Taylor Swift leaned on her fans for support during her concert in Tampa, Florida, on Tuesday, August 14. The pop star was visibly emotional on stage while speaking about the one-year anniversary of her groping trial verdict.
“A year ago, I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa. I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado,” the 28-year-old said at Raymond James Stadium during the latest stop of her Reputation tour. “This is the day the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me.”
Swift then took a moment to share a message to other survivors of sexual assault.
“I just think about all of the people that weren’t believed and the people who haven’t been believed and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think that they won’t be believed,” she said. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry to anyone who ever wasn’t believed because I don’t know what turn my life would have taken if somebody didn’t believe me when I said something had happened to me.”
The “Look What You Made Me Do” singer told the audience that she is “so grateful” they stood by her during “what was really a horrible part of my life.”
“I know when I meet you guys at meet-and-greets and after the shows, you guys tell me about the hard times that you’ve gone through in your lives and I really appreciate you trusting me with that information,” she continued. “You guys have seen me go through so many ups and downs in my life just due to the public nature of the way my life is, and I just wanted to say that I’m so happy to see you and to have you and know you.”
Before continuing her show, Swift apologized to the crowd for not being “composed at all.” She explained that it was one of the first times she has spoken publicly about the trial and its aftermath.
A jury in Denver ruled in favor of the 10-time Grammy winner in August 2017 after finding that former radio host David Mueller groped her during a 2013 meet-and-greet. She took the stand during the six-day trial and testified that she was “visibly uncomfortable” after Mueller “latched on to my bare ass cheek.”
Swift, who was awarded a symbolic $1, released a statement to Us Weekly after winning the trial: “My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
