While Taylor Swift basked in the glare of photographers’ flashes last night at the blockbuster premiere of her Eras Tour film, many of her Jewish fans hoped she may use the moment to speak out about the ongoing terror in Israel.
But rather than comment on the attack by Hamas or escalating crisis, Swift – who is comfortable speaking out on US politics – stuck to self-promotion.
She posed with Beyoncé, fawned in front of cameras and lapped up the closed-down Grove shopping center in Los Angeles.
On Instagram, Swift boasted: ‘PREMIERE DAY. Andddd I can’t really wrap my head around this but…. Look what you genuinely made me do: Due to unprecedented demand we’re opening up early access showings of The Eras Tour Concert Film on THURSDAY in America and Canada!!’
It left a sour taste for some Swifties.
+11
→ Swipe to see more articles
Taylor Swift shut down The Grove in Los Angeles for the star-studded premiere last night
+11
Basking in the moment: Swift took to Instagram to celebrate the film’s success
+11
+11
+11
Backlash: Many were stunned by her choice of words and ongoing silence about Israel
‘Terrible timing. Kids are getting raped. Innocent people are dying on both sides. Hamas!! A terrorist organization is slaughtering Israelis…but it’s “launch day”???’ fumed Jewish New York City jeweler Nicole Rose.
‘Echo every word. Really surprised at Taylor Swift,’ Meghan McCain added.
‘Shocked. Mum was the word and then self promo during a time like this when she has SO MANY ISRAELI AND JEWISH FANS. Ugh the disappointment is real,’ Amanda Hirsch, the influencer behind the Not Skinny But Not Fat Instagram account, chimed in.
For days, others have been calling on Swift to use her platform of 274million followers to comment on the crisis or publicize resources.
She has stayed silent.
+11
Jewish fans have been begging Swift to acknowledge the attack. She previously spoke passionately against Donald Trump and Marsha Blackburn
+11
Swift’s film documents one of the six sold-out shows Swift performed at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California over the summer as part of her ongoing Eras Tour, which kicked off in March and serves as a retrospective of her 17-year career.
It has already amassed a whopping $100million in presale tickets alone and will be available to watch exclusively at AMC Theatres starting Friday, October 13.
Missing from the fan-packed action was Swift’s rumored beau Travis Kelce, 34, as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is scheduled to play the Denver Broncos on Thursday at his team’s home stadium.
Other stars in attendance included Flavor Flav, Mariska Hargitay, Jenna Davis and Violet McGraw hit the red carpet.
Ahead of her arrival, Swift shared her excitement and announced that the ‘unprecedented demand’ for tickets has led to an on slot of ‘early access showings’ starting Thursday in the U.S. and Canada.
+11
Emotional: The Love Story hitmaker looked emotional as she shared a moment outside the theater with her crew
+11
Star studded: Beyonce made a surprise appearance at the premiere last night
+11
Lapping up the love: Swift posing with fans who had queued for her arrival
‘We’re also adding additional showtimes Friday and throughout the weekend. All tickets will be available by 10am tomorrow morning. And it’ll be showing starting Friday in 90 countries all over the world,’ the star continued.
She went on to thank her devout fans and teased that she was already ‘in the car’ en route to the big premiere in LA.
‘I can’t thank you enough for wanting to see this film that so vividly captures my favorite adventure I’ve ever been a part of: The Eras Tour. And the best part is, it’s an adventure we’re still on together. Getting in the car now…’ she wrote.
Swift included a picture of herself in her Oscar de la Renta gown taken from the waist up with her post .
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Swift was posing with a reusable tumbler decked out with the Eras Tour poster — suggesting that the cup may be given out to event attendees.
The Grove began preparations for Swift’s grand arrival earlier in the day, including setting up a massive red carpet surrounding the theater and a step-and-repeat backdrop, featuring the official Eras Tour poster.
At of an abundance of caution ‘there are hundreds of security guards in place to prevent chaos from erupting,’ as reported by TMZ.
A source originally told the outlet that Swift could ‘get pulled if any security issues arise’ or ‘The Grove becomes overwhelmed’ by Swifties.
Another insider added that out of an abundance of caution ‘there are hundreds of security guards in place to prevent chaos from erupting.’
The upscale shopping oasis, that includes a large AMC movie theater, will be closed for the entirety of Wednesday to accommodate the high-profile premiere.
The pop superstar has already surpassed $100 million in ticket presales for the film, so there will certainly be plenty of fans clamoring to get into the world premiere screening.
+11
Eras Tour: The film documents one of the six sold-out shows Swift performed at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California over the summer
