Fact Check: Did Taylor Swift share a throwback photo of herself watching 9/11? Viral tweet debunked

Claims of Taylor Swift sharing an image of herself watching the September 11 World Trade Center attack on her Instagram Story have spread like wildfire on X. This comes after the page Poo Crave shared a screenshot of the same. Despite it appearing like the Lover singer shared the picture, it is far from the truth and is fake.

On July 16, 2024, the aforementioned X page shared a screenshot of what appears to be an Instagram Story that was uploaded on Taylor Swift’s page. They wrote in the tweet:

“Taylor Swift shares a throwback photo of herself from September 11th, 2001: “12 year old me watching 9/11… what a good time.””

The latter quote was included in Taylor Swift’s supposed Instagram story, which also showcased a blonde girl staring into a tall tower in flames.

At the time of writing this article, the social media post had amassed nearly eight million views, 84,000 likes, and over 455 comments.

Despite the Instagram Story appearing real, Taylor Swift never shared such a post.

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Taylor Swift did not share an Instagram story of herself looking at the 9/11 attack

The image, which was supposedly uploaded by Taylor Swift’s Instagram account, actually depicts a model. Los Angeles-based photographer Ari Abramczyk had previously revealed that the woman captured in the photo was actually her former roommate and model. The duo reportedly lived just six blocks away from the tower and witnessed the towers crashing into the ground.

X also clarified in a Community Note that Taylor Swift never uploaded the Instagram story, as Poo Crave reported. Furthermore, they stated that the social media account is actually a parody account of popular gossip page Pop Crave. The Community Note also read:

“Parody accounts must "distinguish themselves in their account name and in their bio.” This account fails to do so.”

However, in the location option of the account’s bio, it has been confirmed that they are a parody account.

The account has posted several other satirical tweets based on pop culture moments, including:

“United States government adds 28th amendment to the constitution: “Thou shalt not shoot president Trump with a temu gun.””

“Sandra Oh has a message for her haters: “Suck the snail mucin out my drawers.””

“LEAKED: Kamala Harris has reportedly applied to be Jeremy Fragrance’s girlfriend.”

Furthermore, Swift would not have been 12 years old on the day of the terrorist attack. She would have still been 11 years old, as she was born on December 13, 1989.

The fake Instagram Story was likely created by using one of the many Instagram Story mock-up generators available online.

Meanwhile, Swift continues to be on her international The Eras Tour. Recently, videos of fans making the San Siro stadium in Milan visibly shake during her performance have gone viral. The Grammy-winner will be performing in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, today and is next expected to make stops in Poland, Austria, and England.