KIRK HAMMETT Caught in Crossfire with Taylor Swift Supporters

WHAT WENT DOWN

Kirk Hammett wore a T-shirt reading “Taylor Swift Is a CIA Psyop” onstage during Metallica’s June 13 show at Puskás Aréna in Budapest ^*†. Swift fans flooded social media with backlash ^*†.

THE DETAILS

• The shirt featured an image of Swift with whited-out eyes and text split across the front — “Taylor Swift” on top, “Is a CIA Psyop” on the bottom, partially obscured by Hammett’s guitar ^*.

• The design references a conspiracy theory that circulated online ^†.

• Swift currently holds the number one spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 with “I Knew It, I Knew You” from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack ^*†.

• Metallica are mid-way through a European tour and will begin a Las Vegas Sphere residency running October through March ^†.

THE TAKE

Hammett wore a meme to a stadium show and the internet reacted exactly as expected. Swift’s debut single “Tim McGraw” turned 20 on June 19 ^*.