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For a minute there, I really thought I was putting on clown makeup for no reason.
I texted
and was like, “Maybe it’s just Stevie Nicks going on Travis Kelce’s podcast,” but she quickly brought me down to earth and reminded me of the clues.The orange glittery background! Taylor Nation posting 12 minutes after New Heights teased the special guest episode! Swift’s website updating to a countdown!
As the countdown got closer to 12:12, it was becoming increasingly apparent that Taylor Alison Swift was going on New Heights, a sports podcast hosted by her boyfriend and his brother, Jason.
I said this on an Instagram Live last night (where I was crashing out btw), but Swift going on New Heights wasn’t on any bingo card I could’ve dreamed of in the Sports Gossip Cinematic Universe.
If you told me in 2020 when I launched this newsletter that, one day, the world’s biggest pop star would go on a sports podcast that her boyfriend hosted because he was a professional football player, I would’ve….honestly I’m not sure what I would’ve done.
And if you told me in 2023 that Swift was actually dating a professional football player and attending one of his work events…well…I wrote about how I felt about THAT.
So imagine the level of crashing out that occurred in my home when New Heights posted a 13-second video that confirmed my clowning wasn’t for nothing: Swift was going on the pod and says, “We’re about to do a f***ing podcast.”
What in the Tree Paine Book of Media Training is HAPPENING?!
To my knowledge, Swift hasn’t gone on a PODCAST podcast…ever? The closest comp in recent memory is when she went on Zane Lowe’s show during the pandemic to discuss ‘evermore’.
It’s going to be so interesting to see Swift appear on a podcast that was built to be consumed with popcorn. The episode with Lowe was shot remotely (for obvious reasons), but it doesn’t feel like an event like this does.
Swift’s episode on New Heights drops at 7 pm ET tomorrow night. It’s a time when most people are off work (sorry West Coast-ers), sitting at home, and need something to CONSUME.
The hype around this viewing event feels like if the finales of Succession/Game of Thrones/Sopranos and the Oscars/Super Bowl all happened on the same night.
It surely will be the most-streamed podcast episode in history and probably one of the most-viewed YouTube videos in the platform’s history—if not of all time.
How people consume podcasts is shifting dramatically.
I see more people in
’s comments on Instagram and TikTok say they watched the episode on YouTube than ever before.People! Want! To! Be! Entertained!
I also think moments like this are similar to live sporting events and awards shows, where people can come together to react to something in real time.
I honestly think we’re all just chasing the high that Shonda Rhimes created with TGIT.
As I already said in my newsletter last week, I started Impersonal Foul for moments like this.
I’m fascinated by the intersection of pop culture and sports and it’s becoming more apparent by the second that the world is craving more content in that sweet spot, too.
It’s also clear that Swift sees the value in reaching that crossover audience.
The second promotional clip for the episode is her revealing the cover art (blurred out for now) of her 12th studio album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’, as a COLLAB POST between her account and the podcast’s account.
I don’t believe Swift has done a collaboration post…ever? Someone correct me in the comments if I’m wrong, but it feels significant.
Swift and Kelce never need to announce a future engagement or marriage when we have a collab post on main.
As a Swiftie and Sports Gossip Expert, I will be seated with my popcorn in hand to devour every second of this.
This episode is uncharted territory and we really are reaching…new heights.
If Bravo and ESPN had a baby, it would be Impersonal Foul. This newsletter is free, but consider becoming a paying subscriber for $6/month to support the work that I’m doing.
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As Swifties/sports fans/humans with beating hearts, it’s obvious why this is so exciting, but I wonder how you and Charlotte feel about what this says about the role of “legacy media” today? I remember when Taylor used ABC’s/ESPN’s coverage of the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville to help her announce “Lover” and now flash forward 6 years and she’s essentially created her own launch event using her boyfriend’s podcast, bypassing the need for her to do any kind of interview with a journalist or even a late night talk show host.
tgit... get me to god's country