Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire might seem like an unlikely pair, but their connection makes more sense when you remember that Swift started her career as a country artist back in 2006. The country music industry is known for its share of drama and feuds, and recently, McEntire and Swift have been caught up in a false narrative.
The rumors began after McEntire’s 2024 Super Bowl performance when speculation started spreading online that she had a major issue with Swift. Almost a month later, a Facebook page called “America Loves Liberty” shared a story from the satirical Dunning-Kruger Times, claiming that McEntire had criticized Swift for her performance of the National Anthem.
The story included a supposed quote from McEntire saying, “I let her have it afterward. She’s an entitled little brat” (via the New York Post). Despite the satirical nature of the Dunning-Kruger Times, the fake news story gained traction, prompting McEntire to address the fabricated feud directly.
#1. Though it spread widely, the fake drama was easy to see through.
Reba McEntire made it clear she wouldn’t stand for any Taylor Swift slander. After a satirical story from The Dunning-Kruger Times went viral, McEntire took to Instagram to address the false rumors.
She shared a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post and firmly stated in her caption, “Please don’t believe everything you see on the Internet. I did not say this.” Staying true to her gracious nature, McEntire also praised Swift, writing, “Taylor is a wonderful artist, a strong role model, and has done so much good for so many people and the music industry.”
McEntire’s response quickly put an end to the feud rumors, which were easy to debunk from the start. For one, Swift was seen during McEntire’s performance with her hand over her heart as she sang the National Anthem.
Additionally, the misspelling of McEntire’s last name as “McIntire” in the fake story should have been a clear indication that the drama was unfounded.
After McEntire set the record straight, her fans filled the comments section of her Instagram post with support.
“Reba is a very classy, nice woman. She would never say that,” one user commented, while another noted, “Anyone who would believe that Reba said that doesn’t know anything about Reba.” Even the original poster of the story added their two cents on Facebook.
#2. Swift’s boyfriend might be a problem for McEntire.
The Facebook page affiliated with The Dunning-Kruger Times, “America Loves Liberty,” responded to Reba McEntire’s Instagram post with what seemed like a grudging apology, as reported by Country Living.
They wrote, “Oh my. Reba McEntire herself responded to our nonsense,” and added, “The article is as silly as the headline for a reason. It’s not supposed to be believable.” Even though the story was meant as satire, it might have still annoyed McEntire, especially given her previous experience with being falsely pitted against another friend, Dolly Parton.
While the rumors of a feud between McEntire and Parton were debunked without direct comments from either star, McEntire may have wanted to head off any potential issues with Swift. The Dunning-Kruger Times later published another fake story claiming that McEntire had filed a defamation lawsuit against them.
They even joked about the origins of the fake drama and tried to stir up more sensationalism by suggesting Swift had compared McEntire to a frog.
Despite the fabricated controversy, there’s no real animosity between McEntire and Swift. Ironically, just a few months before the fake feud, McEntire admitted during an interview with “Today” that she once had a major crush on Travis Kelce, Swift’s boyfriend.
“Now I can’t have a crush anymore because he’s dating her,” McEntire quipped, showing that any perceived tension between the stars is all in good fun.
