Controversial Barstool podcaster Dave Portnoy claims Taylor Swift gave him a handwritten letter thanking him for his support, and his claim has divided Swifties.
It seems unlikely there's much crossover between fans of Dave Portnoy and fans of Taylor Swift, and Dave has long been professing his love for Taylor Swift.
Dave has been involved with Taylor's Eras Tour as a self-identified fan, and there's even an Instagram account devoted to his traveling Eras Tour jacket, @daveserajacket.
On Friday night, Dave shared a video on Facebook and via @daveserasjacket, and alongside both posts, he wrote:
"I don’t care what anybody says, the Eras Tour jacket is one of the coolest thing[s] I’ve been a part of. I didn’t even realize how cool it was until I got the jacket back with all the stories and friendship bracelets from around the world. See everybody for Miami Night 2."
Dave attended Taylor's Eras Tour in Miami on Saturday (October 19).
On Sunday, he shared a couple of Instagram posts, one of which was a Reel.
In the Reel, Dave first gushed about the concert, before launching into a complaint about "this girl" he said accused him of being a "fake Swiftie."
Dave didn't make any effort to conceal the woman's identity, nor did he obscure her TikTok handle — iffy behavior, because it reads like "go harass this person":
In that Reel, he also read aloud a letter he said he received from Taylor Swift at the show in Miami.
Dave asserted Taylor's brother, Austin Swift, hand-delivered it to the VIP section:
Dave, I am so happy you are at the show tonight. I wanted to say thank you for always being so supportive, so loyal, for having my back when a lot of people didn’t.
I hope you have a blast tonight!! Love, Taylor.
He also shared images of the envelope, its seal, and the note to another of his accounts, @bffspod.
Several outlets reported on Taylor's letter to Dave, but it appeared we only had his word to go on in terms of its authenticity.
While it would be unlikely for someone as high profile as Portnoy to fabricate something like this – Taylor would presumably deny writing it if it were fake – it was still strange on several levels.
Editor’s note: This article contains brief mentions of sexual assault, abuse, or other related topics that could be triggering to some readers and survivors. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please visit RAINN.org. The National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-4673) is available 24/7.
A lot of Swifties were uncomfortable with it, but several had another question: Who is Dave Portnoy?
Why Fans Are Disappointed In Taylor Swift
And Why Dave Portnoy Is 'Controversial'
Unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift's purported letter to Dave Portnoy was a hot topic on the celeb gossip subreddit r/Fauxmoi.
At the top of the thread, a few users commented and offered their perspectives:
"[Taylor Swift] loves her some maga boys[,] we’re supposed to believe this woman is a feminist lol? sending a handwritten letter to a man who’s been accused of sexual assault by multiple women?"
"I didn’t know about the sexual assault allegations but not surprised. He’s an overt misogynist. The way he talks to and about women tells you everything you need to know."
"The fact he’s voting for Trump tells you all you need to know too. We know how he treats women."
A Reddit user quoted Taylor's Billboard "Woman Of The Year" speech, adding that Taylor is a "hypocrite":
"And let me just say that the definition of the toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying, 'But he's always been nice to me!' when I'm raising valid concerns about artists and their right to own their music.
"And of course he's nice to you. If you're in this room, you have something he needs."
Dave was the subject of a New York Times profile in 2022, and the paper briefly recapped his checkered past.
It's worth mentioning that we had to censor this brief excerpt twice for explicit language, and it merely recounts Portnoy's documented behavior:
"Mr. Portnoy, [46], rose to fame by capitalizing on misogyny and other offensive behavior. He once said that some women 'kind of deserve to be [assaulted].' He wouldn’t remove [offensive, explicit photos] from his blog until police showed up at his door.
"He made what he acknowledged were racist statements, including using the N-word repeatedly. He outed women who accused him of sexual misconduct, threatened to fire employees engaged in unionizing and repeatedly incited attacks on his critics."
Even twice redacted, the excerpt makes for rough reading.
A user on Twitter/X shared screenshots of articles documenting allegations against Dave Portnoy.
In the same tweet, that user criticized Taylor for allegedly thanking him, saying:
"@taylorswift13 writing a letter thanking Dave Portnoy- a man who has been accused of violent sexual abuse by multiple women - for being 'loyal' and 'having her back.' I guess her 'believing victims' era was exactly that, a f***** ERA."
Users seemed to concur that Dave is a "bad hombre," and one tweeted:
"Wow...well, I recommend #Swifties read up on Portnoy's history of sexual assault allegations, racism & violent misogynistic language on his platform."
Another commented:
"It's almost comforting to know that in an ever-changing world one thing will remain constant: Taylor Swift's brand of 'feminism' will always disappoint me."
Nevertheless, we only have Dave Portnoy's side of the story here, as Taylor Swift seemingly hasn't publicly acknowledged him or the letter.
- Birthname
- Taylor Alison Swift
- Birthdate
- December 13, 1989
- Birthplace
- Reading, Pennsylvania, USA
- Height
- 5' 11"
- @taylorswift13
- @taylorswift
- Eye Color
- Blue
- Siblings
- Austin Swift
- Parents
- Andrea and Scott Kingsley Swift
- Profession
- Musician
- Net worth
- $1,100,000,000
- Source of Wealth
- Music, merchandising, streaming services, tours, endorsements, tv/film, songwriter, producing, and directing.
- Nationality
- American
