Taylor Swift’s representative responded to allegations that the singer’s dad, Scott Swift, was involved in an altercation with paparazzi while she was on tour in Australia.
In a statement on Monday to Entertainment Weekly, a spokesperson for the 34-year-old superstar singer said, “Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor [Swift], grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”
The New South Wales Police Force confirmed to the outlet that an investigation was underway about an alleged assault that occurred on Sydney’s North Shore in the early hours of Tuesday morning, without confirming whether the “Blank Space” hitmaker and her father were involved.
“Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am (Tuesday 27 Feb. 2024), before leaving the location,” a statement from the police force read.
Taylor Swift’s 71-year-old dad is accused of assaulting a photographer. Her team say an Australian photographer ‘threatened to throw a female staff member into the water’, before her father Scott allegedly punched the man in the face.
🎥 Matrix AU pic.twitter.com/ZWRTYUOmYF
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) February 27, 2024
“The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command,” the statement added. “The man did not require medical treatment.”
The Daily Mail reported that a photographer named Ben McDonald filed the complaint against Swift’s dad over the alleged altercation.
“She [Taylor] got off the boat, she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces, and then he charged,” McDonald told the Daily Mail.
McDonald also reportedly said he “originally thought it was a security guard and was shocked when he realised the alleged attacker was the pop star’s dad,” the outlet reported.
“In 23 years of taking pictures, I have never seen anything like it,” McDonald told the Daily Mail.
Scott Swift has been part of the “Love Story” hitmaker’s “The Eras Tour” shows in Australia. In one video that came out of Swift’s international concerts, Taylor’s dad is shown handing out sandwiches and fruit at one of the Sydney shows in what appeared to be the VIP section, the Hollywood Reporter noted.
The singer first performed several concerts in Melbourne before she flew to Sydney where she did a few more shows — including one that was attended by boyfriend Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
Kelce — whose relationship with Swift has dominated headlines since the superstar singer showed up at that first game in September — recently revealed that he thinks people are so interested in their romance because of the values the couple shares, as previously reported.