Taylor Swift on Tuesday addressed her Tampa, Florida fans with an empowering message as she looked back on the trial she was involved in last year involving a Denver radio personality she claimed groped her five years ago.
With Tuesday marking the one-year anniversary of the court’s verdict – she won a symbolic $1 against the radio personality – the 28-year-old singer addressed her fans at Raymond James Stadium about the toll the incident – and subsequent legal battle – took on her.
‘A year ago I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa, I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado; this is the day the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me,’ said the Look What You Made Me Do artist, referring to the initial incident which occurred during a promotional appearance before a 2013 concert at the Pepsi Center, as she claimed DJ David Mueller grabbed her rear end.
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Looking back: Taylor Swift on Tuesday addressed her fans with an empowering message as she looked back on the trial she was involved in last year involving Denver radio personality David Mueller, who she claimed groped her five years ago
The Grammy-winning beauty related the incident toward how people can have their credibility questioned, even as victims.
‘I guess I just think about all the people that weren’t believed and the people who haven’t been believed,’ she said, ‘and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won’t be believed.’
Swift empathized with her audience on what if feels like to have one’s truth questioned.
‘I just wanted to say I’m sorry to anyone who ever wasn’t believed,’ the Shake It Off singer said, ‘because I don’t know what turn my life would have taken if somebody didn’t believe me when I said something had happened to me.’
Flash-point: Swift sued over a 2013 incident at the Pepsi Center in which she said Mueller (R) inappropriately touched her
Sharing: Swift engaged in an emotional dialogue with her audience during her concert in Tampa on Tuesday. She was snapped in Atlanta earlier this month
Swift shared with her audience her gratitude for their support amid the difficult life experience.
‘I just wanted to say we have so much further to go, and I’m so grateful to you guys for being there for me for what was really a horrible part of my life,’ she said. ‘I wanted to thank you for just kind of… I mean I know when I meet you guys at meet-and-greets and after the shows, you guys tell me about the hard times that you’ve gone through in your lives and I really appreciate you trusting me with that information.’
Swift told the audience that she was choked up after holding in her thoughts over the incident.
‘I just haven’t really talked about it,’ she said, ‘and so I’m just not composed at all.’
The crowd took waved dollar bills in a symbolic response to Taylor’s emotional statement.