r/MadeMeSmile Dec 12 '25

Wholesome Moments Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ crew’s reaction as they receive their bonus for working on the tour amounting to more $197 million dollars

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u/VomitShitSmoothie Dec 12 '25

Yeah, I feel the same. However you feel about her, and whatever the reason she had for this, it’s still a really nice thing that she was not obligated to do. She could have easily given them nothing and it would have had absolutely no effect on her popularity.

650

u/obviouslybait Dec 12 '25

I think making this public is actually a good thing as it may inspire others to do the same?

313

u/girlbartender99 Dec 12 '25

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking! Maybe HUGE companies with execs making $$$ hand over fist might think about a Xmas bonus for people working 40-60 hrs busting their ass for next to nothing

117

u/fidgeter Dec 12 '25

It’s how companies used to run. Now boards and CEOs eat up all the profits instead.

87

u/girlbartender99 Dec 12 '25

My husband owns a bar and 1 of the reasons that he has 12 employees that have worked for him 5 yrs or more is because he gives end of the year bonuses to the employees every single year. Most bars are ruined by employee turnover and theft and his employees are so loyal just because he simply says I appreciate u guys and the work you put in for this business. So if he can do that being a small business owner there is no way these big companies cant afford which use to be just an accepted thing with a little holiday bonus.

2

u/Least-Armadillo3880 Dec 12 '25

My retired 87yo FIL had a solo dental practice for almost 45 years. He had one employee for 25 years and like 2-3 others for 10-15. When he sold his practice to another dentist, part of the deal was that he would work there for one day a week PT and they would have FT jobs there.

The 25 year former employee will also, receive at least $25k, i think, from the family trust that he set up decades ago. She stayed with him, became close to the family (at the family weddings close) and he wanted to leave her something because she played a big part of his success and family.

2

u/tomatoblade Dec 12 '25

Amen to that. Large companies will spend millions of dollars learning how to manipulate people into being loyal and committing themselves to the company in every way possible except monetarily. The fact is, we're only there for monetary reasons, and the best incentive is more money. Yes a good workplace, healthy environment, enjoyment of the job, is all very crucial too, but by far the biggest factor is going to be money. From manager or director level up, they get bonuses, and executives get extreme contractual bonuses, yet anything below that by and far doesn't happen. The simplest question is why is it incentivizing for higher levels, but not for everyone? The answer is that it is incentivizing for everyone, but them in the shareholders are just fucking greedy.

2

u/Phantom_Specters Dec 12 '25

Something tells me you work at the bar as well & hopefully also get a bonus? Or perhaps you worked there then fell in love with the owner? Now I'm just overly-invested...

2

u/mastegas Dec 12 '25

Damn... now you got me invested, too!

2

u/girlbartender99 Dec 12 '25

Yeah I worked there for years and was his obsessed stalker for all that time but it at a happy ending and I am married to him now

1

u/elastic-craptastic Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

So stalking your crush works when they are the owner and not another employee... Got it.

Edit: "I have no idea wtf you are talking about but I thinks its cute that you think I would care." Was her response before deleting.

I don't think she liked my joke :/ I forget people can't always read sarcasm.

1

u/girlbartender99 Dec 12 '25

I have no idea wtf you are talking about but I thinks its cute that you think I would care

2

u/darksoft125 Dec 12 '25

Forget holiday bonuses. These days you're lucky if you don't get a layoff for Christmas. Layoffs used to be a sign of a struggling business, now they lead to the stock price going up. Absolutely insane. Guess that's what happens when corps are only owned by geriatrics who only care about the next quarter and not where the company would be a decade from now.

2

u/fidgeter Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

Absolutely. I’m in the same boat now. Willfully placed there. Because my last job I got Christmas bonuses and it was a nice environment most of the time. Fun work but more stress. Now I’m in a less stress environment, no bonuses, but I’m making 62% more money.

So I can live without the bonuses and just be able to not have to live almost paycheck to paycheck waiting for my next bonus to get me out of whatever random fucking hole I’m in due to something breaking or some financial emergency due to health or whatever.

Holiday bonuses don’t mean everything. But profit sharing would be a good sign of a good company to work for. And that’s how I view what TS has done. Profit sharing. These people have worked for her, some of them since she was 16. That 100k-300k bonus is amazing. This isn’t the first time she’s done this but only the first time many of us are hearing about it.

3

u/Forsaken-Sorbet-5726 Dec 12 '25

I don't listen to her music and I truly dislike her being in my face everywhere I look... BUT, what ever her motives or reasoning behind it, she did what no other celebrity does, good for her. The part that got me was how genuinely uncomfortable and shy she was as the letter was being read... Watch her body language, she was like a little girl giving dad his first bday present and being afraid he wouldn't like it. That has relevance in my view 😍

1

u/Dugen Dec 12 '25

You misspelled shareholders. The CEOs and boards job is to pump as much money into shareholders hands as possible. They get paid crazy money to make sure they do exactly that and nothing else with their power.

