Taylor Swift’s alleged former classmate said she was prevented from going to school because she was pregnant at the time. A woman named “Leanne” went viral for accusing Taylor of being pro-life and for preventing her from receiving education as a result of a filming crew wanting to hide her teenage pregnancy.
While Leanne’s original video, posted on her now-deleted TikTok page, has been removed, her allegations have continued to be shared on social media.
Highlights
- Taylor Swift’s former classmate Leanne accused her of shaming her for teen pregnancy and preventing her from going to school.
- Leanne claimed she was sent home from school to hide her pregnancy during CMT's filming at Hendersonville High School.
- Taylor Swift publicly declared herself to be pro-choice, countering Leanne’s accusation of Taylor being pro-life.
- No evidence supports CMT filming at the school in 2004, though Taylor was interviewed there in 2005.
In a first video, which has been uploaded on an X account (formerly known as Twitter), Leanne started: “Hey Taylor, remember me?”
Leanne proceeded to claim that she attended Hendersonville High School in Tennessee, USA, at the same time the Shake it Off hitmaker was enrolled as a student, in 2004.
Taylor Swift’s alleged former classmate said she was prevented from going to school
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“One, we went to high school together, and two, I was the only pregnant girl when we started the school year in 2004,” Leanne exclaimed.
She went on to accuse Taylor of perpetuating cruel predictions about her and her now-19-year-old son, such as saying that she would give him up for adoption.
“None of your predictions were right,” Leanne countered, before concluding: “The mic is in your hand now.”
According to the X account that shared Leanne’s video, the angered mother had written in her TikTok’s caption: “Message for Taylor Swift: 20 years ago this month, things were different.
“Back then, I can confidently say she didn't believe in abortion.”
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Taylor has publicly declared herself to be pro-choice. In a 2019 interview with The Guardian, she stated: "I mean, obviously, I'm pro-choice... I can't believe we're here. It's really shocking and awful.”
At the time, the pop star was discussing restrictive abortion laws being proposed in Tennessee.
In the alleged original TikTok caption, Leanne further stated: “During that time, while [Country Music Television] CMT was filming at Hendersonville High School, I was sent home because the school didn't want a pregnant teen to be seen on TV with Taylor.”
She said she was prevented from going to school because she was pregnant at the time
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While CMT filmed Taylor at her alma mater, Hendersonville High School in Tennessee, as part of their special CMT Crossroads in 2009, there is no evidence of CMT shooting any particular footage of the singer at the alleged time of interest.
There is, however, footage of a 2005 interview of Taylor taken at Hendersonville High School. During this period, the musician had already begun pursuing her music career and was gaining local attention.
Around that time, she had signed with Big Machine Records and released her debut single, "Tim McGraw", and local broadcaster News4 interviewed Taylor at her high school.
Nevertheless, Leanne’s alleged caption read: “They even moved my lunch period so the crew wouldn't ask questions or create negativity that could affect her future or the school's image.
“In the end, I was denied my high school education so Taylor could pursue her fame. After 20 years of staying silent, I'm finally speaking out.”
In a follow-up video, which has also been deleted and which has also been republished on X, Leanne emphasized her previous claims, adding that she was out of school for a period of four to six weeks.
A woman named “Leanne” went viral for accusing Taylor of being pro-life
Image credits: STodcs
Leanne then revealed that she had signed up to join the US military, therefore fighting for freedom of expression.
People who knew the singer as a child previously said that Taylor didn’t have many friends growing up and made her schoolmates roll their eyes at her confident claim that she would be a “star”.
75-year-old Lois Hamilton, who lives next to the Swifts’ former holiday home in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, USA, said Taylor was “cute and confident” but that she didn’t have a lot of friends.
She told The Sunday Times in an exposé on the music star’s early years: “She was more solitary, very happy in her own room.”
When she arrived at Hendersonville High School after moving to Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 14, Taylor reportedly made a notable entrance.
A former classmate told The Times that the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker told people she was going to be a star.
The source said: “We kind of rolled our eyes because, being in Nashville, we hear that a lot.
“It was just such a strong statement for someone of that age.”
Leanne said Taylor's film crew prevented her from receiving education
Image credits: talesoftailz
Almost immediately after enrolling in the Nashville school, Taylor reportedly started dating an “older boy.”
He was reportedly popular and had a “preppy look with a country flair” — he would fray the corners of his cap and stick a fishing hook through it.
Within months, however, their relationship had ended, The Times reported.
Many students thought the now-billionaire musician was “a bit of a brat,” from the moneyed side of town and modelling clothes for Abercrombie & Fitch.
Image credits: talesoftailz
Two years ago, a woman named Jessica McLane went viral on TikTok for also claiming to have been a classmate of Taylor’s and for sharing her negative experience with the songstress.
In the video, which was reshared by The Independent’s YouTube page on October 27, 2022, Jessica recalled Taylor leaving high school in 2006 to be homeschooled following the release of her second single from her self-titled debut album, "Teardrops On My Guitar".
“When she first started becoming super successful (…) most people hated her,” the TikToker said.
Leanne said Taylor's filming crew wanted to hide her teenage pregnancy
"Teardrops On My Guitar" was inspired by Taylor’s Hendersonville High School older boyfriend, The Times reported, which Jessica confirmed caused a lot of resentment.
“Keep in mind these are her peers,” the Hendersonville High alumni said. “You know this isn’t like just random people on the internet, she’s literally like what 16-17, leaving high school to pursue a career that people are telling her that she could never have, you know.”
Jessica continued: “Also the guys she was writing these songs about, they were still in school, you know, they were still there and now they have a hit song about them talking about what [kind of] boyfriend they are.”
She further revealed: “There were not a lot of people at [the] high school who had nice things to say about her.”
In April, Barbara Kolvek, who was Taylor’s teacher from first through fourth grade at Wyndcroft, told CBS News: “She was always writing poetry, always. Even in music class, even when she shouldn’t.”
Bored Panda has contacted Taylor Swift’s representatives and Hendersonville High School’s administration for comment.
Leanne's video ignited divided reactions
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