Taylor Swift was called ‘middle aged’ by a conservative media pundit who launched a scorched-earth tirade that berated the pop star as just one of many aging entertainers ‘masquerading as 17-year-olds.’
Ben Shapiro of The Daily Wire issued a devastating takedown that called out a slew of celebrities who he said failed to ‘grow up’ in a desperate attempt to remain culturally relevant.
‘You see it in the lyrics of a Taylor Swift also who pretends to be a lovelorn 16-year-old girl, when in fact Taylor Swift is currently age 35,’ he said on his podcast.
Shapiro has been a vocal critic of the popstar for months, celebrating trolls who booed her at the Super Bowl as she cheered on her boyfriend Travis Kelce.
But she wasn’t the only celebrity to be caught in his crosshairs on Wednesday.
Shapiro also raged against Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez, who sparked age-related criticism for her group make out session with multiple backup dancers during a performance at the American Music Awards.
The red-wing hero, who admitted he is a ‘fuddy-duddy grumpy old man,’ lamented that the A-listers’ behavior is a reflection of a modern-day cultural flaw in society.
‘There is this thing that’s happening in our culture where a bunch of people are masquerading as 17-year-olds who are actually middle-aged,’ he said.
Taylor Swift has been dragged into a new drama with conservative media pundit Ben Shapiro as he launches an apocalyptic tirade against celebrities ‘masquerading as 17-year-olds’
Setting his sights on 40-year-old Katy Perry, Shapiro said the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker is ‘making a fool of herself doing her international tours right now’
‘If you are of middle age, you should act like you are middle age… Like you’re not a 17-year-old, or a 21-year-old trying desperately to gain attention.’
‘Middle aged’ is technically defined in the United States as aged between 40 and 60.
Setting his sights on 40-year-old Katy Perry, Shapiro said the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker is ‘making a fool of herself doing her international tours right now.’
Perry has faced mounting criticism for her poor album sales and mocked for her ‘midlife crisis’ after an ill-fated trip to space.
But Shapiro reserved potentially his most scathing criticism for 45-year-old fellow podcaster Theo Von.
‘I enjoy Theo Von as much as the next guy — although I think that his political takes are insanely stupid… I mean, Theo Von’s a comedian. That’s fine, it’s also worth noting Theo Von is 45 years old,’ Shapiro pointed out.
‘Theo Von is four years older than I am. In the olden days, Theo Von would be closing in on the gold watch and retirement, and he dresses like a skater who’s 16 years old, wears his hat backwards, and acts as though he’s a refugee from the stoners club in junior high.
‘It’s a little weird… I see a bunch of people who are sort of in the podcast space, who are cosplaying at being 17-year-old Beavis and Butthead types.’
The Daily Wire commentator rattled off a handful of celebrities who have drawn his ire for failing to ‘grow up’ despite being what he describes as ‘middle aged’
Shapiro reserved potentially his most scathing criticism for 45-year-old fellow podcaster Theo Von
Katy — who recently enjoyed a controversial trip into space with Lauren — was pictured getting out of the car at Lauren’s birthday, with Lauren behind her
Shapiro’s comments sparked a wave of backlash on X as audiences questioned why he would care about the behavior of strangers.
‘You’re jealous, aren’t you?’ one critic asked. ‘People flew all over the world to see Taylor Swift, and you’re barely a blip on a list of podcasts. You lose.’
Another wrote: ‘The s**t you care about is f***ing ridiculous.’
Shapiro anticipated the backlash and conceded that he was on the opposite end of the spectrum compared to the celebrities he complained about, admitting: ‘I’ve been 80 since I was 15.’
‘I am a fuddy-duddy. I am a grumpy old man. I’ve always been a grumpy old man. I was a grumpy old man when I was a teenager.’
But he argued that his analysis uncovered something deeper about American society.
‘There is something strange about a country that is rapidly aging in which because we are rapidly aging, and we don’t have enough kids, we have decided that adults are going to be the new kids,’ he said.
‘We’re going to treat 40-year-olds as though they are 20, and 60-year-olds as though they are 30. It’s a strange look. It’s very, very weird.
‘Are we gonna do this forever? Is everybody just gonna turn into Madonna, twerking her way to glory with two artificial hips at the age of 92?’
Madonna used the same trick to stun audiences back in 2003, when she shockingly pulled a then-21-year-old Britney Spears and 22-year-old Christina Aguilera into a kiss on stage at the VMAs
Jennifer Lopez has been savaged by fans over her opening performance at the 2025 American Music Awards on Sunday
Shapiro’s reference to Madonna comes after Jennifer Lopez reused her 22-year-old stunt at the AMAs.
Madonna first the stage kiss to stun audiences back in 2003, when she shockingly pulled a then-21-year-old Britney Spears and 22-year-old Christina Aguilera into a three-way smooch at the MTV Video Music Awards.
At the AMAs, the 55-year-old singer locked lips with both a male and a female dancer on stage, sparking theories she was desperately trying to make her ex-husband Ben Affleck jealous.