Josh Hutcherson addresses 'heat' over his Taylor Swift comments
Josh Hutcherson addresses 'heat' over his Taylor Swift comments
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYMon, April 20, 2026 at 4:14 PM UTC
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Josh Hutcherson has a message for Swifties: You need to calm down.
In an interview with GQ, the "Hunger Games" star, 33, reacted to the backlash he received after saying last year that he is "definitely not" a fan of Taylor Swift's music.
"I got some heat because I did a photo shoot with Jordan [Firstman], and Jordan asked me something about being a [Taylor Swift fan], and I was like, 'Oh no, I'm definitely not a Swiftie,'" he told GQ. "All of a sudden it garnered this, 'F--- him! He's a monster! Destroy him! He's short! He hates her because he's short!' It's just like, whoa! I think she's great. Her music is not my kind of music."
Josh Hutcherson has clarified his comment that he is "definitely" not a fan of Taylor Swift's music.
Hutcherson's comments about Swift came during a video interview with his "I Love LA" costar Jordan Firstman for i-D Magazine. As part of a game where the actors pulled up random photos on their phone, Hutcherson showed a picture of himself attending one of Swift's concerts with his mom.
"My mom made me," he said.
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This led Firstman to ask Hutcherson if he is a Swiftie, to which the "Five Nights at Freddy's" star replied, "I'm not a Swiftie. Very much not." He continued, "No shade. All respect. But definitely not." Firstman quipped, "A little tiny shade. She can handle a little bit of shade."
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Some of Swift's fans weren't happy with the comment, with one X post reading, "A simple no would be sufficient."
Another person wrote on X, "No but I seriously can't get over just how pathetic this is of Josh Hutcherson. Taylor Swift was kind enough to gift him VIP tickets to the eras tour because his mom wanted to go but instead of being grateful to her for her generosity, he shades her. Vile behavior."
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Speaking with GQ, Hutcherson pointed to this as an example of why he doesn't "want to be online," adding, "I don't need that energy."
Josh Hutcherson attends the premiere of "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" in Hollywood on Dec. 2, 2025.
Best known for playing Peeta in the "Hunger Games" franchise, Hutcherson is coming off his role as Dylan in the first season of Rachel Sennott's HBO show "I Love LA," and he reprised the lead role of Mike in the horror sequel "Five Nights at Freddy's 2" in December.
Hutcherson will reportedly return alongside Jennifer Lawrence in the latest "Hunger Games" prequel movie, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," which hits theaters in November.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Hutcherson talks Taylor Swift comments backlash
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
