Taylor Swift’s fame and fortune – 14 Grammys, a record-breaking tour, the first musician to reach billionaire status solely from her music – make her a possible target for anyone from ambitious criminals to deranged extremists. She has endured multiple stalkers and crazed fans over the years and her security has resorted to controversial methods to keep her safe.
In 2018, Swift reportedly used facial recognition software at her concerts to stop known stalkers or harassers from entering any venues. In February, the singer brought down the full heft of her mighty legal team upon Jack Sweeney, a 21-year-old student who tracks emissions from celebrity private jets and shares details of them on social media, claiming it constituted “stalking and harassing behaviour”.
Things have certainly become more hi-tech than they were in 2017, when there were rumours that 12 security guards had smuggled Swift out of her New York apartment in a large suitcase, although a video captured on her Eras tour disclosed that she hides in a broom cart to get to the stage unseen.
Last month, a video made by a fan at a concert in Zurich went viral on TikTok after it appeared to show her security guard following her every move across the stage without looking away from the crowd, suggesting he either has her choreography memorised or was being fed information on her moves via an earpiece.
Another clip of her tour caused a stir in 2023, when Taylor waved to fans while her eager bodyguard wildly scanned the crowd for threats. “Give this man a raise!” and “He is ELITE” were just a couple of the comments. That particular security guard has reportedly since left the US to join the Israel Defence Forces. Many close protection officers (CPOs), as bodyguards are known in the industry, will have prior law enforcement or military backgrounds
“Obviously, anywhere she goes is a security issue,” says Clark Hunt, the chairman of the Kansas City Chiefs, which – if you’re not a Swiftie – is the American football team Taylor’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, plays for. “It’s something that we’ve helped her security team handle when she comes to the games in Kansas City. She has a really talented security team.”