In the early months of the pandemic, Taylor Swift watched a lot of movies she had never seen before. Being one of the world’s biggest pop stars takes up a lot of free time, y’know? “I started watching lots of films. We would watch a different movie every night. I’m ashamed to say I hadn’t seen Pan’s Labyrinth before. One night I’d watch that, then I’d watch L.A. Confidential, then we’d watch Rear Window, then we’d watch Jane Eyre,” she said. Swift also watched 30 Rock, based on a lyric from her new album, Midnights.
In “Anti-Hero,” which Swift calls “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written,” she sings, “Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby / And I’m a monster on the hill.” The “sexy baby” line is jarring, but it’s most likely a reference to the season five episode of 30 Rock, “TGS Hates Women,” where Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) hires a female writer, Abby (Cristin Milioti), to join the TGS with Tracy Jordan staff. But Liz turns on Abby when she finds her to be an over-sexualized, stereotype of a woman, complete with pigtails and a “sexy baby” voice. “The whole ‘sexy baby’ thing isn’t an act,” Abby contends. “I am a very sexy baby.” (There’s also a “twist” in the extremely good episode that I won’t spoil.)
The nod to 30 Rock has not gone unnoticed:
taylor wrote anti-hero after this 30 rock episode #Midnights pic.twitter.com/JoSIrufNzY
— character actress georgie rae (@georgie_rae_) October 21, 2022
“Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby And I’m a monster on the hill Too big to hang out” is a reference to 30 rock and a commentary on the male gaze. “sexy baby” on 30 rock refers to how predatory men can be to women who act younger or more childlike
— CLOSED. (@parkersrodrigo) October 21, 2022
taylor alison out here dropping niche 30 rock referenceshttps://t.co/yUIthaGTFR
— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) October 21, 2022
taylor swift confirmed 30 rock stan pic.twitter.com/q6g6lks7UX
— rebecca jennings (@rebexxxxa) October 21, 2022
Taylor Swift confirmed 30 Rock fan!!! #TSmidnightTS pic.twitter.com/fYmyrBbvAJ
— Nick Morrow (@NRMorrow) October 21, 2022
ITS A REFERENCE TO 30 ROCK YOU GUYS DONT REALISE THERE ARE LAYERS https://t.co/tjDSp1evaF
— catastrophic blues (@servingupgod) October 21, 2022
