The post contained a collage of the current Vice President and the Lover singer with the text inside it reading:
“Taylor Swift Loses More Than 100 Million Followers on Instagram After Harris Endorsement.”
However, the now-viral claim has turned out to be fake as evident from the caption of the post, saying, “It was Tay Tay’s biggest mistake – This is Satire.” In fact, the page SpaceX Fanclub’s bio itself reads, “We post SATIRE, nothing on this page is real.”
For those uninitiated, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris via Instagram on Tuesday, September 10, following the Harris-Trump presidential debate conducted by ABC. In it, she wrote she would be voting for Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz for the upcoming election and “made my choice” after “doing my research.”
Taylor Swift did not lose millions of Instagram followers amid her Kamala Harris endorsement
On Thursday, a rumor arose on Facebook and later circulated on other social media platforms claiming that Taylor Swift’s recent endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris led her to lose out on over 100 Million followers on Instagram.
The claim was proven false, as the original post by SpaceX Fanclub had a “Rated Satire” mark and a disclaimer saying, “Nothing on this page is real.” The page is known for its satirical content, as stated in its description.
Meanwhile, the original Facebook post also contained a source link (in the comment section) to an article on the Esspots website dated September 11, 2024, carrying the title, “Taylor Swift Loses More Than 100 Million Followers on Instagram After Kamala Harris Endorsement.”
“In what might be the most shocking Instagram exodus since the Great Vine Migration of 2017, pop sensation Taylor Swift woke up to find her follower count had dropped by more than 100 million overnight. The cause? Her recent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Yes, it appears that even Taylor’s legendary Swiftie army has its limits, and that limit, apparently, is politics,” the article stated.
A glimpse of the Esspots article making the false claims. (Image via Esspots)
It further alleged that initially, Swift “unfazed by the backlash” and thought “it would blow over” however, it turned out to be “different” than she thought.
“This was the moment the Swifties decided to break up with her, and not in the ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ kind of way. They just… left. And left they did. Within hours of her post, millions of fans hit the unfollow button. By the next morning, Swift’s once-dominant Instagram presence had taken a nosedive,” the Esspots article added.
Besides, it claimed that the viral hashtag #UnfollowSwift also became trending on social media platforms, with her fans expressing their disappointment over Taylor’s Harris endorsement. The article even alleged that Kamala Harris tweeted, “Welcome to the club, Taylor. Sometimes telling the truth costs you a few fans.” Additionally, the Esspots story purported that the multiple-time Grammy winner was “already formulating a plan to regain her lost followers”
However, all the above-mentioned claims have turned out to be false. Neither did Taylor Swift lose Instagram followers, nor did her fans express dismay at her Harris endorsement. The current Vice President has also not spoken on the matter.
Likewise, the article’s claim that Taylor Swift in her endorsement wrote, “Kamala Harris is the leader we need. She’s my role model and perfect for this country,” is fake. Swift, who has been awarded 2023 TIME Person of the Year, didn’t write anything about the same. Instead, Taylor Swift in her September 10 Instagram endorsement wrote:
“I’m voting for @kamalaharris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.”
So, it can be concluded that the entire Esspots article is fake, unfounded, and fabricated, which was written by Alex Robin who is known for his parody pieces. Not only that but the website’s “About Us” section also described Esspots as a “one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary” calling its content fake, absurd, with a pinch of “humor,” and meant to trigger “laughter.”
Notably, following her endorsement, Taylor Swift also shared a link to vote.org on her Instagram Story urging American voters to register ahead of the November presidential election.
As per the General Services Administration (GSA), the federal agency overseeing vote.org, the artist’s link garnered around 405, 999 users on the site in less than 24 hours, which otherwise has an average visit of 30,000 users per day.
Apart from the 100 million followers loss fake claim, SpaceX Fanclub also made a follow-up post alleging that Taylor Swift lost “brand deals worth $125 million” after her Kamala Harris endorsement. However, it has also turned out to be fake and satirical, for the same reasons cited above.