Dave Portnoy Shares Thank You Note from Taylor Swift After Red Hoodie Girl Calls Him a Fake Fan
"I'm so happy to have you at the show tonight!" Taylor's letter to Dave starts off.
Published Oct. 22 2024, 3:16 p.m. ET
Apparently, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has a passion for more than just pizza — he’s also a huge Taylor Swift fan! Dave recently attended his second Eras Tour concert in Miami, where he had VIP seats next to Billy Joel and got an up close and personal experience of Taylor Swift’s show. But the night didn’t leave him on "cloud nine" as expected. Here's why.
A viral girl in a red hoodie, who Dave dubbed the "Swiftie gatekeeper," rained on his parade.
The viral red hoodie girl not only insinuated that Dave is a "fake Swiftie" online, but she also accused him of pretending to be a fan just to gain support from Taylor's dedicated fanbase.
Now, anyone can understand why someone would want to get on Taylor's fans’ good side, after all, she sold about 4.35 million tickets across 60 dates between 2022 and 2023, according to Time magazine, but Dave insists he doesn’t need to fake it. He's got the receipts to prove he belongs among the Swifties!
Dave Portnoy shared the hand-written letter he received from Taylor Swift.
Apparently, Dave and Taylor are on pretty good terms. Let’s not downplay it — they’re on great terms! Despite a red-hoodie-wearing Swiftie trying to dismiss Dave's Swiftie status, claiming Taylor Nation never reaches out to him because they “can see right through him,” Dave fired back with some major receipts, showcasing it all in a video he shared on Instagram on Oct. 21, 2024.
In the video, Dave shows off his impressive collection of Swiftie bracelets on his wrist and explains that while he was in the VIP section during Taylor’s Eras Tour in Miami, Taylor’s brother Austin personally delivered a handwritten letter from Taylor herself. Bam!
The letter, written on Taylor's personal stationery with “From the desk of Taylor Swift” at the top, read, "Dave, I'm so happy to have you at the show tonight! I wanted to say thank you for always being so supportive, so loyal, and for having my back when a lot of people didn't. I hope you have a blast tonight!! Love, Taylor [hand-drawn heart]. At the bottom, it playfully reads "SONGWRITER/FELINE ENTHUSIAST."
Dave Portnoy further proved his Swiftie status after Taylor’s mom visited him in VIP.
The handwritten letter from Taylor was jaw-dropping to say the least, but it got even better when Taylor's mom, Andrea, stopped by VIP to hug Dave and thank him for his support, just like Taylor did in her note.
Even though the red hoodie girl, who is now facing some backlash from fellow Swifties in the comment section of Dave's video, tried to downplay his concert experience, Dave took the high road.
Instead of firing back, he said, "Let’s practice love,” adding, “I'm gonna give that girl a free pass. You didn’t know what you were talking about." He wrapped up is message with, “love wins.”