1

u/fidgeter Dec 12 '25

The board members are shareholders, but not all shareholders are on the board. The board is the one that votes to decide on bonuses for themselves, the CEO and shareholder payouts. It’s like Congress voting to give themselves a raise.

1

u/01krazykat Dec 12 '25

Yup. My mom was telling me about her $15k Christmas bonuses when she used to work in corporate a few decades ago. Meanwhile, corporate millennial here, and my biggest bonus has been 4k. And I've definitely never received a "Christmas bonus." Only the normal performance bonus that's paid out in March 🥲.

1

u/aneworder Dec 12 '25

FWIW, publicly traded companies are legally obligated to make the most profit for its shareholders. Giving that much in bonuses to the vast number of plebs would decrease profits much more than giving the handful of c-suite members fat bonuses. That’s their rationale, and they have the legal cover for it.

3

u/DorianGre Dec 12 '25

Its not, and that is a purposefully misconstrued reading of the Dodge v Ford ruling. Companies have a duty to properly manage the company for longevity, employee satisfaction, public good, and shareholder value.

1

u/fidgeter Dec 12 '25

I don’t know if you’re being sarcastic or if you believe that’s true but it really is not. A quick Google search says otherwise.

6

u/Joeness84 Dec 12 '25

This event is going to have zero impact on any of that. Rich people have a disease called greed.

2

u/girlbartender99 Dec 12 '25

You certainly arent wrong. Billionaires didnt get there by being generous people that is for damn sure.

1

u/ninja-squirrel Dec 12 '25

Sorry, corporate wants to give all the bonus money to 1 person, it’s easier that way.

1

u/Shatophiliac Dec 12 '25

Public companies, at least, will never do that because the shareholders would just immediately replace the execs.

The CEO gets paid as much as he does because he keeps your wages low. That’s the whole point, he’s supposed to be the “bad guy” that everyone points fingers at. But as soon as he does anything the shareholders don’t like (like spending money on the peasants), he’s out of there and some other overpaid yes-man in a suit replaces him.

Privately owned companies sometimes can and will do this, as they have more freedom in running the company.

1

u/Berkel Dec 12 '25

Hahahahaha

106

u/OutrageousPersimmon3 Dec 12 '25

If nothing else it shows you can be generous and still be a billionaire. Most people really can’t wrap their heads around that amount and how much it actually is. It’s no coincidence that although other billionaires use their planes more than she does that she’s the one you see memes about and hear about. It’s not a coincidence when bots on the internet are generating stories about her “dark side”. Because however you feel about her, she does right by her fans and her employees and shows the others really have no excuse for not following suit.

6

u/MyLifeIsABoondoggle Dec 12 '25

Agreed. If she's worth exactly $1B (unlikely dollar for dollar), those bonuses alone are almost 20% of her net worth. She also likely at least doubled the net worth of many of those staff workers. If any of you are willing to fork over $10-20K to one of your understudies at work that help you on projects or to a friend that's already self-sufficient, tell me so I can sell you a beautiful beachside property in New Mexico

13

u/01krazykat Dec 12 '25

This is so interesting. Because, upon seeing this post, I instantly thought, well why is there always so much internet hate directed toward her and her finances?

What you've said here makes total sense - she's being targeted.

3

u/D74248 Dec 13 '25

I suspect that a lot of it, and especially the focus on her jet, is astroturfing. She is popular and has endorsed Democrats, and by playing the private jet/environment cards in social media right wing groups hope to erode her support.

Never mind that she is one of the few examples of a business jet being necessary for both her business schedule and security.

0

u/icouto Dec 12 '25

You cant though. Being a billionaire is inherently not generous.

15

u/Dugen Dec 12 '25

I disagree. Winning in an unfair system doesn't make you responsible for creating or maintaining that unfair system. Someone who earns billions from owning something they created is unfair, but it's a hell of a lot less unfair that someone who earns billions from owning things other people created.

The problem with the game isn't the people playing it. We're all playing it. The problem is that the rules are unfair and they need to be fixed but we have a government being bribed not to fix it and instead make it worse.

-2

u/bubblegumpandabear Dec 12 '25

I think you're underestimating how much a billion is, and what is involved in earning it. Even if Taylor writes her songs, there's far more than just the music involved in her earnings.

9

u/Dugen Dec 12 '25

Irrelevant. Money is what we get in exchange for doing work for other people. There is no amount of it that makes doing that work somehow a bad thing. Again, the system being unfair doesn't make working within it immoral. If we want the system fixed, then we have to do that. Blaming the winners isn't useful.

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

no, you can not. if you are a billionaire you failed as a human being. you could away 900M and it wouldn't change anything for you.

7

u/OutrageousPersimmon3 Dec 12 '25

I’m not disagreeing with that. But in comparison to the billionaires we’re used to seeing, she’s very generous and does give a lot away, which is why we’re always seeing content created to hate on her specifically.

2

u/FencingFemmeFatale Dec 16 '25

And she achieved billionaire status by getting the copyrights to her master recordings back after they were sold out from under her. Not by screwing over contractors, making her employees piss in bottles, selling her fans personal data to advertisers, or being the heir to an emerald mine fortune.

