Josh Hutcherson is setting the record straight regarding his thoughts on Taylor Swift after he faced backlash for saying he’s “not a fan” of the pop star.
“I got some heat because I did a photo shoot with [I Love LA costar Jordan Firstman], and Jordan asked me something about being a [Taylor Swift fan], and I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m definitely not a Swiftie,’” Hutcherson, 33, told GQ in an interview published on Monday, April 20. “All of a sudden, it garnered this [reaction of], ‘F*** him! He’s a monster! Destroy him! He’s short! He hates her because he’s short!’”
Hutcherson clarified that he meant no ill will toward Swift, 36.
“It’s just like, ‘Whoa!’ I think she’s great. Her music is not my kind of music,” he explained.
The Hunger Games alum caused a stir among Swifties in December 2025 when he and Firstman, 34, played a game of camera roll roulette for I-D magazine. At one point, Hutcherson pulled up a photo of him and his mom at one of Swift’s Eras tour concerts, which prompted Firstman to ask if Hutcherson is a Swiftie.
“Very much not. No shade, all respect, but definitely not,” Hutcherson responded.
“A little tiny shade,” Firstman quipped. “She can handle a little bit of shade.”
Hutcherson added, “A little bit of shade.”
Fans of Swift quickly called Hutcherson out online, with some slamming the Zathura actor for accepting VIP tickets to the Eras tour when he’s not really a fan of the “So High School” singer.
“No but I seriously can’t get over just how pathetic this is of Josh Hutcherson,” one user wrote via X at the time. “Taylor Swift was kind enough to gift him VIP tickets to the eras tour because his mom wanted to go but instead of being grateful to her for her generosity, he shades her. Vile behavior.”
“’A little bit of shade’ for what?? she hosted you and your mom in the VIP tent of her sold out tour??? where swifties gave you friendship bracelets and were nothing but kind?? you don’t have to like her music but literally what is the point of this,” another person added.
While reflecting on the backlash in his interview with GQ, Hutcherson said experiences like that are why he prefers not to “be online.”
“I don’t need that energy,” he continued, adding that he doesn’t want an online presence to affect his acting career. “It’s counterintuitive to my job, because if people know you more, you can’t disappear into characters. They see you as, ‘Oh, that’s Josh.’ You know what I mean? So, if you’re a f***ing meme, people know you for the meme.”
