Is There Truth To The Reba McEntire And Taylor Swift Feud Rumors?

Reba and Taylor Swift together on stage
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Taylor Swift and Reba McEntire may seem like an unlikely pair, but if you remember that Swift got her big break as a country artist all the way back in 2006, it makes more sense. Unfortunately, the country music industry is no stranger to feuding and is known for its fair share of drama. Now, McEntire and Swift have found themselves at the heart of a damaging narrative, despite there being absolutely no truth to it.

It all started after McEntire’s 2024 Super Bowl performance when a rumor began floating around the internet suggesting that she had a major problem with the “Bad Blood” hitmaker. Nearly an entire month later, a Facebook page called “America Loves Liberty” shared a story from its associated website, the satirical Dunning-Kruger Times, claiming that McEntire had criticized Swift for acting inappropriately during her performance of the National Anthem.

“I let her have it afterward. She’s an entitled little brat,” read the caption, allegedly quoting the country legend directly (via the New York Post). Despite the ironic nature of the Dunning-Kruger Times’ content, the fake news item generated significant attention online, prompting McEntire herself to address her alleged feud with Swift head-on.

The fake drama was easy to spot despite going viral

Reba and Taylor Swift at the Super BowlEzra Shaw/Getty & Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Reba McEntire will not stand for any Taylor Swift slander, and she made sure everyone knew it. After the satirical story from The Dunning-Kruger Times went viral, McEntire took to her Instagram page to dispel any notion of bad blood with Swift. The singer posted a screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, stating firmly in the caption, “Please don’t believe everything you see on the Internet. I did not say this.” In true McEntire fashion, the star then praised Swift, writing, “Taylor is a wonderful artist, a strong role model, and has done so much good for so many people and the music industry.”

McEntire’s response effectively put an end to the feud rumors, which were easily debunkable from the start. Notably, Swift was photographed during McEntire’s performance with her hand placed over her heart as she sang the National Anthem. Moreover, the misspelling of McEntire’s last name as “McIntire” throughout the fake piece should have quashed the alleged drama before it ever really took off.

After McEntire cleared the air publicly, her fans flooded the comments section of the Instagram post to showcase their support. “Reba is a very classy, nice woman. She would never say that,” argued one user, while another pointed out, “Anyone who would believe that Reba said that doesn’t know anything about Reba.” Interestingly, even the original poster of the story shared their two cents on Facebook.

Swift’s boyfriend might pose a problem for McEntire

Reba and Taylor Swift sitting togetherKevin Mazur/Getty Images

The Facebook page affiliated with The Dunning-Kruger Times, “America Loves Liberty,” responded to Reba McEntire’s Instagram post in a seemingly apologetic manner, as reported by Country Living. “Oh my. Reba McEntire herself responded to our nonsense,” they wrote, adding, “The article is as silly as the headline for a reason. It’s not supposed to be believable.” Despite its satirical nature, the fake news story might have upset the country star for a reason, as she was previously publicly pitted against another friend of hers, Dolly Parton.

Although the rumors of a feud between McEntire and Parton have been debunked without either of the stars addressing them directly, McEntire may have wanted to get ahead of any potential drama with Swift as a result. The Dunning-Kruger Times later published another fabricated story revealing that McEntire had filed a defamation lawsuit against them. The writer also joked about the unknown origins of the fake drama and attempted to generate even more sensationalism by declaring that Swift had also compared McEntire to a frog.

While there’s no real animosity between the two stars, there might be some in the future (not really). Ironically, just a few months before the fabricated controversy unfolded, McEntire admitted that she used to have a major crush on Travis Kelce, Swift’s boyfriend. “Now I can’t have a crush anymore because he’s dating her,” she quipped during an interview with “Today,” highlighting that McEntire’s only potential issue with Swift is all in good fun.