Report: Taylor Swift Playing Victim Card

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift was crowned the world’s highest paid celeb Wednesday, according to Forbes, with more than $185 million raked in over the past year. But, reports The NY Post, music industry insiders are accusing the star of “playing victim” in her attack on Scooter Braun last week for buying her former label, Big Machine Records, and say she could’ve scooped up the label herself.

Swift posted after Braun bought the label, “Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy” and, “This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen.”

But an insider said of Swift: “Everyone knows she’s playing the victim. She has five homes, a private jet. She even summons her boyfriend [UK actor Joe Alwyn]. She sends a jet to London to pick him up and bring him to her when she needs him.”

Swift wrote in the lengthy post: “For years I asked, pleaded for a chance to own my work. Instead, I was given an opportunity to sign back up to Big Machine Records and ‘earn’ one album back at a time, one for every new one I turned in.”

But a source pointed out that Swift comes from a family of finance pros, and her dad, Scott, is a Big Machine shareholder.

“She’s omitting the fact that someone acquired the company. She could’ve bought it!” exclaimed a source of the deal. “Her dad is a multimillionaire shareholder. It’s a business transaction, and she’s making it all about her.”

Forbes released its list of the top 100 highest-paid entertainers on Wednesday, and 10-time Grammy winner Taylor Swift snagged the top slot. Forbes estimated that the 29-year-old’s pretax income was a staggering $185 million, a 131% increase over Swift’s take last year.

Much of Swift’s income came from her Reputation Stadium Tour, which brought in an estimated $266.1 million, the highest-grossing tour in U.S. history.

Kylie Jenner was right behind Swift, with an estimated $170 million in pretax income. Other KarJenner’s made the cut too. Her brother-in-law Kanye West nabbed No 3 with an estimated $140 million in earnings; his wife and Jenner’s sister Kim Kardashian brought in $72 million, landing her at No. 26. Jenner’s partner Travis Scott, meanwhile, brought in $58 million, landing him at No. 39.

Other artists hovering near the top include Beyonce at No. 20 with $81 million, Rihanna at No. 36 with 62 million, Ariana Grande at No. 62 with $48 million and Lady Gaga at No. 90 with $39.5 million.