Throwback to When Taylor Swift and Zac Efron 'Dissed' Ellen DeGeneres as They Sang on Her Show
Taylor Swift and Zac Efron made an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show back in February 2012 to promote their film The Lorax. During their time on the show, the two took a not-so-subtle dig at Ellen and commented on the "toxic work culture" in her set through a song.
Swift is without a doubt one of the leading pop stars of this generation with several awards to her name over the years. The singer never limited herself to just one art form. Through the years, she took up a few acting jobs as well. Swift lent her voice to the character Audrey in the animated film, The Lorax, for which she partnered up with High School Musical alum, Efron, reports UNILAD.
The two appeared on DeGeneres's show together in the year 2012 for the promotion of this film. Both Swift and Efron looked spectacular during their appearance on the show. Swift wore a graceful ensemble and sported a blue floral-themed dress with a caramel-colored belt around her waist. Efron looked as charming as ever, flaunting the black leather jacket that he wore over a V-neck T-shirt and jeans.
In the interview, Swift began by revealing the fact that Efron wanted to flaunt his masterful guitar skills after taking a single lesson with the End Game singer. Efron nodded in agreement with the statement. Shortly after, two guitars were brought out for the two stars, and they were both encouraged by DeGeneres to play a little treat for the audience.
The duo decided to entertain the audience with their rendition of Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People. Swift was handed a larger guitar and, since Efron was still a beginner, a smaller one was given to him. Swift initially helped The Greatest Showman actor with the chords and even encouraged him when he got it right. "That's so good!" said Swift with a thrilled expression. DeGeneres then pointed out that Swift's reaction was like that of a "girlfriend." "Only a girlfriend would react that quickly like that," said the Finding Nemo voice actress. The two ignored their host as they continued to vibe to the music.
Almost halfway into the song and shortly after DeGeneres's comment, Efron spoke up and requested they "change up" the lyrics of the song. Efron pondered for a bit over the lyrics before he began to sing. The beginning of the song clearly indicated that the song was going to be about DeGeneres. The singer and actor sang that Degeneres' interviews were "weird" and that she had "slick, cool sweaters." As the song progressed, the Baywatch actor mentioned that it was weird that both he and Swift were addressed like "they were boyfriend and girlfriend." Singing to the tune of Pumped Up Kicks, the duo created the chorus that went, "Every single time I come on this show, it's really weird, really weird, all because of Ellen."
It wasn't just Efron who highlighted his issues with DeGeneres's show. Swift later chimed in recalling the time when the host had pranked her. DeGeneres, at the time, hid in the Call It What You Want singer's green room to frighten her. Swift remembered feeling like "she could've died" because of the prank. She also mentioned that every time the songstress was on the show, she would always be asked about her relationship status. Although the song was directed at DeGeneres, the host mentioned that she loved the melodious duet, and proceed to not talk about the song any further.
