Taylor Lautner has nothing but praise for Taylor Swift after collaborating with her.
During the Wednesday, July 19, episode of Lautner, 31, and wife Taylor Dome‘s “The Squeeze” podcast, the actor thanked Swift, 33, for including him in her “I Can See You” music video.
“Another cool part of the idea that made me even more super-duper sold was the meaning behind the video,” Lautner, who dated Swift for four months until December 2009, shared. “Being a fan of hers and being someone that roots for, it is an honor to be a part of something that is a metaphor of her reclaiming her art.”
Dome, 26, for her part, clarified that Lautner has been in Swift’s corner both privately and publicly over the years.
“When we taped our first two episodes, the [‘I Can See You’ music] video hadn’t come to fruition yet,” Dome noted. “So, you genuinely saying you would go back and like handle the Kanye [West] thing differently, you weren’t just saying that because you had done this video. You genuinely felt that. I think it’s really cool that you’re not just saying, ‘I support her, because I did this video.’ You genuinely have been rooting for her and support her.”
In the music video, Lautner helped rescue Swift from being trapped in a vault. He fought off five men with various martial arts moves, which was a reference to his 2013 SNL monologue about how he regretted not standing up for Swift when West interrupted her.
Earlier this year, Lautner addressed the infamous 2009 Video Music Awards incident when West, 46, overshadowed Swift’s win for Best Female Video. The rapper raised eyebrows when he interrupted Swift’s speech to issue a shout-out to Beyoncé.
“Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time [with ‘Single Ladies’]! One of the best videos of all time,” the Yeezy designer said to a shocked audience.
Lautner, who presented the award to Swift at the time, admitted that he had regrets about not standing up for the singer. He recalled not stepping in because he assumed West’s comments were part of a planned skit.
“Yeah [we had just gone public with our relationship] and I presented the award to her, so I gave her the award [and] I took five steps back and was standing five feet behind her,” the Twilight alum detailed in a February podcast episode. “In the middle of giving her thank you speech, Kanye jumps up onto the stage. I can barely hear it. I can’t see them. I’m just assuming that this whole thing was a practiced and rehearsed skit because why else would Kanye West be jumping up on the stage, interrupting Taylor Swift? It just didn’t make sense.”
Lautner, who exchanged vows with Dome in November 2022, has since stayed on good terms with Swift. The duo surprised fans earlier this month when Lautner joined Swift at the Kansas City stop of her Eras Tour to promote the “I Can See You Now” music video.
“I respect you so much, not for the singer you are, the songwriter, the performer, but truly for the human you are,” he said after taking the stage on July 7. “You are gracious, humble. You are kind, and I’m honored to know you, so thank you for having me be a part of this.”
While recapping the big night with Dome, Lautner said he wasn’t initially sure what to say to Swift.
While recapping the big night with Dome, Lautner said he wasn’t initially sure what to say to Swift.
“I started thinking about what I wanted to say before we went on stage. Before I said, ‘Honestly, I want to get up there and brag about her. Because I know she isn’t going to. Because that isn’t her. I want to brag about how freaking smart and talented this girl is,'” he added on Wednesday. “You know what is more important than all those things I want to brag up? Who she is as a person. Because she is one of the most talented people on this Earth.”
In response, Dome gushed over Lautner’s sweet speech about his ex.
“Something that Taylor [Lautner] does for me and showed on stage is how he respects women. I have definitely been in relationships where I haven’t been respected. I do think that it is very important that Taylor — who did this without knowing — [allowed] young girls to hear a male talking about a woman like that,” she explained. “It is very important for girls to know our value and to know what how important respect is because having that in a relationship is a game changer. You said that without even knowing that it would help young girls.”