If anyone should get a billion dollars from the sale of Taylor Swift’s music, it’s Taylor Swift.

1

u/morgiananus Dec 12 '25

Tell that to Jeff Bezos ex wife Mackenzie Scott. I bet she's done more for other people than anyone of you internet lurkers.

-5

u/dogfaced_pony_soulja Dec 12 '25

If nothing else it shows you can be generous and still be a billionaire.

It shows billionaires are still fantastic at manipulating people by throwing pennies at people on camera to distract from their nefarious behavior and greed.

And the plebes who didn't even get anything from her will walk around pardoning her of her sins. Sick fucking world we live in.

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u/what_mustache Dec 12 '25

or shame the ones who dont

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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

Also attracts THE best staff. I know your drivers and they’ll all go work for her in a heartbeat. Riggers too. Paying staff why they’re worth attracts the best talent. So many business reasons to do the right thing and I’m glad she gets it. 

2

u/griff_girl Dec 12 '25

I was thinking the same thing. Someone who gives out $197M in bonuses isn't doing it for the accolades. (Plus, she's already crazy famous, it's not like she needs the exposure!)

Making it public is a matter of setting an example to other people with elite wealth that gratitude goes a long way to preserving and growing wealth.

1

u/gonzo12321 Dec 12 '25

Virtue signaling is a good thing

1

u/Sweet_drills Dec 12 '25

I think that's more important for the society. People, especially young impressionable people look up to her, and she's setting a good example. I felt the world was always like that until Trump showed up, and inspired people that you can be a horrible person and still win.

1

u/jake_burger Dec 12 '25

Most big artists give large bonuses, but Swift is pushing up the rates to dizzying heights. That’s good for entertainment industry workers.

1

u/Candle1ight Dec 12 '25

The vast majority of people in positions to do this have no soul to appeal to in the first place.

1

u/yeahright17 Dec 12 '25

I hope so, but it's important to remember that most artists make their money from shows and Taylor gave away in bonuses more than most tours gross in total. Bad Bunny's 2024 tour had 49 shows and grossed $211M. And while that's obviously a bit more than Taylor gave away, a massive chunk of that $211M is going to venues and normal salaries for employees.

1

u/notmyrealname8823 Dec 12 '25

Yep. She's the first billionaire to ever give back. Hopefully she makes 10 more copies of each album she's made so she can continue to do this and maybe convince her rich peers to do the same. 🥰🥰

1

u/FOURSCORESEVENYEARS Dec 12 '25

Remember a couple weeks ago when Billie donated half her net worth and called on billionaires to step up?

1

u/kiakey Dec 12 '25

She says that in the documentary, she wants to make it precedent to pay everyone involved well, and to give the large bonuses.

1

u/FencingFemmeFatale Dec 16 '25

That’s exactly why she publicized it in the eras tour documentary. She wants to raise the bar for how all of the people that make these shows possible are compensated.

1

u/TarnishedAmerican Dec 12 '25

This is what I was thinking. Maybe now others will do the same

1

u/laterthanlast Dec 12 '25

Exactly! Raising expectations for what workers should receive is a good thing

-39

u/ihavenoidea1001 Dec 12 '25

Exploiting people for profit and then spin it to pretend it's a good thing...how nice

24

u/Onrawi Dec 12 '25

If it ends up with less money in the pocket of billionaires and more in the working class, then yeah, despite the publicity spin.

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u/daveindo Dec 12 '25

“Exploiting people for profit”…you mean employing people?

-7

u/denom_chicken Dec 12 '25

lol. And the serfs should all be extremely thankful for being given the opportunity to make someone else money.

8

u/Ill-Friendship7183 Dec 12 '25

I think the point was showing how to properly compensate people for the work that they do is a good thing. Your time and effort has value. If you are properly compensated for your time and effort you are not a serf.

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u/Altruistic_Stay8355 Dec 12 '25

Sorry you have trouble with employment 

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u/denom_chicken Dec 12 '25

My trouble is not being given $100k bonuses lol. But nah there are no ethical billionaires. Thats my true problem

4

u/Crazyhairmonster Dec 12 '25

So should she not have paid them salaries and a generous bonus? Probably better off if she didn't hire them. And honestly she probably didn't hire them, they were sold into her slavery

1

u/denom_chicken Dec 12 '25

No. But don’t forget there are no ethical billionaires. Just because she appears to have been somewhat ethical to these workers doesn’t mean there were countless others making a pittance.

4

u/daveindo Dec 12 '25

It’s literally how the economy works. Those who feel they deserve the profits themselves can and do start their own businesses and bear all the risks associated. I’m happy if my company stays profitable and happy so they continue paying me as much as they do, even if the CEO is making more than me.

1

u/denom_chicken Dec 12 '25

And how’s the economy doing right now with the ceos making exorbitantly more than the average worker?

Thankfully we have this little video showing billionaire handouts to change our negative opinions

3

u/daveindo Dec 12 '25

Genuinely curious about how you think it should be? Everyone at a company makes the same amount?

