A Timeline Of The Drama Between Taylor Swift And Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl and Taylor Swift beefing almost certainly was not on anybody's 2024 bingo card. Alas, something bitter has apparently come to pass between the two musical powerhouses, and now the drama has the loyal fanbases of both artists in a chokehold.
In June 2024, things boiled over in a big way when the Foo Fighters frontman made some cheeky remarks about Swift during a concert. It was an audacious move on Grohl's part, given the Swifties' reputation for going after anyone who dares to say a word against their high priestess. What's more, up until that point, Grohl, who has long been called the "nicest guy in rock and roll," seemed to get on swimmingly with Swift.
So, why did Mr. Nice Guy call out the reigning princess of concert ticket sales? Only time will tell. However, for now, we can dig into the pair's backstory to try to piece together what happened here. Here's how Dave Grohl and Taylor Swift's friendly relationship seemingly turned sour.
Dave Grohl announced Taylor Swift's very first Grammy nomination in 2007
In late 2007, Taylor Swift received her very first Grammy nomination. Swift, who was just 17 years old and riding high on the success of her debut album, just so happened to be one of the announcers at the nomination announcement event. So, when Dave Grohl and his bandmate, the late drummer Taylor Hawkins, revealed that she was up for Best New Artist, fans got to see her reaction in real time. A visibly ecstatic Swift walked up to the podium where Grohl stood with Hawkins, and gave both rockers giant hugs. "I can't believe I'm nominated for a Grammy, I can't believe that happened," she later said (via CBS).
While the 2008 Grammys belonged to Amy Winehouse — she won five awards that night, including Best New Artist — the event marked a major milestone in Swift's musical career. Later that same year, she would release her second album, "Fearless," which would earn the young star her first of many Grammys.
But before Swift became a history-making, record-breaking Grammy winner, she was just a teenager walking the show's red carpet for the first time in 2008. She was stoked to just be there among the stars; as she told CBS News, she was most excited to see the Foo Fighters and Kanye West. Yes, really. You couldn't make this stuff up.
He weighed in on her infamous battle with Spotify
Taylor Swift has long been forthright about how she feels about the commercial treatment of her music. Her dispute with her former record label and the consequent re-recording of her old albums was a recent case in point. But those who began following Swift's music long before the "Taylor's Version" era will remember that there was a time when the 14-time Grammy winner also beefed with Spotify. In 2014, the "Cruel Summer" singer pulled the bulk of her music catalog from the streaming giant's platform in protest. As she saw it, the system didn't provide fair royalties to artists.
"Piracy, file sharing and streaming have shrunk the numbers of paid album sales drastically ... Valuable things should be paid for," Swift wrote for The Wall Street Journal." It's my opinion that music should not be free, and my prediction is that individual artists and their labels will someday decide what an album's price point is."
The hot topic caught Dave Grohl's attention at the time, though the Foo Fighters frontman's take didn't totally align with Swift's perspective. As he told Digital Spy that same year, "I want people to hear our music, I don't care if you pay $1 or f***ing $20 for it, just listen to the f***ing song." He dismissed the industry's preoccupation with the technological side of things, noting that the old-school formula of playing live shows was far more significant to him.
The Foo Fighters frontman said he was obsessed with Taylor Swift
Dave Grohl and Taylor Swift took very different roads to get where they are today. The former came up through the underground punk and grunge scenes of rock, while the latter broke into the mainstream country scene at a young age before pivoting to pop. On paper, there doesn't seem to be much artistic overlap.
However, in 2015, the stars aligned and made that overlap happen on the stage of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. In what marked her first performance at the British musical festival, Swift treated audiences to songs from her then-latest album "1989," before handing over the mic to the Foo Fighters, who closed the event. And Grohl had nothing but praise for the pop megastar. "I've done some weird things in my life but I've never before said that Taylor Swift is my opening act," the rocker told the crowd (via The Sydney Morning Herald). "I'm officially obsessed, she might want to get a restraining order." He reportedly dedicated three songs to Swift, including "Congregation" and "Best of You."
A few years later, there were rumblings of a possible collab between Grohl and Swift. Before the Foo Fighters released "Concrete and Gold" in 2017, Grohl teased that the album would feature "the biggest pop star in the world," and naturally, this got Swifties' tongues wagging. However, he quickly set the record straight, telling Rolling Stone that neither Swift nor Adele were on the album. (The pop star was Justin Timberlake.)
She once came to Dave Grohl's rescue at Paul McCartney's house
Dave Grohl's made a career out of playing instruments, but piano isn't one of them. So, when a living rock god asked him to tickle the ivories, it proved to be an issue. Until Taylor Swift stepped in, that is.
