PODCAST. Pentagon agent, satanic rituals, Illuminati… Taylor Swift at the heart of conspiracy theories

Taylor Swift will be in Paris for a series of concerts from May 9 to 12. At just 34 years old, the pop star becomes the first billionaire artist solely thanks to income from her music. A notoriety which is not without consequences for the pop icon who has become the target of fake news, deepfakes and conspiracy theories.

The event is such that it even crashed the ticket office on the Internet, unable to manage the influx of fans: Taylor Swift arrives in France with her tour “The Eras Tour” for a series of concerts at the Défense Arena in Paris , from May 9 to 12. Barely released, his 11th album has once again shattered all records. Taylor Swift fills stadiums around the world and inspires conspiracy theories of all kinds.

A few months before the 2024 American presidential election, a conspiracy theory is circulating in the United States, launched by far-right figures on conservative media, accusing the pop singer of being involved in a psychological destabilization operation intended to rig the next presidential election and to get Joe Biden re-elected. “The US Department of Defense allegedly recruited the singer to encourage people to vote for Joe Biden, it’s pure fabricationnotes Rudy Reichstadt, but it had such an impact that the Pentagon spokesperson had to deny it (…) We can see that once again, we can create a conspiracy theory from almost nothing.”

One in five Americans believe Taylor Swift is part of a plot to get Joe Biden re-elected

However, this theory is tenacious: a survey reveals that nearly one in five Americans adhere to this conspiracy theory, according to a study published on February 14 by a university in New Jersey. It was also reinforced by the victory of the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl: Taylor Swift’s companion, Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs player, was himself targeted by the American complosphere because he had participated in an ad for Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19. Joe Biden also reacted on social networks by ironically: “Exactly as we planned.”

Why are conspiracy theorists attacking Taylor Swift specifically? “Because she is powerfulreplies Sébastien Paour, Radio France correspondent in the United States. It’s a couple that weighs heavily. She has exceeded a billion dollars on this tour that she is currently doing all over the planet. She causes earthquakes during her concerts and her potential political weight and also attracted by the two camps of the political spectrum who will face each other in November in the presidential election.

“She has millions and millions of followers, the Swifties, who come to all her concerts in the United States, but not only that, who will potentially follow her opinion on the electoral campaign and vote for the candidate she calls to support .”

Sébastien Paour, Radio France correspondent in the United States

For Rudy Reichstadt, “Taylor Swift has also become a target of the American far right since she showed her support for abortion rights and criticized Donald Trump. Why? Because her positions are experienced by many “Republican voters as a betrayal.”

Accused of performing satanic rituals on stage

On social networks, another conspiracy theory is circulating: Taylor Swift would perform satanic rituals on stage during her concerts. “It’s a great classic”estimates Tristan Mendès France, for whom the idea is “something very popular in the complosphere”. According to him, the conspirators “will try to find signals in the videos or concerts which would make the link between this fantasized Satanism and the artists they target”. Taylor Swift was notably targeted for the video for her song Karma.

Illuminati, theory around the number 13, the singer’s favorite number… We haven’t finished with the theories around Taylor Swift. “Little doubt that when Taylor Swift decides for November, the conspiracy machine will reignitenotes Tristan Mendès France. And given her growing political weight, she will be a target of choice for the pro-Trump complosphere… While waiting for her visit to France which could reactivate part of the French complosphere.”

“Taylor Swift at the heart of conspiracy theories”, this is the 67th episode of Complorama with Rudy Reichstadt, director of Conspiracy Watch, and Tristan Mendès France, lecturer and member of the conspiracy observatory, specialist in digital cultures. A podcast to be found on the franceinfo website, the Radio France application and several other platforms such as Apple podcasts, Podcast Addict, Spotify, or Deezer.