When Taylor Swift Brilliantly Shut Down John Cleese’s Sexist Joke on 'The Graham Norton Show'

Talk shows usually come with a relaxed environment, with the interactions being light and friendly. However such was not the case in 2014, when Monty Python legend, John Cleese, made a sexist joke when Taylor Swift made an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. Swift took issue with some of Cleese's remarks, as reported by The Things.

Their friendly banter turned somewhat serious when Cleese insulted one of Swift's cats, Olivia Benson. Despite both being self-professed cat enthusiasts, their views on feline humor greatly differed. Swift was annoyed by Cleese's comparison of women to cats. He said, "I much prefer cats. They are really unpredictable and cussed. Like women." Swift's tone changed immediately as she issued a warning. "Ewwww. We don't want to do that," she remarked.

As reported by Vanity Fair, the conversation began with Cleese enquiring, "Is that a proper cat? Or is it damaged irreparably? That's the weirdest cat I've ever seen in my life.” Swift was not amused and host Graham Norton swiftly came to her defense. “John Cleese! You cannot say that is the weirdest cat you've ever seen in your life!” Subsequently, when a picture of Cleese's cats was shown, Swfit's jaw dropped. Shocked, she said, "That's a monster." While a full-swing argument was avoided, Swifties began trolling Cleese on social media.

This was not the only instance of Swift having to deal with sexist comments. In 2021, during her acceptance speech for Album of the Year for Folklore at the Grammys, the pop star used the opportunity to address a German radio host who had asked her about her plans for settling down and having children. According to Nicki Swift, Swift replied, "I doubt men get asked the same question when they turn 30. I'm not going to answer that question." Additionally, Swift has also had to defend her songwriting capabilities.

Critics, over the years, have questioned the extent of Swift's creative control over her music. In 2014, she said, "If someone has studied my catalog and still doesn't think I'm behind it, there's nothing I can do for that person. They may have to deal with their sexist issues because if I were a guy and you were to look at my catalog and my lyrics, you would not wonder if I was the person behind it." She continued, expressing that she doesn't take offense when people underestimate her level of contribution and has essentially mastered the art of brushing it off when someone assumes she has a limited role in the writing process.

The same year, during an interview with TIME Magazine, Swift stood up for female songwriters again. As reported by ELLE, she replied, "And we all know it’s a feminist issue. My friend Ed [Sheeran], no one questions whether he writes everything. In the beginning, I liked to think that we were all on the same playing field." She explained, “...it became pretty obvious to me that when you have people sort of questioning the validity of a female songwriter, or making it seem like it’s somehow unacceptable to write songs about your real emotions—that it somehow makes you irrational and overemotional—seeing that over the years changed my view...It’s a little discouraging that females have to work so much harder to prove that they do their own things."