From the cover of Time magazine’s Person of the Year issue to NFL games cheering on her new beau Travis Kelce to the box office, Taylor Swift is seemingly everywhere these days. And ‘everywhere’ apparently also includes a comedy show raising money for Gaza.
On Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by The Daily Wire’s Andrew Klavan, author of The House of Love and Death, to discuss Swift’s decision to attend the event alongside some of her famous friends and whether or not she will face any blowback for it.
Taylor’s Night Out
Last Friday, Swift was photographed attending a comedy show hosted by Ramy Youssef in Brooklyn, NY, with friends including actresses Selena Gomez, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Cara Delevingne.
Youssef had previously shared on Instagram that “100 percent of the proceeds for the remainder of the Ramy Youssef: More Feelings stand up tour will be donated to ANERA, providing humanitarian relief to the people of Gaza.” According to the post, those shows included his December 8 appearance at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
ANERA is the acronym for American Near East Refugee Aid, a nonprofit that claims to have “no political or religious affiliation” and “works on the ground with partners in Palestine (West Bank and Gaza), Lebanon and Jordan” to “mobilize resources for immediate emergency relief.”
The Jerusalem-based NGO Monitor, however, has described the charity as highly political, citing the group’s “reports and newsletters” that “present a highly biased view of the conflict, ignoring any Palestinian responsibility for hardship and contributing to the demonization of Israel consistent with the 2001 Durban strategy.”
To date, Swift has not publicly spoken about the October 7 terrorist attacks or the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas.
‘You Clearly Know Nothing’
In Megyn’s view, Swift is “the most popular celebrity in America right now” thanks to the success of her Eras tour and movie and the general fascination with her personal and professional life.
In the past, Megyn pointed out that the songstress has been vocal about her support of LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, yet she attended a “fundraiser for Gaza.” “Do you know what they do to that community in Gaza, Taylor,” she asked. “Has she said anything about rape and sexual violence being used against the Israeli women as a tool of war, which is a war crime?”
While providing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza is not controversial, there are serious questions about whether or not said aid actually reaches those who need it. “She went to a comedy concert that was raising money, ostensibly, for humanitarian aid in Gaza, which, in theory, anyone could support,” Klavan noted. “But we all know that that money never makes it to the humanitarian causes in Gaza – it goes right to the terrorists… to build up their weaponry and their systems of escape, which put civilians in danger.”
Megyn would like to see the singer “held to account for this absurdity,” but Klavan doubts it will happen. “Taylor Swift is not going to be held to account because she’s too powerful,” he said. “She’s a likable pop star, and I guess all I can say about that is I don’t turn to my pop stars for political wisdom. I wish they would shut up and sing.”
Still, Megyn said there is at least one group of people who could put pressure on Swift. “I hope young Jewish women who paid exorbitant amounts to go to her concert and who paid more money still to go see her movie, understand that Taylor thought it would be a great idea to support [this] event,” she shared. “She owes Israelis and Jewish Americans an apology, and I hope they boycott her events until she issues it because attending this thing was wrong.”
She also had a word of advice for Swift. “Do some googling see what they do in Gaza to gays and see about women’s rights in Gaza, Taylor,” Megyn concluded. “Otherwise, [be quiet] when it comes to talking about those issues you clearly know nothing.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Klavan by tuning in to episode 684 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.