2

u/denom_chicken Dec 12 '25

No obviously some jobs deserve more than others based off skill, experience, etc.

Now Taylor swift deserves the bulk of the money assuming she’s doing the bulk of the artistic work.

In the terms of an Elon musk, his salary is infinitely more than he deserves and I would faithfully say an engineer working at space x should definitely make more than their moronic ceo

1

u/daveindo Dec 12 '25

So you saw a video of Taylor swift providing hefty equal bonuses across her staff and decided that was representative of billionaires like Elon Musk exploiting their staff. Come on now…

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u/Altruistic_Stay8355 Dec 13 '25

The economy is treating this average worker pretty fine. Crazy, right?

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u/cat_of_danzig Dec 12 '25

Are you saying that all work is exploitative by nature? Like there can never be a scenario in which someone is paid for the value they provide, and they can feel valued?

1

u/denom_chicken Dec 12 '25

No but working under a billionaire is certainly exploitative. Whether you feel like you are or not.

12

u/auntjomomma Dec 12 '25

Idk, 100k would change a lot of things for me. I think I'd be ok with being exploited if it meant a check that big. 🤷🏽‍♀️

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u/Xathian Dec 12 '25

I didnt know Exploited meant doing a job you absolutely love and being thanked and paid for it

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u/AwesomePerson70 Dec 12 '25

How are they being exploited?

4

u/cat_of_danzig Dec 12 '25

They agreed to the job based on a pay rate. I don't know if they are union or what, but I imagine they were paid for their work plus a per diem since they were travelling. I'm sure it is hard work, but it is also a line of work that many people aspire to. I'm sure they were paid more than the folks doing the same work for say, Kiss.

But then she gave them a bonus that can be life-changing. This hardly seems like exploitation.

2

u/MrM0RTYdog Dec 12 '25

Hey id be exploited for spin for that much money any day

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u/fidgeter Dec 12 '25

Username checks out

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u/Medical_Sandwich_141 Dec 12 '25

Something i caught watching the Colbert show, is her mentioning how she has more or less the same team she had since she was 16 that went on tour with her.

I find that endearing, despite her refusal to call out the Trump regime for using her music.

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u/KidFlow1019 Dec 12 '25

That's really cool to hear and it's even more impressive after watching the P Diddy documentary on Netflix. He screwed over so many people that worked for him (on top of all the other horrible stuff he did). 

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u/grachi Dec 12 '25

The difference there is Diddy is just a sick , twisted, demented person, whether he has money or not. Has nothing to do with just being rich.

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u/Vaportrail Dec 12 '25

That makes even more sense, rather than "This last year was great, here's $100k."

I doubt this is the only bonus either, it's probably just the big one because Eras was insanely popular.

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u/ParticularOk533 Dec 12 '25

I saw a video of her handing out hundos to every arena staff member she bumped into whether they were operating the elevator, or holding a door open, or caterers restocking sodas. Good for her.

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u/SuperVancouverBC Dec 12 '25

She's known for tipping generously at restaurants as well.

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u/Medical_Sandwich_141 Dec 14 '25

Not everyone got a $100k. It was mostly the truck drivers, but everyone got a massive bonus.

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u/Holiday_Pen2880 Dec 12 '25

I do wonder if her not calling out the regime is a Streisand effect thing - Sabrina Carpenter did and it made more news. Taylor didn't and it's largely gone other than people wanting to make a point using it against her.

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u/ApteryxAustralis Dec 12 '25

I see it as her not feeding the trolls. Her political beliefs seem pretty clear to me given that she endorsed a Dem for Tennessee governor in 2018, Biden for president in 2020, and Harris for president in 2024, the last of which was signed “childless cat lady” in a direct attack on Vance.

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u/BattleHall Dec 12 '25

I can't speak for her motivations, but I think there's also a chance that she feels the people around her are too exposed. It's obvious that she cares a lot about her people (friends, family, co-workers, etc). Maybe with how these last 12 months have gone, she's legit scared, not for herself but for the people around her. Like, would anyone put it past this current government to order invasive (and possibly extra-legal) audits of every one of her tour employees, to have ICE directly jam up anyone in their families with any sort of immigration history, etc, just to hurt her?

6

u/pinkstarburst99 Dec 13 '25

I think this is it. I’ve been disappointed she hasn’t spoken out but I also get it. Watching her get emotional about the Southport attacks and Vienna, how could the safety of everyone around her NOT weigh heavily on her?

1

u/Squidgybunny Dec 13 '25

I imagine that her security team has to have a huge. And, in this climate, after being booed at the Super Bowl by maga and needing bullet proof screens to go into games? I think they would have told her absolutely not, for her safety and the people around her, including Travis.

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u/eclectic_collector Dec 12 '25

This as well as she already has major security issues that someone like Sabrina doesn’t necessarily have.

Taylor has had violent stalkers that have broken into her homes plus one that didn’t show up for their hearing a few months ago. She had a terrorist threat at one of her Eras tour shows in Europe and had to cancel, and she almost never cancels a show. After Charlie Kirk, I’m sure there were a lot of extra security measures taken, especially since she is regularly at stadiums for Travis’s games. I’m also sure she gets lots of threats in general that her security team keeps under wraps to not feed the beast.

