinking-waffle-house-shooting/index.html
US Judge dismisses Taylor Swift 'haters' case as too 'banal', BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-43056814
Voter registrations skyrocket after Taylor Swift’s get-out-the-vote push (2018), CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/10/09/voter-registrations-skyrocket-after-taylor-swift-instagram-post.html
Waffle House shooter found guilty on 4 counts of murder, NPR: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/04/1078430544/waffle-house-shooter-found-guilty-on-4-counts-of-murder
Waffle House shooter was once arrested by Secret Service for trespassing near White House, CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/22/us/waffle-house-shooter-white-house/index.html
Waffle House shooting trial: Travis Reinking guilty on all counts, The Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2022/02/04/waffle-house-shooting-trial-travis-reinking-guilty-all-counts/6652481001/
Waffle House Suspect Said Taylor Swift Was Stalking Him, News Channel 5: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/waffle-house-suspect-said-taylor-swift-was-stalking-him
Waffle House suspect, Taylor Swift and the obsessions of dangerous fans, Mercury News: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/04/24/waffle-house-suspect-taylor-swift-and-the-obsessions-of-dangerous-fans/
Waffle House Trial Ends with 16 Guilty Verdicts and Life Without Parole, Office of the District Attorney of Nashville: https://da.nashville.gov/waffle-house-trial-ends-with-16-guilty-verdicts-and-life-without-parole/
Why Did Taylor Swift Really Rejoin Spotify?, Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2017/06/27/why-did-taylor-swift-really-rejoin-spotify/
How Did Taylor Swift Become Famous?, Nicki Smith: https://www.nickiswift.com/58040/taylor-swift-become-famous/
Taylor Swift’s early years — by the people who knew her, The Times: https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/taylor-swifts-early-years-by-the-people-who-knew-her
Taylor Swift’s Parents: Everything to Know About Her Supportive Mom & Dad, Hollywood Life: https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/taylor-swift-parents-4577531/?utm_
Kanye West Infamously Stormed Taylor Swift's VMAs Speech 15 Years Ago: A Recap of the Viral Moment in Music History, People: https://people.com/revisiting-taylor-swift-and-kanye-west-2009-mtv-vmas-moment-8710574?utm
The 2009 MTV VMAs Changed Pop Culture Forever, InStyle: https://www.instyle.com/2009-mtv-vmas-pop-culture-15-year-anniversary-8710374?utm