As Grohl shared at the Cannes Lion Festival in 2016, once upon a time, he was at a star-studded house party when Paul McCartney asked him to play something on the piano. "I'm like, 'I don't know how to play piano. I don't know what to do man, I can't play the f***ing piano,'" he recalled. The Foo Fighters frontman considered playing something on one of McCartney's guitars instead, only to remember that the Beatle is left-handed. On top of that, Grohl had smoked some marijuana and was feeling the effects.
But then, another artist came to his rescue. "All of a sudden, Taylor Swift stands up. She's like, 'I'll play a song,'" he said. "Like f**king Batman when you need him." Swift hopped on the piano and Grohl, who is right-handed, grabbed one of McCartney's left-handed guitars. The "You Belong With Me" singer kicked off a rendition of "Best of You," but Grohl was a little too stoned to recognize his band's song right away. Eventually it clicked for him, and their impromptu duet was off to the races. "She's got a good voice, she can sing, man," he said.
Taylor Swift's fans came after Dave Grohl's daughter on X
2024 was the proverbial tipping point in Dave Grohl and Taylor Swift's relationship. And it all seemed to have started with a single statement Dave's daughter made regarding Swift's carbon footprint. In January of that year, Dave's Grohl's oldest daughter, Violet Grohl, wrote on X, "why can't taylor swift just drive like everyone else." The message got a lot of attention, and not the good kind.
Of course, Violet is not the first person to say something online about Swift's transportation choices. For years, the "Are You Ready For It?" singer's private jet use has been criticized online, and in 2022, a study by Yard found Swift to be among the biggest celebrity offenders of CO2 emissions.
Regardless, Violet's post provoked the ire of many Swifties. It wasn't long before members of Swift's vigilant army of fans swooped down on her X account and ran it into the ground. While some pointed out the many luxuries she's surely enjoyed as the daughter of a very famous rock star, others dug out old posts in which she had made controversial remarks about AI porn. The 18-year-old singer — who has often performed on-stage with her rocker dad — was allegedly also sent death threats and eventually ended up deactivating her X account.
Dave Grohl seemingly implied Taylor Swift doesn't play live
Months passed before drama between the Grohl family and Taylor Swift flared up again — and Dave Grohl fired the shot. At one point during the Foo Fighters' show on June 22, 2024, at London Stadium, Dave brought up Swift, who also happened to be performing in the city that evening. "We like to call our tour the Errors Tour," the rock veteran said, obviously riffing on Swift's tour title. "We've had more than a few eras, and more than a few f***ing errors as well," Dave continued as the crowd cheered. It all seemed well and good, but then he delivered the final blow: "That's because we actually play live." It seems like even the nicest guy in rock has his limits.
It should come as no surprise that Swift's fans didn't take too kindly to Dave insinuating that Swift's shows aren't totally live. What's more, the Foo Fighters frontman and Nirvana alum's own supporters jumped into the fray. A battle between fandoms exploded across social media, as videos of Dave's remarks went viral.
Many of the "Everlong" rocker's supporters theorized that his digs were hardly out of the blue, citing the intensity with which Violet Grohl was attacked by Swifties for her social media post earlier this year. While Dave hasn't publicly commented on his daughter's online interactions with Swifties, he did state, "You don't want to suffer the wrath of Taylor Swift." It seems safe to assume he knows what he's messing with.
Taylor Swift seemingly responded to Dave Grohl's remark during her performance
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Taylor Swift was as busy as she's ever been. The pop star has dominated the globe with The Eras Tour, released "Tortured Poets Department," and also cheered on her boyfriend, NFL tight end Travis Kelce, at his games. One might think that it would be difficult for Swift to pencil in time for a feud. But, as her stockpile of albums dedicated to past lovers attests, Swift has somewhat of a reputation for not being someone to shake things off so easily (all puns intended).
The day after Grohl made his comments about Swift, the "You Belong with Me" singer appeared to offer her response. During her June 23, 2024, show at Wembley Stadium, Swift took a moment to stand up for her entire team and set any misconceptions about her show straight. "Every one of my band members, every single one of our crew, my band — who's gonna be playing live for you for three-and-a-half hours tonight — they deserve this so much," Swift told her audience mid-concert (via X). While Swifties were thrilled to see their hero gracefully tackle the charge that she didn't perform live, there were others who questioned just how live her show really is. While she undoubtedly sings live at her concerts, she does seem to use a backing track, which is a common practice for many major pop stars.
As of this writing, Grohl hasn't commented on Swift's statement. Hopefully, this bad blood doesn't last too long.