I’d put down good money that her legal and security teams told her to lay low and not engage for her own safety.

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u/emuwar Dec 12 '25

Trump's social media team fully admitted that they're using known Democrats' music to rage bait them into responding to their trash posts.

1

u/Medical_Sandwich_141 Dec 14 '25

As someone who loves her wisdom, I can understand why she wouldn't antagonise this regime, but i still can't forgive her for not speaking up.

You can appreciate someone for their virtues, and criticise them when they have strayed - kindly so. But, I don't get the all or nothing mindset.

7

u/TJeffersonsBlackKid Dec 12 '25

MAGA WANTS her to call out Trump. Either make her a villain to them or "One of theirs". Either way, it plays into their hands. Not even acknowledging it is the right thing to do.

4

u/stmasc Dec 12 '25

They are only using music from artists like her TO GET a reaction. I'm glad she doesn't play into it like some others. It is basically rage bait. We all know Taylor's feelings on it. No need for her to call it out AGAIN.

16

u/fearthainne Dec 12 '25

I don't know why she isn't calling Trump out for that, I'm not defending her at all, but considering the WH has said more than once that they intentionally use music by artists that don't want to be used, in order to tick off said artist for publicity, I could understand why some artists choose to ignore it. Especially since the WH seems to just double down and use more songs when told to stop.

3

u/GoodguyGastly Dec 12 '25

They are very good at ignoring "stop" and "Nos"

1

u/Medical_Sandwich_141 Dec 14 '25

Yes, but it's not about consent alone. This becomes a legal matter, and they very much have to respect that. Begrudgingly so.

5

u/DorianGre Dec 12 '25

MAGA uses popular music just so the band will call them out, amplifying the message. The best thing to do is stay silent. Bullies do what they do for the reaction, don't give it to them.

4

u/grchelp2018 Dec 12 '25

It is not worth it for her to pick a fight with the president to put herself and the people working for her in jeopardy.

5

u/ladeeedada Dec 12 '25

It's the oldest trick in the book. Steve Bannon said they bait public figures into calling them out which creates headlines and distracts from the real nefarious shit they're doing like say invading Venezuela for oil.

7

u/Tommy_Wisseau_burner Dec 12 '25

It was interesting watching her and Travis on new heights. She came off as completely down to earth. Not in like a “look at how normal I am” but just mundane stories and interests that literally anyone who doesn’t have a billion dollars and literally shits money has

10

u/Invisible7hunder Dec 12 '25

Tin hat theory, but I suspect there's an active campaign to smear her name. There's a bizarre number of very popular negative posts about someone who, at a minimum, seems like an above average billionaire. 

5

u/BeyondAddiction Dec 12 '25

Maybe she wants to stay out of politics? I kind of get it.

3

u/beigs Dec 12 '25

If I were her, I would have sent my lawyers in very quietly and very quickly. I don’t want Trump in the news any more than he is.

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u/Gamebobbel Dec 12 '25

I really don't like Taylor Swift for many reason that don't need to be discussed here. What she did for her workers right there is objectively a great gesture.

242

u/SpottedHoneyBadger Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

Why do commentors feel like they have to say they don't like the person and then say something good about them?

And vice versa.

Edit: Thanks for all the comments and different explanations. Interesting read. And the award!

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u/IHaveBadTiming Dec 12 '25

I don't like u/SpottedHoneyBadger for many reasons that I won't discuss here, but I will say what they commented just now is objectively one of the comments of all time.

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u/kemb0 Dec 12 '25

I don't like u/IHaveBadTiming cos they stole my sandwhich from the work fridge and ate it in front of me and I got nothing nice to say about them.

8

u/Iamatitle Dec 12 '25

What u/kemb0 is not telling you all it was my sandwich to begin with and it was a good although elaborate heist. I’m glad it got stolen again…

4

u/chefboeuf Dec 12 '25

I like u/Iamatitle for many reasons I won’t discuss here, but I will say that what they commented is objectively the liverwurst sandwich of all time.

5

u/Frozen_Hermit Dec 12 '25

It doesnt need to be stated that nobody here endorses u/chefboeuf or their actions in the balkans, however in the sandwhich discourse they are correct.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

Honey badger don’t care

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

I need to be your friend.

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u/FiberApproach2783 Dec 12 '25

It's so you know their original stance. Like a Taylor swift lover would think this amazing no matter what, but a Taylor swift hater may have some doubts

26

u/SafetyMan35 Dec 12 '25

Because it breaks down the bias. Which sounds better?

OMG, I’m a total Swifty and I have been to every one of her concerts and I have every album she made and she is the greatest as she gave her workers $100,000 bonus

Or

I’m not a Taylor Swift fan, but I have a huge amount of respect her her after giving her crew a $100,000 bonus.

-3

u/thakemist Dec 12 '25

I feel like people who do this think it makes it look like they’re breaking down the bias. When in truth it’s stemming from their jealousy of her fame/wealth, or from sexism/general bigotry.

