Ahead of last weekend’s VMAs, the world had two big questions: would Taylor Swift be gracing the ceremony with her presence, and if not, why not?
As it became clear that Tay was not scheduled to attend the New York event, the rumour mill naturally went into overdrive. Was she avoiding a showdown with Kanye? Couldn’t she wangle a plus one for Tom Hiddleston? Or was it simply because, erm, she wasn’t actually nominated for any awards or scheduled to perform this time around, so popping in for the ceremony probably wasn’t top of her to-do list?
The answer soon emerged – as these things do – on Twitter, as fans started to share a series of selfies taken with the singer in… wait for it… a Nashville courtroom. Even record-breaking, award-winning multi-millionaires aren’t exempt from jury summons, and the time had come to Taylor to fulfil her civic duty. God bless America!
Swift received her summons in December last year, but had to defer due to her 1989 World Tour commitments. As one does.
No one loves a bonding opportunity like Taylor (remember when she invited a crew of fans over to her Long Island mansion for a slumber party? A happier, innocent time…) so it’s hardly surprising that the singer embraced the chance to mingle with the public like a regular person.
Michael Washington, a Nashville resident, told local publication The Tennesean: ‘She’s a really nice girl. She didn’t have a problem with taking pictures. If she didn’t want to be there, she didn’t act like it. She was just doing her civic duty. Very sweet.’
As things transpired, though, Taylor didn’t actually end up fulfilling that civic duty. The 26-year-old ended up being excused from sitting on an aggravated rape and kidnapping case because of fears over her impartiality, due to her forthcoming court case against DJ David Mueller, who allegedly groped Taylor at a meet-and-greet event in 2013.
Ken Whitehouse, of the Davidson County district attorney general’s office, explained that ‘she asked to be left off out of concern for an upcoming trial in Denver where she was – she used the term – "groped" by a fan at a meet-and-greet.’
Whitehouse added that Taylor had told the judge that she would be more than willing to serve on a different type of case in the future.
WATCH: Taylor Swift's Men
**READ MORE: Ten Underrated Taylor Swift Songs To Get You Through Her Musical Hiatus
**
READ MORE: Everyone Wants To Sit With Taylor Swift At The VMAs