Being the parents of one of the biggest pop stars in the world comes with plenty of perks,
but it doesn't shield you from painful stress or life-threatening illnesses.
And Scott and Andrea Swift know that better than anybody.
Taylor Swift has been a phenomenon for years now, but she used to be a struggling artist
just like every other young hopeful musician.
Her parents Scott and Andrea have been dedicated to helping their little girl fulfill her dreams,
but there were some serious struggles along the way.
For example, in 2023, an old email that Scott sent back in 2005 resurfaced.
Taylor's former manager Daniel Dymtrow exposed the email while suing her for alleged underpayment.
In the message, Scott Swift comes across as resentful for being the one who has to stay
home while his wife is on the road with Taylor.
As he wrote,
"Who gets to go to New York, New England, and every cool appearance?
Not dad.
Can't fix hair.
Dad talks too much.
Who pays for trips to New York?
Dad."
Of course, the familial dynamic fortunately didn't stay this way forever, as Scott eventually
became a staple at many of Taylor's biggest moments.
Taylor Swift had a seemingly idyllic childhood on a Christmas tree farm owned by her parents
in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania.
But from an early age, she was eager to leave town and pursue a country music career, much
to her parents' chagrin.
As she admitted to Time Magazine in 2014,
"I began relentlessly nagging, begging, and pleading with my parents to take me on a trip there."
"This happens to be a dream come true for me."
Soon enough, Taylor landed a development deal, and there was no other option but to let her
pursue her dreams.
So Scott and Andrea Swift said goodbye to Pennsylvania, trading in fir trees for hot
Tennessee summers.
Though it ultimately worked out in the end, it couldn't have been easy for the entire
Swift family to say goodbye to everything that they knew.
For better or worse, the family members of celebrities are basically public figures by association.
With that in mind, it's hardly surprising that Andrea and Scott Swift's relationship
has come under the microscope since their daughter became famous.
In 2011, the tabloid Star reported that they were going through a divorce.
As a family friend claimed,
"[Taylor's] been going through a lot.
The new album will showcase the pain of her parent's separation."
The family friend also explained that Andrea and Scott had actually split a while ago.
But they were eager to keep the news to themselves, even though they weren't wearing their wedding
rings anymore.
The fact that Andrea was frequently on tour with Taylor was supposedly a factor in the
breakdown of the relationship, though they opted not to file for divorce for fear that
it could impact Taylor's success.
Whether or not they remained separated or even went through with an official divorce
remains unclear, as neither Taylor nor her parents have ever publicly commented on the
status of their relationship.
Either way, they appear to be on amicable terms, as they're often spotted together supporting
their daughter at various events.
In 2019, Scott Swift's private Facebook account was exposed when his daughter shared one of
his posts on her Tumblr page.
Taylor took down the post almost immediately, presumably the very second that she realized
that she'd revealed her dad's account to her legions of fans.
But it was too late, as some Swifties made their way over to Scott's private profile
and took some screenshots.
While the post that Taylor shared was a rather innocuous status update about how to cheat
his phone's step counter, other posts were a little more controversial.
Fans found right-wing memes about such topics as immigration, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth
Warren, and Blue Lives Matter.
These memes didn't exactly sit well with left-leaning Swifties, and the screenshots put some heat
on Scott.
Taylor has been known to regularly support liberal causes and endorse Democratic candidates,
but she never addressed any of her dad's Facebook activity.
Scott ultimately deleted his account, perhaps indicating that there was some major tension
behind the scenes.
"Do you really care if the internet doesn't like you today?"
Taylor Swift has always been candid and eager to share various aspects of her personal life
throughout her career.
But when it comes to her parents, she's careful not to give away too much.
However, there have been some notable exceptions.
For example, on a 2015 Tumblr post, she revealed that her mom Andrea had cancer.
As she wrote,
"I'd like to keep the details of her condition and treatment plans private, but she wanted
you to know.
She wanted you to know because your parents may be too busy juggling everything they’ve
got going on to go to the doctor, and maybe you reminding them to go get checked for cancer
could possibly lead to an early diagnosis and an easier battle [...] Thank you for caring
about my family so much that she would want me to share this information with you."
