Taylor Swift Subtly Supports Olivia Rodrigo at VMAs Despite ‘Conspiracy Theories’ About Rift Between Them

Taylor Swift seemed to put a stop to reports about her apparent dispute with Olivia Rodrigo while attending the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. The Midnights singer was spotted applauding Rodrigo when she went on the stage to perform her recent songs from her new album, Guts . Swift also applauded the 20-year-old after her name was announced later in the evening.

The Get Him Back! singer also cleared the air regarding allegations of a conflict with Swift in a new Rolling Stone interview released on September 12, just hours before Swift expressed her support for Rodrigo in a subtle way. Rodrigo was a touch more blunt when it came to shutting down the false narrative between her and the 33-year-old ahead of the awards night in the interview. “I don’t have beef with anyone,” the former Disney Channel star said. “I’m very chill. I keep to myself. I have my four friends and my mom, and that’s really the only people I talk to, ever. There’s nothing to say,” she added.

What prompted the assumption of a feud between the two artists in the first place? Many fans thought Rodrigo’s songs, such as Vampire and The Grudge , were about Taylor, reported E! News . “There are so many Twitter conspiracy theories,” Olivia told the outlet before jokingly commenting, “I only look at alien conspiracy theories.”

This isn’t the first time the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series alum has brought up the subject. During a September 2 interview with The Guardian , Olivia broke her silence on the purported schism between her and the Cardigan singer. “How do I answer this,” she began, “I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done that before in my career and probably won’t. I think it’s better to not pigeonhole a song to being about this one thing.”

Rodrigo was eager to label Swift an influence early in her singing career. “I’m just so in awe of her constantly, and I truly would not be the songwriter I am today if I had not grown up being so inspired by everything she does,” she told Ryan Seacrest in March 2021. Moreover, Swift also gifted Rodrigo a ring identical to the one she wore while filming Red in return for handwritten messages at the time. They finally met in person two months later at the BRIT Awards.

While Swift has supported Rodrigo since the beginning of her career, people believed their friendship deteriorated in 2021 when Rodrigo offered the Shake It Off singer a share of the songwriting credits and earnings for her song Deja Vu (owing to similarities to Cruel Summer).

“I was so green as to how the music industry worked, the litigious side,” the actress explained. “I feel like now I know so much more about the industry and I just feel…better equipped in that regard. It wasn’t something I thought about too much.”