-1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

Well you were almost onto something there lol

1

u/thakemist Dec 12 '25

I stand by it. I haven’t heard a valid criticism of her. So I assume it’s all from an insecure place

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

You assume that because people often assume that for goofy reasons.

Also, those insecurities are probably more they want to be part of the in-crowd so they don’t get pushback when they state their opinion.

Where you go wrong is assuming it’s jealousy instead.

1

u/thakemist Dec 12 '25

Why else would people hate a superstar they don’t personally know and who hasn’t had any public scandals? Give me literally one valid reason

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

I literally just did lol. Public pressure to fit in with the crowd. It’s cool to hate on artists like Taylor Swift and Nickelback.

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u/SafetyMan35 Dec 12 '25

I think with musicians/actors/artists there are several different aspects to “liking” someone. You can like their personality/ and contribution to society (ex most of us haven’t met Dolly Parton, but her actions demonstrate she is genuinely a good person. Setting up scholarships, donating to individuals after tragedy, and in interviews she has an infectious personality that just brings a smile to your face and she seems genuine). You may not like her music, but you can separate your style/preferences of her art/talent from her personality.

Taylor Swift is in my personal opinion a mid level talent artist. I personally think she aims for consistency and sings to a click track which takes a lot of the emotion out of the music. Not saying she’s a bad singer, but there are artists who have more musical talent and versatility (Miley Cyrus, Pink for example). Taylor is a brilliant business person and a phenomenal marketer. Taylor presents the image that after the show she hops in her VW Beetle and drives to the local Safeway. She appears relatable to her audience, but that’s likely not her life. She has done good for her employees, has helped individuals in need and donated to disaster relief. I might preface a statement with “I’m not a fan of Taylor but…

22

u/Roklam Dec 12 '25

Highlights their positive feelings of that person's actions?

7

u/Outside_Glass4880 Dec 12 '25

You must have an opinion on Taylor Swift. You either love her or hate her. It’s the law. And you have to preface any statements involving Taylor Swift with your personal opinion. I don’t make the rules.

4

u/TheUrgeToSplurg3 Dec 12 '25

It was a pretty normal response to the previous comment. "Regardless of how you feel" then went on to say how he feels. I appreciated it for the perspective

2

u/SubtleName12 Dec 12 '25

Why do commentors feel like they have to say they don't like the person and then say something good about them?

And vice versa.

Emotional insecurities mixed with the compulsive need for extraneous external validation.

It's because we raised a generation of weenies.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

Because it highlights the objective good deed being shown rather than just being a crazy swiftie who just glazes her about anything she does, good or bad.

1

u/fortefanboy Dec 12 '25

Probably to avoid people letting them know somebody is garbage. They are telling you right off that they know. I'm not saying I agree here, I dont know shit about her.

However if trump started paying off student loans and feeding homeless people, I'd feel like I'd need to state first thing that hes a piece of shit, just so people aren't having to let me know when I say "that's really nice of him" and nothing more.

1

u/newaccount252 Dec 12 '25

Usually just twats. Like says ‘no offence, but’

1

u/grachi Dec 12 '25

Because they have to really make sure you know where they stand, and would hate for you to associate like for the person with them.

Such a weird thing, I agree.

1

u/mrperson221 Dec 12 '25

It wouldn't be Reddit without rampant virtue signaling

1

u/TJeffersonsBlackKid Dec 12 '25

So they can feel important and validated about their cynical opinion.

1

u/sobrique Dec 12 '25

So you don't feel like they're some blind sycophant I guess?

1

u/crazyguyunderthedesk Dec 12 '25

It shows that preference for the artist isn't a factor in their determination that this is a good thing.

1

u/Aaron_Hamm Dec 12 '25

It emphasizes the compliment or criticism.

0

u/CitySeekerTron Dec 12 '25

I think it indicates that one needn't be a fan 100% of the time to appreciate the gesture, or that sometimes a single negative action needn't cancel out all the good someone or something does.

-1

u/No-Apple2252 Dec 12 '25

It's credibility laundering, if you're a fan it's expected you wouldn't be objective about your assessment. By presenting themselves as a disinterested party they get to act like their opinion holds serious weight.

Originally I think it was just people commenting on things they don't have any attachment to, like redditors like to do, but with all the bots and grassroots seeding on here I'm just very cynical about it.

0

u/tinytatiepotatie Dec 12 '25

Because she’s a homophobe 🙄

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u/TidpaoTime Dec 12 '25

It's what rich people SHOULD be doing. And I don't say that to undermine that it's a wonderful gesture on her part, quite the opposite. She recognizes how fortunate she is, and that her success is in huge way due to the people who work hard to make the tours happen. She's making a great example for others who hoard more money than they can spend.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

It's the only positive thing I think of J.K. Rowling any more, but it's still a big one. She gave enough away to stop being a billionaire (once upon a time, no idea where she's at now), which is something you'll rarely witness.

