No, Taylor Swift wasn't banned from CMT for life; readers missed satire label | Fact check

The claim: CMT banned ‘woke’ Taylor Swift for life

A Feb. 26 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows side-by-side photos of Country Music Television’s headquarters and pop star Taylor Swift.

“CMT Bans Taylor Swift For Life,” reads the text in the photo. “‘We Don’t Want Any Woke Music.’”

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Many commenters believed it to be legitimate news.

“CMT didn’t mind it when she was making them money,” wrote one.

“Who are you at CMT to judge Taylor Swift,” wrote another. “You’re the ones who sound Woke. I won’t be watching CMT awards anymore.”

It was shared more than 300 times in three days.

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Our rating: Satire

This didn’t happen. The claim was posted by an account that states in its bio that it posts exclusively satirical content. It directs readers to an article that is labeled as satire.

Claim was posted by satire account

Swift, one of the biggest names in music and pop culture, has won a dozen CMT awards during her career, most recently in 2017 when “Better Man” won Song of the Year.

Conservatives use the term “woke” as a way to malign those supporting liberal causes or candidates, and Swift has been outspoken about both. She has been a fervent supporter of LGBTQ rights and feminism, and she has voiced support for Democrats and opposed former President Donald Trump.

But the claim in the post is false. CMT has not issued her a lifetime ban. Such a move against one of the world’s most popular celebrities certainly would be covered extensively by legitimate news outlets, but there are no credible reports that any such ban was announced or enacted.

Fact check: Video showing news anchors reciting Taylor Swift ‘psy-op’ script is fabricated

In a key detail missed by many online commenters, the claim was posted by the satirical account SpaceX Fanclub. Its bio states, “Nothing on this page is real.”

The post directs readers to a Feb. 14 article posted by the website Esspots that is labeled as satire. The writer’s bio states that he produces “clever and satirical pieces.”

Swift has supported Democratic causes in the past.

She endorsed Democrat Phil Bredesen in Tennessee’s U.S. Senate race in 2018 while denouncing his Republican opponent, Marsha Blackburn, the eventual winner. Before the 2020 election, Swift revealed she planned to vote for then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden following a May 2020 post on X (formerly Twitter) in which she vowed to vote Trump out of office.

USA TODAY has previously debunked an array of claims tied to Swift, including those falsely claiming to show her wearing an anti-Trump T-shirt or holding a pro-Trump banner on the red carpet before the Grammy Awards.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, Taylor Swift wasn’t banned from CMT for life; readers missed satire label | Fact check