Taylor Swift's Private Jet Emissions Controversy

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About

Taylor Swift's Private Jet Emissions Controversy refers to a controversy and leak of information that American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift allegedly produces more carbon emissions than any other celebrity in 2022, amassing to roughly 8,200 tonnes. This is due to unnecessary plane rides that Swift allegedly takes in her private jet. After the information surfaced in an op-ed article and then on Twitter, Swift was labeled as a hypocrite given her "climate change awareness" public persona. The discovery led to memes, similar in nature to memetic discourse regarding Kyle Jenner's Three-Minute Flights. It was also met with skepticism by people who thought the data was unfounded. In 2024, Taylor Swift's attorneys threatened legal action against Jack Sweeney, the admin of the flight tracker account Celeb Jets, who'd been previously banned on Twitter / X for his ElonJet account.

History

On July 25th, 2022, news outlet The Tab^[1] published an article titled, "The celebs who have racked up the most CO2 emissions this year using their private jets," most likely inspired by prior discussion regarding Kylie Jenner's private jet controversy. The Tab's list ranked the top 10 celebrity "climate criminals" and their overall carbon emissions in tonnes over the course of 2022 thus far:

10. Travis Scott (3,033.3 tonnes)
9. Oprah Winfrey (3,493.17 tonnes)
8. Mark Wahlberg (3,772.85 tonnes)
7. Kim Kardashian (4,268.5 tonnes)
6. Steven Spielberg (4,465 tonnes)
5. Blake Shelton (4,495 tonnes)
4. Aaron Rodriguez a.k.a. A-Rod (5,342.7 tonnes)
3. Jay-Z (6,981.3 tonnes)
2. Floyd Mayweather (7,076.8 tonnes)
1. Taylor Swift (8,293.54 tonnes)

Reactions

On July 29th, 2022, Twitter^[2] user yslonika tweeted two screenshots from The Tab's article, displaying Swift as the number one climate offender on the list. The tweet received roughly 45,600 likes in three days (shown below, left). Twitter user yslonika started a thread underneath their tweet with the first reply^[3] attaching another screenshot of Swift's section with more information. The reply received roughly 12,200 likes in the same amount of time (shown below, right).

Later on July 29th, Twitter^[4] user BesDMarx also tweeted screenshots of The Tab's article, captioning them, "taylor swift has emitted more co2 this year than an average US american does within 550 years and more than a person from india in over 4,300 years," and earning roughly 190,000 likes in three days (shown below, left). On July 29th, verified Twitter^[5] user kylietcheung quote retweeted BesDMarx, attaching a screenshot of an article related to Swift becoming one of the "world's biggest sustainable fashion influencers." The QT received roughly 1,600 likes in three days (shown below, right).

Fans of Swift and other skeptics tried poking holes in The Tab's article. For instance, on July 29th, Twitter^[6] user nickputation tweeted screenshots showing evidence that The Tab's evidence was unfounded, claiming that Swift's actual carbon emissions were a third of what was represented. Their tweet received over 6,000 likes in three days (shown below, left). Later on July 29th, Twitter user 1989tvalbum (since-deleted) started a thread that they called, "Taylor Swift and her care for the environment," aiming to prove the people of Twitter wrong. In one day, the thread's primary tweet (since-deleted) received roughly 2,100 likes (shown below, right).

Twitter user 1989tvalbum deleted their account soon after their thread went viral primarily due to the backlash they received for it. Many found it tone deaf, causing them to screenshot it and make funny tweets about it. For instance, on July 30th, 2022, Twitter^[7] user BesDMarx posted two screenshots from 1989tvalbum's thread (shown below), captioning them, "this thread is for the Twitter hall of fame," and earning roughly 134,200 likes in two days.

Developments

Taylor Swift's Response To The Allegations

A spokesperson for Taylor Swift was interviewed by The Rolling Stone^[8] on July 29th, 2022 for their article on the matter. The spokesperson was quoted saying, "Taylor’s jet is loaned out regularly to other individuals… To attribute most or all of these trips to her is blatantly incorrect."

The aforementioned quote was tweeted by the Twitter^[9] account PopCrave on July 29th, earning roughly 11,000 likes in three days (shown below, left). From this, many viewed the spokesperson's statement as an unfounded excuse. For instance, on July 30th, Twitter^[10] user BesDMarx humorously tweeted, "she's running a fucking private jet business which is far worse. upping that earth temperature while earning them benjamins, slay queen 🌈 🌲," earning roughly 15,900 likes in two days (shown below, right).

Taylor Swift Private Jet Memes

Overall, many memes surfaced about Taylor Swift's private jet going into August 2022. Many of them surfaced on Twitter where meme creators paired videos of planes and plane imagery with captions related to Swift running small errands or other tasks that shouldn't require flight.

For instance, on July 30th, 2022, Twitter^[11] user normalmadeline captioned a screencap from Top Gun: Maverick with, "Taylor on her way back to chipotle after they forgot her guac," earning roughly 98,700 likes in two days (shown below, left). Also on July 30th, 2022, Twitter^[12] user smackcam13 captioned a photo of a guy hanging onto the wing of a plane with, "going to grab a coffee with my friend taylor swift," earning roughly 197,300 likes in two days (shown below, right).

On July 30th, Twitter user tweetsbybob_ captioned a video of fighter jets flying with, "Taylor Swift, Kim K and Kylie seeing who can get to Starbucks first," earning roughly 337,200 likes in two days (shown below).

Taylor Swift Threatens Legal Action Against Flight Tracker Celeb Jets

On February 6th, 2024, The Washington Post^[13] published an article titled "Taylor Swift threatens legal action against student who tracks her jet" that reported on a cease-and-desist letter written by Swift's attorneys to Jack Sweeney (the admin of Celeb Jets) who tracks Swift's flights (among other celebrities) on Instagram,^[14] Facebook,^[15] the subreddit /r/TaylorSwiftJets^[16] and the X^[17] account @SwiftJetNextDay.

The Washington Post^[13] further reported that Swift's legal team was addressing, "direct and irreparable harm, as well as emotional and physical distress" to Swift and her family. Her legal team also emphasized the threat of stalkers. To counter, Sweeney told The Washington Post, "This information is already out there. Her team thinks they can control the world."

Sweeney also told The Washington Post^[13] that the cease-and-desist letter was issued to him soon after posts about Swfit's private jet flights from his accounts went viral. For instance, on January 31st, 2024, Sweeney's X^[18] account @SwiftJetNextDay posted data showing that Swift flew from St Louis, Illinois, to St Louis, Missouri, in 13 minutes, gaining over 32,000 likes in one week (shown below, left).

On February 6th, 2024, following The Washington Post's article, X^[19] user @emptytesticles quoted the flight tracker post, writing, "no wonder her team is trying to ban this flight tracking LMFAOOO," earning over 237,000 likes in a day (shown below, right).