Then in 2019, Taylor told Elle Magazine that Andrea had been diagnosed with cancer for
a second time.
She also revealed that her dad had had his own bout with the disease as well.
As the singer explained,
"I've had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family.
Both of my parents have had cancer, and my mom is now fighting her battle with it again.
It's taught me that there are real problems and then there's everything else."
Taylor gave her fans a concerning update on her mom the following year, when she told
Variety that doctors discovered a brain tumor while administering chemotherapy.
As she admitted,
"It’s just been a really hard time for us as a family."
"I'm sorry you had cancer."
It's no secret that Taylor and Andrea Swift are very close with each other.
As the singer divulged to Variety in 2020,
"Everyone loves their mom; everyone's got an important mom.
But for me, she's really the guiding force."
In 2019, Taylor released a song inspired by Andrea, the somber "Soon You'll Get Better."
The song, which appears on her album Lover and features The Chicks, is about visiting
doctor's offices with her mom.
The touching lyrics reveal Taylor attempting to make sense of the possibility of losing
someone whom she's relied upon her whole life.
Fans have really embraced this heart-wrenching track, though Taylor rarely performs it live.
As she explained during a YouTube Live video ahead of the album's release,
"We as a family decided to put this on the album, and it's something I'm so proud of,
but it's just really hard.
I can't sing it.
It's hard to just emotionally deal with that song."
In 2020, Taylor played "Soon You'll Get Better" live for the first time at the "One World:
Together at Home" benefit show.
When a celebrity speaks openly about politics, it can lead to serious risks that are bigger
than just trolls lurking in the comments section.
For a significant portion of her time as a public figure, Taylor Swift steered clear
of getting political.
And her father was insistent that she keep it that way, out of fear for her safety.
But by 2018, Taylor was ready to take on the risk.
As she wrote on Instagram,
"In the past, I've been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several
events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about
that now.
I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and
fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country."
Taylor also spoke out against Republican Tennessee Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn, while endorsing
her Democratic opponent Phil Bredesen, as well as Democratic congressional candidate Jim Cooper.
In a scene in the 2020 Netflix documentary Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, Scott attempted
to dissuade his daughter from posting the statement.
"I've read the entire thing and, and the bottom line, right now, I'm terrified.
I'm the guy that went out and bought armored cars."
Taylor later told Variety that she understood her father's apprehension, as she explained,
"My dad is terrified of threats against my safety and my life, and he has to see how
many stalkers we deal with on a daily basis, and know that this is his kid.
It’s where he comes from."
Scott Swift has long been concerned about his daughter's safety and security.
But in 2020, his own well-being was threatened when an intruder broke into his Florida penthouse.
He came home one evening to find a man named Terrence Hoover in the $4 million condo.
Hoover apparently circumvented the security guard and gate, let himself in through an
emergency exit stairwell, and made his way up 13 floors.
Scott reportedly fought off Hoover, who then fled the scene.
After he was tracked down and arrested, his mother insisted to the Tampa Bay Times that
it was all a misunderstanding and that he shouldn't be charged with anything more than trespassing.
She also claimed that he accidentally ended up in Scott's apartment while he was searching
the area for his estranged wife.
Taylor Swift's feud with record executive Scooter Braun basically turned the music world upside-down.
He purchased her entire back catalog in 2019, which infuriated her, as she called it her
"worst-case scenario" on Tumblr.
As she recounted,
"For years, I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work."
The sale to Braun prompted Swift to reclaim her previous records by re-releasing them
as re-recorded versions.
It later emerged that Scott Swift made $15 million when Braun bought the back catalog.
The singer's fans were ready to express their ire towards Scott over this situation.
But as it turned out, he knew nothing about the deal before it was brokered, and he made
a point of making that fact clear.
Scott was a Big Machine Records LLC shareholder, and Taylor's representative told Entertainment
Tonight that he refused to participate in a shareholders call that would've required
him to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Such an agreement would've prevented him from discussing the deal with his daughter.
As the rep explained,
"Her dad did not join that call because he did not want to be required to withhold any
information from his own daughter."