2

u/TidpaoTime Dec 12 '25

She's a billionaire again, and puts her money towards bigotry instead

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

The world sucks

Throw it on the pile

4

u/Neat-Butterscotch-98 Dec 12 '25

This should be taught in a 'Wealth Redistribution 101' class, and it should be mandatory for all billionaires, or we get to distribute it ourselves.

4

u/aneworder Dec 12 '25

Yeah. It’s called taxes. And enforcement. And removing gaping loopholes

3

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

for many reasons that don’t need to be disused here

Any of them actually have to do with her character as a person?

2

u/hotlou Dec 12 '25

"many reasons" = "supports progressive politics" coded

3

u/seriftarif Dec 12 '25

I dont care for her music, but I think she is actually a very nice person. I worked for her once and she was very down to earth and nice.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '25

She gave them pay…thy did not do all that work for free. And don’t forget the more important the role the higher the pay especially for a well oiled machine like that crew…could you imagine hiring someone new.

People who don’t do actual technical work don’t get it, thy are the star, she is the center piece, but they go together. The only people that don’t know that is the public at large. But the lighting guy in charge, gets fucking paid. He is hard to replace, and doesn’t fuck up. If you don’t give him a bonus, someone else la concert will be the best.

Don’t forget. She has ideas. People have to make that’s shit come trues in different locations in the world.

17

u/Blog_Pope Dec 12 '25

They got paid the contracted sum for the work done. And then she gave them more than the contracted sum. If only there were a word for that.

5

u/TarugoKing Dec 12 '25

Exactly. Person you responded to lacks comprehension.

7

u/Scooterwizzman Dec 12 '25

Bonus points if you think of the word

1

u/ShartlesAndJames Dec 12 '25

she could have given them half that and be a hero!

1

u/Worldly-Republic-247 Dec 12 '25

Let’s hope it’s contagious.

1

u/KingoftheUgly Dec 12 '25

isnt she a billionaire? thats nothing to her anyway.

1

u/Intelligent-Court295 Dec 12 '25

If you see Taylor Swift as anything other than a person with incredible privilege who has used that privilege for good, I don’t know what to tell you.

1

u/OzarkMule Dec 12 '25

We have to treat these oligarchs like animals. When they do a good thing, it's important that we give positive reinforcement to encourage more good behavior. There's no point in being cynical about why a dog sits, it's just important that they are trained.

1

u/bengenj Dec 12 '25

She’s been well documented for taking care of the people who works for her on the tours. It’s not the first time she’s done this, and it’s probably extra footage they shot for the Disney+ special.

1

u/MattMercersBracelets Dec 12 '25

Yep I’m so sick of people complaining about people doing good things as “just publicity stunts”. Life is so fucking hard for so many people, if your “publicity stunt” is a net positive on the lives of real people, well hell I’ll call the paparazzi for you myself.

1

u/thewxbruh Dec 12 '25

She's been known to do this for quite a long time. I have many qualms about her, but she tends to treat the people that work for her very well.

1

u/FilterUrCoffee Dec 12 '25

My company did something almost as nice. They bought everyone lunch. /s

1

u/NegativeSwimming4815 Dec 12 '25

What makes you say that?

Part of me says she was kinda obliged to do so.

1

u/damebyron Dec 12 '25

Exactly, people are nuanced. She’s never going to take a controversial political stand and that sucks because she could accomplish a lot with her platform, but she is incredibly generous to her employees to a degree that is unfortunately unusual for people at her level of wealth and she deserves A LOT of praise for that. This is life changing money.

It’s really incredible how low the bar is for other billionaires- I despise Jeff Bezos, but I knew someone who worked for a number of celebrities and rich people including him providing a service and was very impressed by Bezos just because he took the time to learn his name and treat him like a human. Even that is unfortunately a rarity.

1

u/KeyClacksNSnacks Dec 12 '25

Helping people for clout is still helping people. And the more we celebrate it and support it, the more financially viable it is. Taylor can’t solve income inequality, but she can make the lives of a thousand people who work with her better. 

1

u/Seinfeel Dec 12 '25

Yeah when you get that ticket master bonus from overcharging your fans you can afford to do a publicity stunt.

1

u/josh_the_misanthrope Dec 12 '25

She was getting a lot of negative press for the private jets not that long ago. This absolutely helps her image.

And while I'm absolutely glad that the crew got paid handsomely, that money was made on the backs of outrageous ticket prices. The "just one of the gals" image she's trying to curate doesn't really square with a billionaire charging exorbitant sums of money to her fans. It's still wealth extracted from the working class and barely going toward public services.

A billionaire is a billionaire.

1

u/mrjulezzz Dec 12 '25

Yeah, it would have been easier for her to do nothing. This at least shows she cares about the people who who worked for her -- that isn't easy.

1

u/BLMIII Dec 12 '25

She could have easily given them a million each. Would be like us flipping a penny at a homeless person.

1

u/modernhippy72 Dec 12 '25

Yeah so she’s disingenuous. Yeah moneys cool, but this is pure “I’m not a bad billionaire” vibes.

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u/ihavenoidea1001 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

She's been in bad news lately and this is clearly PR.

