Did Taylor Swift lose five major sponsors after endorsing Kamala Harris for president? No, that's not true: This story initially appeared on a website that says it "specializes in satire, parody, and humor," and that "nothing on this website is real." No actual news websites reported any of this happened.
The claim appeared in an article (archived here) titled "Taylor Swift Has Lost 5 Major Sponsors So Far After Her Big Endorsement" on the esspots.com website on September 18, 2024. It opened:
In a dramatic twist that no one saw coming, pop icon Taylor Swift, known for her record-breaking albums and sold-out world tours, has reportedly lost five major sponsorship deals after making her big political endorsement. In the blink of an eye, Swift's picture-perfect relationship with corporate America has taken a nosedive, leaving the internet and her fans in a state of shock.
Users on social media only saw this title, description, and thumbnail:
(Source: Esspots screenshot taken on Wed Sept. 25 16:02:39 2024 UTC)
This article did not cite any credible sources nor did it provide any evidence that would confirm this claim.
The description on the About Us page (archived here) of the Esspots website, in part, reads:
Welcome to the US page of Esspots (A Subsidiary of SpaceXMania.com specializing in Satire and Parody News), your one-stop destination for satirical news and commentary about the United States of America.
SpaceXMania.com is also a self-described satire website.
The description (archived here) underneath the disclaimer tab on the Esspots website, in part, reads:
Welcome to Esspots.com, a website that specializes in satire, parody, and humor. Before you proceed to read our content, we would like to emphasize that nothing on this website is real. All of the articles, stories, and commentary found on Esspots.com are entirely fictitious and created for the purpose of entertainment only.
Lead Stories searched using keywords on Google News, which is visible here (archived here), and found no credible documents or reporting to confirm this claim.
Lead Stories reached out to representatives of Taylor Swift concerning the claim, and this fact check will be updated if a response is received.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks on claims concerning Taylor Swift are here. Lead Stories fact checks on claims involving esspots.com are here. Lead Stories fact checks on claims involving spacexmania.com can be read here.
