Vanessa Bryant Reacts to Taylor Swift Wearing Kobe Merch in ‘Eras’ Doc

Vanessa Bryant is reacting to Taylor Swift subtly supporting Kobe Bryant and her family in her End of an Era docuseries.

“What a gift,” Vanessa, 43, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, December 30, sharing a screenshot from End of an Era. “We love you @taylorswift 💙!!!!!!”

As Swift, 36, practiced an acoustic section mashup ahead of one of her last Eras Tour concerts in Canada, she was dressed in a blue Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation sweatshirt. (Kobe’s widow founded the organization after her husband and daughter Gianna tragically died in a 2020 helicopter crash, along with six other people.)

In a follow-up slide, Vanessa posted another pic of Swift wearing her Mamba merch and added a “We [heart] you” sticker, alongside one of an illustrated pair of hands making a heart like Swift’s Fearless symbol.

Vanessa Bryant Reacts to Taylor Swift Wearing Kobe Quote on Her Necklace

Swift has a long history with the Bryant family, starting in 2015 when she enlisted Kobe to join her onstage during the Los Angeles stop on her 1989 Tour. Kobe even presented the pop star with a banner honoring her record 16 sold-out shows at the same venue where his Lakers played home games.

Kobe died at age 41 five years later in a helicopter crash alongside 13-year-old daughter Gianna. (Kobe and Vanessa also shared daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri.)

“My heart is in pieces hearing the news of this unimaginable tragedy. I can’t fathom what the families are going through,” Swift tweeted in 2020 after the NBA icon’s death. “Kobe meant so much to me and to us all. Sending my prayers, love, and endless condolences to Vanessa and the family and anyone who lost someone on that flight.”

Swift remained close to Vanessa and her family in the years since Kobe and Gianna’s deaths. When the Bryants attended Swift’s Eras show in L.A. in August 2023, Bianka received the “22” hat.

Vanessa Bryant Responds to Taylor Swift Wearing Kobe Bryant Merch in Eras Tour Docuseries
Taylor Swift Courtesy of Vanessa Bryant/Instagram

“Every person in that audience, hopefully, is being shaped positively in some way by something that they see or something that they hear,” Swift explained of the tradition in her Disney+ docuseries. “The ‘22’ moment stems from a hat that I wore on the Red Tour, so I wanted to really bring back that moment of just kinda, like, [having] a moment with a fan where I actually get close with them.”

While performing “22,” Swift sashayed down her catwalk to give her Red-inspired fedora to a waiting concertgoer.

Taylor Swift’s Sweetest ‘22’ Hat Moments on ‘The Eras Tour’ So Far

“What’s so interesting about that moment every night is I never know what kid I’m gonna meet,” the Grammy winner said. “I’ve got people in the audience, scouring the crowd for the first couple of eras, trying to find a kid who knows every single word to the songs and having the time of their lives at this show.”

According to Swift, the lucky child chosen is “basically a representative of every kid in that crowd.”

“It could be, like, a little kid that gets really shy when all of a sudden they’re seeing 60,000 people for the first time or, it could be, there are kids that bloom under the bright lights and they’re just, like, ‘I’m a pop star now.’ It’s always wild to be in this moment with this person that I’ve never met before, this little kid, and everything’s going on around us and somehow we’re able to just have this moment be completely between us.”

Taylor Swift: The End of an Era is now streaming on Disney+.


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The Housemaid’s Paul Feig Thought Taylor Swift Would ‘Never’ Clear Her Song

Never in director Paul Feig’s wildest dreams did he think Taylor Swift would approve of her song being featured in The Housemaid.

Warning: This post contains spoilers for The Housemaid.

Feig told Deadline at the film’s red carpet premiere last week that he was convinced Swift, 36, was “never gonna clear” her “perfect” 2017 song “I Did Something Bad” from Reputation.

“Well, that’s the thing; you want to put a Taylor song in your movie, but she and her company have to approve it,” he explained.

The Housemaid Director Paul Feig on Having a Taylor Swift Song in the Movie GettyImages 2166936416
Taylor Swift. Kate Green/Getty Images

He continued, “So, we were tempting with it, and we were like, ‘It’s so perfect, but she’s never gonna clear this.’ Then we showed she and her people the movie, and she approved it. So, I guess she likes it. Thank you Taylor!”

The Housemaid is based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel of the same name, which spawned two more books and a novella. The story follows young housemaid Millie (Sydney Sweeney), who moves into Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar) and Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried)’s home. Millie quickly discovers she was hired for more than just cleaning, but to help Nina plan an escape from her abusive husband.

Swift’s track was used as the end credits song after the film’s final scene, where Millie is interviewing for a position with a new family — and the new boss explains that she was recommended to her by Nina. The camera then shows a bruise on her wrist, suggesting Millie might be helping the new boss with a similar situation.

‘The Housemaid’ Ending Explained: Breaking Down the Shocking Twists

While no sequel has been officially announced, Sweeney, 28, and Seyfried, 40, have weighed in on whether they would be game.

“I think that we’ll just have to wait and see,” Sweeney told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Sunday, December 21. “I hope that the audience loves the movies just like we love the books, and we can continue to hopefully share that love within more of the films.”

Seyfried, meanwhile, said she’d “absolutely” want to do more films. “Listen, if it doesn’t do well, you can call it off, but if it does, well, it’s absolutely a franchise,” Seyfried told the outlet. “I didn’t sign on for anything but this one because my story ends, but they know that if they make another one, I’ll be a part of it, because I had so much fun with Paul.”

Amanda Seyfried Says Don’t Read ‘The Housemaid’ Until After Seeing the Movie

Feig, meanwhile, told The Hollywood Reporter at The Housemaid’s premiere that because the story is part of a series, “if people show up and see it, I would love to see what Millie does next.”

Before the movie was released, Seyfried shared that the film had “the support” of McFadden.

“We felt empowered because we had her blessing,” Seyfried said on an episode of the “Bookmarked” podcast earlier this month, sharing that Feig was also helpful. “You know, this movie is going to be special and surprising, even for the book lover. I almost feel like I need to read the book again.”

The Housemaid is in theaters now.


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