Fans Speculate Why Taylor Swift Skipped AMAs

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article included social media posts that falsely claimed that the Penske Media Corp had contributed more than a million dollars to political organizations associated with Donald Trump. Those donations came from the Penske Corp, which is a different entity. The story has been updated. 

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Some Taylor Swift fans have theories about why she didn’t attend the American Music Awards (AMAs) on Monday despite being nominated for six awards.

One anonymous X post speculated that the pop star might have skipped due to politics, suggesting that it could be because Billboard Magazine, which is affiliated with the award show, was owned by conservatives. But the post, which has amassed hundreds of thousands of views on X, appears to confuse Jay Penske and his Penske Media Corp with Penske Corp, a company owned by his father, the billionaire former race car driver Roger Penske. 

The younger Penske does not appear to have made any donations to Trump, or any affiliated political groups. His media group, Penske Media Corp, owns several prominent entertainment news outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter and Rolling Stone.

Jay Penske maintains a politically neutral public persona. His father, Roger Penske, formally endorsed President Trump in 2020 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 . Penske Corp, according to a review of campaign finance records, has made several donations to Trump and other Republicans. 

Trump is on the mind of Swift’s fans due to his recent barb, in which he renewed criticism of the singer he once said he hates.

“Has anyone noticed that, since I said ‘I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT,’ she’s no longer ‘HOT?’” the president shared with his followers on May 16.

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While some fans believe Swift skipped the ceremony due to Trump drama, another theory says the singer did not attend because of the ongoing legal drama between her friend, Blake Lively, and Justin Baldoni.

Swift was subpoenaed in one of the lawsuits, but the court order was later withdrawn. An unnamed source told The Daily Mail that the legal issues were the real reason Swift skipped the AMAs.

“She avoided the AMAs because she didn’t want to deal with 1000s of questions about the Blake Lively saga,” a source told the outlet.

“It is all anyone wants to talk about, and Taylor is really tired of it,” the source added.

Other fans have speculated that Swift’s absence had to do with rumors that an engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce is on the horizon.

Swift currently holds the record for most AMA wins in history with 40. Winners of the AMAs are determined by fans voting on social media and through an online platform.

With Swift’s absence, performers at the AMAs included Benson Boone, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Reneé Rapp, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Rod Stewart, Alex Warren, and Lainey Wilson. Lopez’s performance raised some eyebrows as she proceeded to kiss both a male and a female dancer on stage, as The Daily Wire previously reported.