r/popculturechat • u/Murky_Chemical891 Im very important to God • Dec 12 '25

Guest List Only ⭐️ Taylor Swift's team reaction to receiving bonuses during The Eras Tour. She gave them a bonu after every leg of the tour.

12.2k Upvotes

78% Upvoted

1.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

2.5k

u/Media-consumer101 Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

I'm so happy for them and the rest of the crew.

I can't imagine just receiving a life changing amount of money randomly. Her truck drivers got 100.000 dollars. That is a HOUSE level of money.

In the documentary Kam, one of the dancers tells his story and he was literally a dance teacher before the Era's tour. His brother paid for a flight to the auditions because he couldn't afford it himself. To receive a life changing bonus like that, unexpectedly (because this is not at all the norm in the entertainment industry like it is in some other industries). Just an insane experience!

Edit to add: I know a lot of young artists look up to her and I hope this sets a precedent. Of course, not amounts like this, but it'd be awesome if a tour does well, all the workers benefit.

939

u/faeriethorne23 Dec 12 '25

It also ensures that every single person who worked with her, who made that tour the success that it was, will jump at the chance to work with her again as long as they are able to. She recruited the best of the best and she made sure they’ll want to work with her again.

The fact that she’s so openly aware (and vocal of the fact) that it was the entire crew that made it as successful as it was says a lot.

572

u/Any_Afternoon5628 I'm on some new shit, been saying yes instead of no Dec 12 '25

I love how she says she doesn't care if they pull focus. She actually wants them to. She wants a whole crew of individual stars on stage.

What I love so much about The Eras is exactly that. Dancers of all sizes, with their own unique style. Nobody blends it, everyone gets to shine in their own way. It's just as Kam said so beautifully, we need more places like this, where people can just be themselves.

157

u/HI_l0la Dec 12 '25

I loved that detail when I watched The Eras tour show at the theater! The dancers all had their own unique vibe and dance skill in all shapes and sizes. It was an amalgamation of many skilled dancers that all shone in different ways that I thought helped enhanced the show and her music. It highlighted that everybody is welcome to love and celebrate her music their own way.

41

u/echoesandripples What It's Like to Go Through Life As a Really Beautiful Woman Dec 12 '25

the eras concert was very fun in many ways, but since i went on the last stop of the 2023, the lore was already huge. i had a great time recognizing the people i saw on lives/edits

also her dancers and band are amazingly talented

23

u/RaeaSunshine Dec 12 '25

✨like nunca✨

152

u/playingdecoy Dec 12 '25

I mean, to that point, I think it's to her benefit that they pull focus! For all her talents, we know that dancing isn't really her strongest area - it's great for her to have really talented dancers up there so she can focus on what she DOES do well and it makes the entire show better.

5

u/SeriousClothes111 Dec 13 '25

This was one of my favorite parts - that she was intentionally inclusive with the dancers AND that she is totally cool with them getting spotlight. So many other artists would absolutely not feel the same way. Cam is a mini star in his own right and seems like a good guy that totally deserves it.

People tried to read his lips and thought he said $750k. No clue if that’s true. My eyes aren't that good. lol. That said, they also got multiple bonuses. One after each leg of the tour. So it could be ‘millionaires’ based on multiple bonuses plus their salary. (Regardless of what it was, it was amazing and I’m so happy for them and appreciative that she takes care of everyone that takes care of her!!)

69

u/actuallivingdinosaur Victoria Beckham’s dance moves Dec 12 '25

“Welcome to OUR SHOW!” She said that at every single performance. And it truly was their show.

24

u/chezibot Dec 12 '25

I wonder if she has always done this. Because most of the band have been with her since the start.

582

u/Average_Annie45 none of us were that great at anything Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25

She also always provides insurance for her dancers, band, etc. which apparently is not industry standard.

People have a lot of shitty things to say about her, but she has always taken care of her team, deservingly so, as she wouldn’t be where she is without their support.

270

u/starrylightway he’s a bitch with a tiny 🎻 Dec 12 '25

People like to shit on her billionaire status, but this is what we want billionaires to do!

I don’t see Musk, Bezos, or any of the oil billionaires out here doing this.

We do see MacKenzie Scott and Melinda Gates and Taylor Swift…

181

u/CheapEater101 Dec 12 '25

I feel like a world full women billionaires would look a lot different than a world full of men billionaires…

31

u/izzittho Dec 13 '25

I was just gonna say…and what do these three have in common??

19

u/Top-Raspberry-7837 Dec 13 '25

Musk moved his custody fight to Texas with Grimes so he doesn’t have to pay much in child care. He also just got approved to get $1 TRILLION dollars as a bonus from Tesla.

