Celebrity feuds have always been a staple of pop culture, with icons like Cardi B and Nicki Minaj persistently locking horns or Ye, formerly Kanye West
’s, consistent run-ins with, well, anyone. While some spats explode instantly, others simmer quietly before surfacing in the spotlight—cue the potential Taylor Swift
and Blake Lively
drama. The public rift making the content of this piece, a slow-burn dispute between Swift, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler, falls into the latter category, with all of it starting in 2013 at a much-revered Tinseltown award ceremony.
It began with a lighthearted dig, but the tension between the trio quickly became hard to ignore, commanding the tabloid gossip sections for quite a while.
Award show gag leads to years of tension between Taylor Swift, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler
The tension between Taylor Swift, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler sparked at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, when the latter two took a jab at her highly publicized dating life. Swift, known for not taking sexism lightly, did not take this jibe lightly either, as she spoke to Vanity Fair soon, referencing a quote by Katie Couric. “There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women,”
said the songstress.
The remark was taken as a direct aim at the comedy duo.
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, though initially brushing off Taylor Swift’s counterattack, kept reigniting the rift until as late as 2017, with Fey enacting a ‘Bad Blood’ music video spoof on NBC sitcom Great News
that year. Although the comedian appeared to drag the controversy years later, Swift’s response was one and done, letting the matter go with that single Vanity Fair interview. She also, however, made sure she never crossed paths with either Poehler or Fey since then, instead focusing on building her own, very resonant brand.
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Since 2014, Taylor Swift has embraced a strong feminist persona, embodying the ideals of empowerment for women in the music industry and showbiz in general, earning her both allies and admirers.
Taylor Swift: The torchbearer of feminism since 2014
Taylor Swift appeared to take notes on what she would not want to become, not only from the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler episode, but from multiple instances in the same vein since. The singer never said or did anything to single out another woman and made sure she supported as many of them as she could, one of them being Kesha. As the ‘Die Young’ singer battled Dr. Luke to be released from her contract in 2016, she received not only financial assistance from the ‘Lover’ hitmaker but also emotional support, as accounted for by Kesha herself.
“Misogyny is ingrained in people from the time they are born,” Taylor Swift once told Maxim. “So to me, feminism is probably the most important movement that you could embrace, because it’s just basically another word for equality.” @taylorswift13 pic.twitter.com/0igfguz5hh
— Vevo (@Vevo) March 1, 2019
Taylor Swift’s discography, most of which she recently brought back,
needless to mention, has echoed the same feminist ideologies over. Despite these examples, some have continued to call Swift a pseudo-feminist wearing a mask. Nevertheless, in spite of the never-ending chatter, the multi-Grammy winner has emerged as a fan favorite throughout, and her cultural resonance today is stronger than ever.
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What do you think of the Taylor Swift and Tina Fey-Amy Poehler showdown? Let us know in the comments!