Taylor Swift isn’t banned from upcoming NFL games (but maybe this zombie claim should be)

We’ve fact-checked misinformation about singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the NFL. We’ve fact-checked misinformation about Swift and her Sept. 10 endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. 

Now, we fact-check misinformation about all three: Swift, the NFL and her politics. 

"Taylor Swift faces a 10-game NFL ban following controversial political involvement — fans in uproar!" a Sept. 21 Facebook post said. 

It was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The NFL has announced no such ban, nor the threat of a ban. This news doesn’t exist among the league’s press releases, and we found no credible news coverage reporting on such action — and there would be plenty if it were true. And for a superstar with such a large and loud following, Swift’s fans did not appear to be in an uproar as of Sept. 26. 

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Threads posts

stated on September 12, 2024 in a post on Threads

An image shows Travis Kelce responding to Elon Musk X post that followed Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris.

These types of claims often originate on self-described satire sites, though we didn’t find this specific statement there. One fake news page, SpaceX Fanclub, has been especially prolific with Swift-related posts and features fabricated headlines from Dec. 27 ("NFL franchisees express concerns over Taylor Swift ‘she’s ruining the NFL, and we’re banning her from games’"), Jan. 5 ("Taylor Swift is ruining the NFL and we’re banning her from games"), Feb. 9 ("NFL to ban Taylor Swift from games ‘she’s woke and very distracting’") and Feb. 20 ("NFL franchise owners make it absolutely clear: ‘Taylor Swift ruint the NFL, she’s going to be banned from next season’").

We recently fact-checked another false claim that the CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, for which Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce plays, banned her from games. 

There was no evidence to support that accusation, either, and Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt has spoken publicly about Swift’s helping to boost the team’s fan base by 30%.

"What an incredible performer she is," Hunt said Sept. 5. "She’s absolutely amazing."

We rate claims she’s banned from 10 NFL games False.