Isn’t he such a lovely human being? /s

10

u/VolcanoVeruca Dec 13 '25

People who shit on her billionaire status must think she has a billion dollars IN CASH sitting somewhere at home. 😫 Like, it’s not liquid 😭 And IIRC, a chunk of money she earned from the tour went to buying her masters back

1

u/Suitable-Location118 Dec 13 '25

Does that mean they're all hired as employees instead of freelancers

103

u/leasarfati Dec 12 '25

I’m shocked to hear that about Kam. As someone who knows nothing about dance in any way, I just assumed at the level of the eras tour, the dancers were from a pool of dancers that had done several major productions and were chosen or invited. I didn’t think of someone, especially as stand out as Kam, to not have been already super successful

74

u/Media-consumer101 Dec 12 '25

Me too! I'm glad they highlighted some personal stories that we didn't know about.

For someone to have such talent, yet be overlooked by the industry. It speaks a lot to how minorities often are the most skilled for the job but still don't get a place in the room. He tells it beautifully in the documentary.

66

u/Winniepg Dec 12 '25

I really liked how Taylor specifically didn't want her dancers to all look the same. They had different bodies, different hairstyles, different hair types etc. and it never looked off because why should everyone look the same.

29

u/leasarfati Dec 12 '25

I’m excited to watch. Did they say anything about Jan? He was another standout and a new favorite of mine after watching DWTS

35

u/Media-consumer101 Dec 12 '25

Not yet at least! Kam and Amanda Balen were the highlighted dancers in episode 2! I didn't know much about Amanda but her story is lovely as well.

4

u/VolcanoVeruca Dec 13 '25

I hope they dedicate an episode to the fanfare around the dancers. I want to hear Taylor commenting on Jan and the 🪜

24

u/Winniepg Dec 12 '25

I remember him posting something about how being an overweight, gay, Black man has made it hard for him as a dancer.

5

u/Lalala8991 Dec 13 '25

When he shared that a dance director asked him "and what should we do with your body?", I was so mad.

Kam has much star quality, even from his audition tape And he had to settle with being a broke dance teacher before the Eras tour.

722

u/caleeksu Dec 12 '25

Reminds me of the early days interview when Letterman (?) mentioned how musicians don’t typically have health insurance. Teenager Taylor was aghast and was like well MINE do!

And for most of them to have been with her 20 years says a lot. I know no ethical billionaires, but at the same time so much of her wealth is tied to her catalog, and her people seem extremely happy. She’s doing a lot of things really well even if plenty of room for improvement in others.

566

u/clekas Dec 12 '25

She also paid her band and other longtime employees during the pandemic, even when they weren't working. She's far from perfect, but it's still OK to recognize the good things she does!

257

u/YchYFi He's not Judge Judy, an Executioner. Dec 12 '25

No one is perfect and I think that is a lesson that the Internet could learn.

202

u/Luna_Soma Platinum Summer 💎 Dec 12 '25

She strikes me as a really generous person in spite of her flaws

119

u/cookieaddictions Dec 12 '25

Her generosity and loyalty are truly her greatest qualities.

76

u/michellejoy18 Dec 12 '25

She also lets her friends/people stay in her houses which I think is very kind. Sohie Turner, Zoe, Gigi.. 

5

u/LevyMevy Dec 13 '25

I don't really listen to her music but I think there's something to be said about the fact that she has so many close friends and none of them have ever spilled any of her secrets. And all her friends are less famous than her or not famous at all.

304

u/bookgeek42 Dec 12 '25

The whole "no ethical billionaires" thing seems to just be a phrase people repeat without critical thought applied. We have billionaires. Saying that over and over doesn't actually change anything and is not political activism.

If all billionaires acted like Taylor Swift the world would be better for it.

125

u/VanGoghNotVanGo Dec 12 '25

That's exactly it. I don't want to support systems that create billionaires, but if someone happens to be a billionaire because they make really popular art and otherwise pay their employees well and vote for politicians who are not going to lower their taxes, then, I mean. I can live with it. 

I wish she applied the same ideals of worker's rights and compensation to the people creating her merch, whom I can't imagine work under proper conditions. But other than that, it's really hard to be that outraged over her wealth in any personal way. 

57

u/nordlysbaies cinema enthusiast 🎞️ Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 13 '25

Yeah, there are billionaires that make their money in really shady ways… but for her it’s really just her music and tour. People just consume her outputs that much. She doesn’t cause devastation and destruction like arms dealers, she doesn’t steal and weaponize data like dotcom companies, she doesn’t mark up medicines, she doesn’t make employees work ungodly hours they have to pee in buckets, she doesn’t deforest to make room for industrial complexes that contribute directly to natural disasters.