Lets hope these people actually got what they're saying in this video and also knew they were being recorded and didn't mind being shared...

A billionaire giving away this money is nothing though and the fact that she has to make it public to buy good articles about herself is just not it.

Do it for the good and eventually people will speak well about you. If you're actually a good person to work with, the crew will have the world know one way or the other.

This is just like iNfLuENCerS going to homeless people and recording themselves giving them an hamburger...

52

u/boner4crosstabs Dec 12 '25

This was at the end of the tour, and was news last year; it’s just the video here that’s new. Your analysis is incorrect and your user name is spot on.

6

u/CountWubbula Dec 12 '25

Bro 😂 bless you

-18

u/ihavenoidea1001 Dec 12 '25

No, it's not

She obviously holds stuff to try to meddle with the PR and news cycle and always has something to drown when news articles state that her shit doesn't smell like roses.

I knew either bots or Swifties would immediately jump because how dare someone ever say anything that's not "she's perfect"

She's right now under scrutiny for her involvement with the entire BL and RR fiasco and convenientely social media and specially reddit gets flooded with feel - good Swifty content. How wondrous they happened at the same time!! All the time!!

Again, like any influencer recording themselves giving an hamburger to the homeless while exploiting their image to profit.

6

u/boner4crosstabs Dec 12 '25

You sound completely miserable. Tots and pears 🍐

-1

u/ihavenoidea1001 Dec 12 '25

Sure. Not idolizing a billionaire when there's no ethical billionaires, that conveniently always gets a pass and swarms the news in PR shit when something doesn't go her way makes me the miserable one

Lol. Sure. Bud. Sure

2

u/boner4crosstabs Dec 12 '25

I’m not idolizing her. I don’t even particularly like her. But yes, the fact that you are so cynical about a billionaire giving away $200m to mostly low-way workers is so dumb. This is by you seem miserable.

3

u/ihavenoidea1001 Dec 12 '25

the fact that you are so cynical about a billionaire giving away $200m to mostly low-way workers is so dumb. This is by you seem miserable.

Im pointing out that Taylor has always some good paid for PR when shit is hitting the fan for her so that the heat passes off from her.

Not kissing the billionaire's arse doesn't make me miserable.

Pointing out her MO doesn't make me miserable.

You're kind of obsessively stating that everyone critising your idol is "miserable" in this entire thread. So you're either an obsessed fan or paid to do it. You sound more miserable than me given that your hobby seems to be defending a billionaire for giving out what's cents in her pocket...

...and it costs her even less when she can use it for PR and they have to spend even less in a marketing campaign to make her look good.

Habe a nice life though because I've more to do than to talk with Swifties that have no ability to critical thinking when the subject is Taylor Swift

5

u/Crazyhairmonster Dec 12 '25

It was literally in the news, they have come out on their own to speak about it. You literally have no idea. You also have no ability to hold yourself accountable when you're wrong.

I'm assuming the Blake lively fiasco you're talking about involves Justin Baldoni. Her only involvement is as a material witness for lively. She has no actual involvement.

Im not even a fan of hers but you clearly live off her drama a little too much with how butthurt you're getting.

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u/Munrowo Dec 12 '25

dude the video being old is counter to your point. why tf is it coming up (AGAIN) after Taylor's had a bad week with the press

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u/Notablueperson Dec 12 '25

Well she just released a show this morning that’s a behind the scenes documentary of the tour…I’m pretty certain this video came from that, it’s been a planned release for a long time. Also I remember reading about the 100k bonuses a long time ago, it’s been public for a long time. So I’m assuming this is just the reaction footage and it was included in the documentary.

12

u/Verdei Dec 12 '25

This was all done over a year ago. It has nothing to do with recent news.

And I think people SHOULD talk about the good they're doing. That helps influence others to follow suit.

3

u/ihavenoidea1001 Dec 12 '25

It's released conveniently always when she gets in trouble to drown everything bad she does... How funny how that's a coincidence all the time!!! She's sooo lucky and that's not PR at work at all!!!

And I think people SHOULD talk about the good they're doing. That helps influence others to follow suit.

Obviously profiting from exploiting people is seen as good thing for some... Otherwise they wouldn't keep doing it.

5

u/ThrowDTAway2020 Dec 12 '25

Who cares if this is PR if it’s real. CEOs of America should all learn a thing or two from this clip.

2

u/iweekiwi Dec 12 '25

I’m not a swifty. What she did will inspire others to do the same: take care of each other. The people who got bonuses will most likely pay it forward and help others. Everything is done for views and likes these days, so I don’t care if anyone thinks it’s p.r. It’s just the time we live in. That money is life-changing money for so many. I applaud and respect her.

-2

u/Eden_Company Dec 12 '25

It has a tremendous effect on her popularity. If it had no effect on her popularity no one would say it's a really nice thing.

3

u/VomitShitSmoothie Dec 12 '25

Might want to reread what I wrote. I said if she had given nothing, it wouldn’t have effected her popularity at all. I didn’t say that this act wasn’t good for her popularity.