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A controversy involving Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and a photo at Nashville’s famous Bluebird Cafe has taken over social media. It began when a video clip of a Bluebird Cafe employee speaking about the venue went viral. In the clip, the employee seems to say that the cafe had promised to remove any signs of Taylor Swift during Rodrigo’s performance. This led fans to believe there was a feud between the two artists.
The venue’s general manager, Erika Wollam Nichols, later clarified in a video posted to the X account, @BluebirdCafeTN, that Rodrigo’s team did not request the removal of any image of Swift. She added that the image was taken down for copyright reasons during a professional filming session. Other items honoring Swift, like her headshot and chair, were not removed.
What started the Bluebird Cafe controversy?
The issue began after a video clip was posted on X on June 17, 2025. In the video, a Bluebird Cafe employee spoke to influencers about the history of the venue. The employee pointed out that a Taylor Swift photo was no longer hanging in the background. The employee said:
“We vowed to remove any visible signs of Taylor Swift... We gotta respect the girlies.”
This statement led to speculation that Rodrigo’s team had requested the image be taken down. Fans noticed that during a 2023 performance by Olivia Rodrigo and Sheryl Crow, Swift’s photo was missing from the stage area.
The performance was an acoustic set of If It Makes You Happy, filmed at the cafe. Social media users started sharing side-by-side images from past shows. Many believed that Rodrigo’s team had asked for the change.
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Did Olivia Rodrigo’s team request the removal of Taylor Swift’s photo?
According to Bluebird Cafe general manager Erika Wollam Nichols in the X post on @BluebirdCafeTN, Olivia Rodrigo’s team did not make such a request. Nichols explained:
“The truth of it is Olivia’s people did not ask for the Taylor Swift picture to be taken down. We did not take her headshot off the wall. We did not remove the chair that has her name.”
Nichols also explained that this was standard practice at the venue. Whenever professional filming happens, the cafe removes photos they do not have the rights to display in a video. She said:
“This is something we do every time we have a professional filming in here. We’re very careful not to use images that we don’t have the rights to use.”
Nichols added that Taylor Swift’s headshot and special chair still remain on display at the venue.
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The drama over Olivia Rodrigo’s performance at the Bluebird Cafe was clearly caused by a misunderstanding. A video clip made it seem like Olivia Rodrigo’s team wanted a Taylor Swift photo removed. In fact, the removal was done for reasons pertaining to copyright during filming, according to the cafe's general manager.
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