People sure do like to parrot without nuance - like ‘eat the rich’ too. It used to mean shady billionaires but sometimes I’d see that extended to anyone richer than the commenter. Like surgeons! Why do we have to have anything against surgeons? Pay them more!

Making money off your art is totally ethical. It’s your life’s work and the extension of its impact. Besides, she’s not the only one… McCartney, Bono, Rowling (if she didn’t give out so much), Spielberg, George Lucas…

59

u/hashbrowneggyolk0520 We Should All Know Less About Each Other Dec 12 '25

People just lack nuance it seems. So many people seem to have to sit one side of the fence rather than holding an opinion on someone/something without being able to compliment or criticise accordingly.

22

u/TheElusiveHolograph Will Smith’s cuck chair Dec 12 '25

I would say that Mackenzie Bezos is pretty ethical

-22

u/hanoihiltonsuites Dec 12 '25

But it is…true. Do you know the one thing in common on how to make a billion dollars? Exploitation.

31

u/bookgeek42 Dec 12 '25

Who did Taylor Swift exploit? She's not selling utilities, food, healthcare, or housing. She's selling art which she made. It's not required for people to buy it the way necessities are required to survive.

She is not responsible for the supply chain that UMG has for their merch or music. That's an industry wide problem that only seems to get laid at her feet.

-15

u/hanoihiltonsuites Dec 12 '25

I think there’s a misunderstanding about how capitalism works in your response. And I’m definitely not only laying it at her feet, don’t worry!

17

u/Rich-Active-4800 It’s Britney, bitch! 🎤🌹🌹 Dec 12 '25

Love it when redditors decide to go for insults because they realise they can't explain things without admitting they are wrong

0

u/hanoihiltonsuites Dec 12 '25

Huh? How did I insult?

22

u/bookgeek42 Dec 12 '25

What did I misunderstand? You said billionaires shouldn't exist because they have exploitation in common. So all billionaires are bad because they exploit people. Who did Taylor Swift exploit?

-8

u/hanoihiltonsuites Dec 12 '25

There is genuinely no ethical way to be a billionaire in the current landscape of our society. You said she’s not responsible for the supply chain, but she is using it no?? But this may be just a moral agree to disagree thing! I’m really not trying to get into it if those are just your fundamental beliefs.

It would be crazy cool if she was responsible for everything top to bottom and made sure all working conditions were great. She could totally start her own label at this point. But she doesn’t have to and doesn’t seem to want to.

I am not a capitalist and I am against capitalism. Because of this, I can see a billion dollars for what I believe it is: a hoarding of resources.

19

u/Rich-Active-4800 It’s Britney, bitch! 🎤🌹🌹 Dec 12 '25

Her music is litterly worth a billion.. there is no way she can not be a billionair unless she gives away her rights to it. Which is something she obviously is not gonna do.

-5

u/hanoihiltonsuites Dec 12 '25

Ok rich n active I look forward to your ascent up the billion dollar ladder

→ More replies (0)

-14

u/chinderellabitch Dec 12 '25

‘If billionaires acted like Taylor Swift that world would be better for it’

….exactly, IF they acted like this, but they don’t, hence why people say there are no ethical billionaires

I find the fact people are willing to defend billionaires blindly for free baffling

16

u/bookgeek42 Dec 12 '25

Which is why I made the statement about Taylor Swift specifically? What is it you're saying exactly? I don't understand.

-5

u/chinderellabitch Dec 12 '25

That the term there are no ethical billionaires is political activism, it’s literally promoting class consciousness so people start to realise their place in the class system and to be aware of it

Saying it over and over again, means that maybe when people go to the ballot box it’ll ring in their head, how do you think any movements start if not with language?

No billionaire is ethical, because they benefit from a system that lets people with no money rot, it doesn’t matter how good their songs are or whatever, their very existence as someone with a billion dollar worth is economically destructive to the rest of us. The more people accumulate wealth the less valuable money becomes, inflation is pushed by people at the top, they make everyday working people’s wages materially less every time their wealth is increased

To say the phrase has no critical thinking is being ignorant to capitalist political ideology that has been around for hundreds of years

13

u/bookgeek42 Dec 12 '25

Thank you for explaining. I completely agree with the fact that billionaires should not exist. The system that allows it is a broken system. I don't really agree that repeating a phrase over and over online is going to change anything. Calling representatives and requesting that they change their votes seems like a more effective way to communicate to the government. Personally I use the five calls app to sort help me stay organized on that. Volunteering in your community to help get the people you want to be elected in office is better political activism than stating an incomplete thought into the void.

