Taylor Swift's Friendship With Brittany Mahomes Sparks Backlash

Fans are criticizing Taylor Swift for not being a real ally to victims of assault after Brittany Mahomes, wife of quarterback Patrick, defended her brother-in-law, Jackson, who was accused of assaulting staff at a bar.

On November 4, Swift was photographed on a girls' night out with Selena Gomez, Sophie Turner, Brittany, Gigi Hadid, and Cara Delevingne in New York City—and Brittany's attendance has stirred some controversy. Swift started dating Travis Kelce in September 2023 and since then, the pair have combined their inner circles. Swift and Brittany started becoming friends after cheering on their NFL partners during the Kansas City Chiefs' recent games.

Jackson Mahomes was accused of shoving a young male waiter multiple times before allegedly forcibly trying to kiss the owner of Overland Park's Aspens Restaurant and Bar Lounge, Aspen Vaughn, on February 25, 2023. Jackson was arrested in May for aggravated sexual battery charges and booked into the Johnson County Detention Center on May 3. Jackson appeared virtually for a court appearance and posted the $100,000 bond. The case is still ongoing. In May, Jackson's lawyer Brandan Davies told Newsweek that the court prohibited Jackson and his lawyers from commenting any further.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Swift and Brittany Mahomes for comment via email and reached out to Jackson Mahomes' lawyers via their website on Monday.

Being a woman in the public eye, Brittany isn't a stranger to trolling, but her relationship with the "Blank Space" singer has stirred up a new level of cruelty online.

Now Brittany has faced backlash after she came out in defense of her brother-in-law, with people calling her a "sexual abuser apologist." This happened during a recent Q&A on Instagram, in which she responded to someone asking how she feels about the comments people make about him.

Things have turned even more sour in the Swift fandom after people found out that Brittany spoke out in support of her brother-in-law, Jackson Mahomes.

"Brittany Mahomes has breached the gates of the Taylor Swift social group. I really hate it here," one person posted to X, formerly Twitter, after the recent paparazzi photos of the women leaving dinner were posted online.

"Brittany Mahomes being at that dinner is so funny," commented another.

A third added: "Taylor Swift being friends with Brittany Mahomes is probably the worst thing she's done in her career."

"They are ignorant," Brittany replied. "He is a human just trying to live his life and find his way and until you walk a day in his shoes (which no one ever will) you have no right to say s**t about him."

Below her initial response, Brittany added, "So it's best to just shut up."

Swift fans are shocked that the "Anti-Hero" singer would continue to be friends with Brittany after these comments, as Swift won a high-profile lawsuit against a former radio host who allegedly groped her in 2013.

This court case is something Swift has spoken about while on stage, previously saying: "I guess I just think about all of the people who weren't believed... or the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won't be believed.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry to anyone who ever wasn't believed because I don't know what turn my life would have taken if people didn't believe me when I said that something had happened to me,"

Now her supporters are taking to the internet to vent their disappointment in the pop superstar.

"Every time Taylor goes out with Brittany Mahomes her Miss Americana speech about s*xual assault victims plays on my mind. Oh how easy it is to silence and discredit a victim when that victim is not you, right Taylor?!" one person wrote on X.

"Taylor Swift really was like 'I'm coming out... as a democrat. Also, I'm a feminist and am activist' in 2019-2020 and is now hanging out with Brittany Mahomes-—who said women accusing her BIL [brother in law] of SA [sexual assault] should 'shut up'—and is silent about an ongoing genocide," posted another.

A third added: "You can be a fan of Taylor and still acknowledge she can do something worth criticizing like being around problematic people."

However, not everyone is upset with Brittany or Swift, as fans have spoken out in support of them both online. Many have pointed out that misogyny could be the reason that Brittany continues to face ongoing harassment, which could be a similar case with Swift.

"I'm probs late to this but I had the revelation that people who hate Taylor Swift probably just hate women and it's the same for Brittany Mahomes. Like how are you out here hating someone you don't even know," an X user posted online.

"Also let it be known: any man saying anything negative about any woman be it Taylor, Britney, Lana, Brittany Mahomes, or whoever. Women around you hear you and know it's coming from a place of misogyny. It's kinda like 'Only I can insult my sibling' like no you don't get to say that," wrote another.

Someone else added: "TBH [to be honest], Brittany Mahomes is the luckiest girl in the world."