Taylor Swift's parents are icons of the Swiftie community due to their decades-long dedication to their daughter's music career , and have both lived interesting lives away from the spotlight which have sometimes been referenced in the lyrics of their daughters songs.
However, the singer's father, Scott Swift recently hit the headlines after the 71-year-old allegedly assaulted a photographer. Find out all about the superstar's parents below…
Are Taylor Swift's parents still together?
Like their daughter, Scott and Andrea Swift greatly value their privacy. As a result, while there have been rumors surrounding whether or not Taylor's parents are still together, no split or divorce has ever been officially revealed. It is therefore quite likely that Andrea and Scott are still together.
While some outlets reported that the couple split-up away from the spotlight around 2011, this has never been confirmed by Taylor's team, and the pair have regularly been seen supporting their daughter together in the years since. So, while it could be true that Andrea and Scott now live apart, it is also possible this was baseless speculation.
Where did Taylor Swift's dad work?
Scott Swift once worked as a stockbroker for the wealth management company Merrill Lynch (now known as simply Merrill). By the time Taylor was born in 1989, Scott and his wife had moved to take up ownership of a Christmas tree farm in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. However, the now 71-year-old still didn't give up his day job.
In 2004, the family sold their farm and relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, to help Taylor pursue her music career. Scott moved his work with them, and later became the vice president of his own financial advice company, the Swift Group, which remained a part of Merrill.
The family's old home in Wyomissing was recently for sale again in 2022 for an impressive $1million. The farm was also referenced in Taylor's 2019 Christmas single and music video 'Christmas Tree Farm'. Footage from Taylor and Austin's childhood at the Pennsylvania property also featured in the music video for her Fearless hit, 'Best Day'.
What did Andrea Swift do for a living?
Andrea Swift, like her husband, also worked in the financial sector. The 65-year-old was a mutual fund marketing executive. After the birth of her children, Andrea became a stay-at-home mom. However, Taylor's mom's marketing skills came in useful when her daughter was first beginning her music career. It could be said Andrea went 'swiftly' from being a homemaker to a full-time part of her daughter's team.
Following Taylor's successful rise to fame, 'Mama Swift' (as she is known to Swifties) became famous for her role in inviting handfuls of lucky Taylor fans backstage to meet her daughter at concerts. And while Andrea has retired this tradition at the Eras Tour, she was seen at the opening night along with Scott as they both supported Taylor from the VIP box.
When was Taylor's mom diagnosed with cancer?
Andrea Swift was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, which Taylor revealed in a personal post to her fans on Tumblr in April that year. After her diagnosis in 2015, her mom's cancer went into remission, but the singer shared it had returned during an interview with Elle magazine in 2019.
Taylor also wrote about her mom's history with cancer in her Lover album track 'Soon You'll Get Better', in which she detailed her struggle living with the knowledge that her parent was unwell. In January 2020, the country-turned-pop music star revealed to Variety that during treatment for her cancer, Andrea had also discovered she had a brain tumor. "It's just been a really hard time for us as a family," Taylor said at the time.
The Reputation album star has not spoken about her mom's cancer since, but as previously mentioned, Andrea has been spotted supporting her daughter during her Eras Tour.
In Taylor's interview with Elle in 2019, Taylor also revealed that her father also had cancer sometime in the past. During her '30 things I've learnt before turning 30' article, the Red album artist wrote: "I've had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family. Both of my parents have had cancer." However, no further information about Scott's illness has been released.
What happened to Taylor Swift's dad?
On Tuesday February 27, it was reported that Australian police were investigating an incident in which Scott was alleged to have assaulted paparazzi photographer Ben McDonald, 51, as the 71-year-old and his daughter disembarked from a private yacht in Sydney. Video footage showed the singer, her father and security team walking along the wharf to a waiting car.
A statement from Taylor's team read: "Two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water."
Speaking to Australia's ABC, Ben claimed: "He's charged in and punched me in the face. In 23 years of doing this I’ve never been assaulted, let alone been punched in the face by a father."
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