Over the past 24 hours, a viral rumor circulating on social media has pulled Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars into an unexpected online controversy, as buzz about Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs star, continues to build. The rumor continued spreading across social media Monday evening.
The rumor claims Mars clicked “like” an Instagram post mocking Swift, setting off a social media wave of screenshots, and fan debate about whether the interaction actually happened.
Whether the “like” by Mars was genuine or the work of a hoaxster remains unclear, even after an investigation by Rolling Stone, published Monday. The original post appeared on an account falsely claiming to be owned by the globally popular Korean group BTS, and described Swift as “talentless.”
How Did the Bruno Mars Rumor Start?
The claim that Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, gave a ‘like’ to the post blasting Swift appears to trace back to social-media posts that quickly spread across Swift fan communities, with users questioning the authenticity of the alleged like, even while the Swift-Kelce wedding buzz continues to dominate online conversation.
The highest-profile celebrity wedding since the royal wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry to American TV star Meghan Markle eight years ago is now widely reported to be scheduled for June 13 in Rhode Island.
But those details have not been publicly confirmed and the couple have remained steadfastly tight-lipped when it comes to their upcoming wedding. Their public relations discipline on the hotly anticipated wedding has not stopped a steady stream of potential distractions from their wedding planning — though distractions are to be expected for a couple with Swift and Kelce’s level of public exposure.
GettyBruno Mars allegedly liked on Instagram post slamming Taylor Swift as “talentless.”
The one part of the story that has been confirmed as a hoax is the claim that BTS owns the site that posted the anti-Swift message. That account with the handle @bts_bighit has since been removed from Instagram, according to the Rolling Stone investigation. Whether it was banned by Meta, Instagram’s parent company, or simply deleted by the hoaxers also remains uncertain.
What Did the Viral Post Say?
The now-deleted post, according to screenshots posted online, was accompanied by a photograph of Swift performing during her Eras Tour, and read:
“Genuinely how did she get famous? White privilege is crazy because imagine if an Asian were as talentless as her.”
If Mars did indeed like that post — why? According to the online entertainment site Complex, “the double tap was likely accidental. The artists have been friendly in passing and although they haven’t yet collaborated, they’re among the most popular musicians of the 21st century.”
Swift and Mars Chart Rivalry
Mars may be “friendly in passing” with Swift, but the two are chart rivals. On the current Billboard Hot 100 chart, Mars holds the No. 1 position with his single, “I Just Might,” as well as No. 4 with “Risk It All.” Swift occupies No. 6 with her single “Opalite,” and No. 9 with “The Fate of Ophelia.”
According to the industry monitoring account Chart Data, Swift and Mars are tied “as the artist with the most weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 this year” with three weeks each.
Neither Swift nor Kelce has made a public comment on the controversy, but Mars attempted to clear the air with a follow-up post saying, “Taylor has always been supportive and kind to me. Only love over here.” But fans were quick to note that even with that positive statement toward Swift, the chart-topping artist did not deny that he added a like to the original post mocking Swift.
Bruno Mars Responds to Viral Taylor Swift Rumor Amid Kelce Wedding Buzz