Olivia Wilde responded to backlash she faced over an Instagram post poking fun at Taylor Swift’s dating life.
In case you missed it, Olivia landed herself in hot water earlier this month when she reshared a post suggesting that Taylor should date a “climate scientist.”
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For some context, the original post was in reference to the widespread frenzy surrounding Taylor’s new romance with NFL star Travis Kelce — more specifically, the way in which his global profile has exploded since he and Taylor were first linked.
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As you’ll probably remember, Taylor attended one of Travis’s football games for the first time on Sept. 24. And by the time she showed up for her second game on Oct. 1, the singer had been credited with “upgrading” Travis’s fame.
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According to a report by Forbes published on Oct. 2, Travis’s Kansas City Chiefs jersey saw a 400% increase in sales, he gained more than 383,000 new followers on Instagram, and his podcast, New Heights, shot to the top of Apple’s charts.
As well as this, WWD reported that Google searches for “Travis Kelce costume” and “Taylor Swift costume” in the run-up to Halloween surged by 761% and 464% after she attended the Chiefs game on Sept. 24.
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So, in light of the sudden influx of attention on Travis and the NFL, a number of critics hopped online to suggest that Taylor could use her mass influence to boost awareness for other matters — i.e. climate change.
This topic is also particularly relevant to Taylor due to the fact that she was ranked as the celebrity with the highest CO2 emissions last year. And therefore, dating someone who knows a thing or two about the climate crisis might encourage her to scale back on her private jet usage, too.
“I wish Taylor Swift was in love with a climate scientist,” Westworld actor Katja Herbers wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Oct. 5.
I wish Taylor Swift was in love with a climate scientist
— Katja Herbers (@katjaherbers) October 5, 2023
Shortly after, Olivia posted a screenshot of the post to her Instagram story, prompting accusations that she was shading Taylor and Travis.
@OliviaWilde / Instagram: @https://www.instagram.com/oliviawilde/?hl=en
“Let Taylor be,” one fan said in response, while others accused Olivia of using Taylor for “attention.”
Interestingly, one of the main criticisms of Olivia’s post was that it was deemed hypocritical of her to suggest — jokingly, or otherwise — that Taylor should use her platform to boost a scientist’s profile when Olivia herself has publicly dated only celebrities, like Harry Styles and Jason Sudeikis, throughout her career.
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“Didn’t she date Harry styles or am I missing something,” one person wrote in response to the actor’s repost, while another called her a “hypocrite” and asked, “What has Olivia Wilde done for climate change???”
Twitter: @niallhoransshow
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So, needless to say, her post didn’t go down too well with fans, and now she’s finally addressed the backlash.
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On an outing over the weekend, the Don’t Worry Darling director told paparazzi that she “meant no harm,” and clarified that she didn’t intend to shade Taylor, but rather make a statement about the way people obsess over seemingly useless matters.
“It’s obviously a comment on how much attention gets paid to stupid things,” she emphasized.
Meanwhile, it seems Taylor and Travis are having fun leaning into the public attention.
Over the weekend, they confirmed their romance with some PDA in NYC, and even stopped by Studio 8H to make surprise cameos on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live. Eyewitnesses at the SNL afterparty hinted that the pair were seen getting “handsy” and “kissing” throughout the night.
“They’re whispering. They’re talking, going back and forth about what to order, like, ‘Should we get a steak? Should we get espresso martinis?’” one source claimed. “And then they lean in and they’re kissing again. They’re touching each other the whole time.”