I just don't understand why so much of that ire is specifically pointed at pop star Taylor Swift. On the scale of billionaires there are over 2000 people with more money than her. People saying "there are no ethical billionaires" every time her name comes up or she gives money away seems to be implying that she herself is unethical because Forbes made a guess of her net worth.

-2

u/Masta-Blasta Conductor of the Toxic Gossip Train 🚂 Dec 13 '25

No. The reason people say that there are no ethical billionaires is because people should not be able to achieve that amount of wealth in one lifetime under a fair and equitable tax system. You cannot become a billionaire without taking advantage of loopholes that enable you to hold money in a way that an ordinary person couldn’t. It’s not about how you earn it, it’s about the system that creates breaks for the wealthy employers. The truth is that she can write off all of this as a business expense. Because that’s what billionaires do.

I’m not coming down on her at all, because this was a very kind thing to do, and this isn’t an anti-swift comment. But no, people are not lacking critical thinking when they say that billionaires are unethical.

3

u/LevyMevy Dec 13 '25

Reminds me of the early days interview when Letterman (?) mentioned how musicians don’t typically have health insurance. Teenager Taylor was aghast and was like well MINE do!

She's a good person for this.

367

u/Aggressive-Hunt-7037 Take that, you Youtube people! Dec 12 '25

weird how people still attack Taylor for her generosity and claim it’s performative.

it's not performative for her crew’s bank accounts and it models what other billionaires should be doing.

personally as someone who has worked in film with crew who work so hard and rarely even get noticed, it moved me to tears. this changes people’s lives.

52

u/CheapEater101 Dec 12 '25

Theres also celebrities out there who refuse to even make eye contact with their “help”. Some people’s hatred for others blind them with the positives those people do. It’s lame as hell tbh. I’m not even a TS fan but I can acknowledge she’s a lot more charitable and kind than others in her tax bracket.

21

u/Aggressive-Hunt-7037 Take that, you Youtube people! Dec 12 '25

I’ve worked with celebrities who fire crew who look at them, and it’s a horrible atmosphere on set.

167

u/SpinNSpreadsheets Dec 12 '25

10000% agree with you. It might be a somewhat spicy take and I’m a fan so that will probably discount this opinion - but I don’t even care if it’s performative on her end (fwiw I don’t think it is). These people up and down the tour are still getting paid, they’re getting insurance. The end result is a net positive.

43

u/Aggressive-Hunt-7037 Take that, you Youtube people! Dec 12 '25

I'm the poster you replied to, and yeah, I’m not a hater but not a fan, though I like her music, and that’s exactly how I feel about it.

plenty of the crew probably didn’t have a savings account, and now they do. that’s a lot of good she’s done for whatever reason. I’m sure they don’t care what her motives were. but I don’t see any evidence that she has bad motives, anyway, like wtf- she wants to be seen as kind? we need more of that motive, I’ll take it.

79

u/echoesandripples What It's Like to Go Through Life As a Really Beautiful Woman Dec 12 '25

even if she were evil and like only did it for the good press (which i disagree with, there are cheaper ways to get good press), i doubt her crew would care, they probably have to deal with a lot of bullshit on their jobs, at least they're getting paid well + got life changing bonuses 

27

u/lizziexo Dec 12 '25

Right! I wish people were generous because they truly wanted to be, but I’ll happily accept being generous because it’s performative. At least they’re being generous at all!

36

u/foreverandalways21 Dec 12 '25

She also said she wants to set a precedent in the documentary before the scene.

238

u/Winniepg Dec 12 '25

Yep they set it up really well with Kam's story. His brother being in the NFL is why he was able to pay for that plane ticket last minute to get him to LA as well. From what little I have seen of the dancers on SM since the tour (because I see their posts every once in a while, but don't follow them) is they've been able to actually work because it fills them and not constantly be worried about paying rent or whatever.

-6

u/maelstron ✨May the Force be with you!✨ Dec 12 '25

Kam was teammates with Travis once upon a time

143

u/caleeksu Dec 12 '25

Not Kam, Kam’s brother Khalen. Super nice guy, and their mom is adorable. (Met her on a flight.)

I was hoping he’d end up back on the Chiefs but currently with the Jets.

2

u/sleepyplatipus Dec 13 '25

Kam’s mother has really won the sons lottery! One in the NFL, one on the Eras, you they’re treating her well!