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Taylor Swift fans are going after C.J. Gardner-Johnson. But at what cost?
On Sunday, February 9, the Eagles trounced the Chiefs during the Super Bowl.
After Gardner-Johnson took a swipe at Travis Kelce — one that targeted his girlfriend, Taylor Swift — Swifties are hitting back.
But these over-eager fans may have gone too far.
What did C.J. Gardner-Johnson say about Taylor Swift?
Is there such a thing as a sore winner? Sometimes, it seems that way.
In the wake of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl victory on Sunday, C.J. Gardner-Johnson took to his Instagram Story to seemingly taunt Travis Kelce … while body-shaming Taylor Swift.
Posting a photo of himself in front of Kelce, Gardner-Johnson wrote: “Should’ve Stayed w that thick s–t.” The assumption is that he is referring to the body type of Taylor Swift in contrast to the body of Kelce’s ex, Kayla Nicole.
🚨🚨🚨WILD🚨🚨🚨#Eagles DB CJ Gardner-Johnson goes after Travis Kelce on his Instagram story this morning.
“Should’ve stayed with that thick sh*t.”
He is talking about Kelce breaking up with Kayla Nicole for Taylor Swift. pic.twitter.com/qSaGEzlDKj
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 10, 2025
Just to get this out of the way — Kayla Nicole seems to be a Taylor Swift fan. It seems unlikely that she appreciates C.J. Gardner-Johnson using her to taunt her ex.
More importantly, Gardner-Johnson seems to be body-shaming Swift, implying that she is less desirable due to her body shape.
While we don’t imagine that this will hit home with the pop star billionaire, it does send a very harmful message to countless young women who might (understandably) thirst after Gardner-Johnson and believe themselves to be inadequate. Body-shaming is truly never okay.
Fans of Taylor Swift are exacting revenge upon C.J. Gardner-Johnson
Unfortunately, revenge is seldom as nice as it appears in stories. Damage is often misplaced. And, many would argue, the energy that goes into revenge would be more useful improving one’s own life.
But Taylor Swift fans took aim at C.J. Gardner Johnson in the aftermath of his post. They’re doing so by leaving negative reviews towards a restaurant, King’s Grill.
King’s Grill is an eatery in Rockledge, Florida. The owner is Delatron Johnson, the mother of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Which means that this business, and Gardner-Johnson’s mother, is collateral damage.
Many restaurant owners have accused Yelp of being a less than helpful service. However, the sudden influx of one-star reviews was enough to trigger an “Unusual Activity Alert” for the restaurant’s page.
As a result, no one can leave fresh comments or negative reviews. Presumably, this will change when the excitement dies down.
Meanwhile, Google reviews have also undergone changes. It appears that the recent influx of reviews have simply been removed.
This is not the way
Like Taylor Swift, C.J. Gardner-Johnson is responsible for his own choices. His mother and her restaurant are not.
While it’s likely that an Eagles player has enough dough to keep a family restaurant afloat no matter what, that’s not really the point.
Perhaps these Taylor Swift fans — and Chiefs fans, who have also been getting in on the action — should consider what an appropriate, proportional response to Gardner-Johnson’s juvenile taunt might be. This is not it.
