What Really Went Down During Tina Fey And Taylor Swift's 2013 'Feud'

Cause baby, now we got bad blood! Taylor Swift is no stranger to very public beefs. Over the years, many celebs have come out swinging against Swift. Think: Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and even Kid Rock. But in January 2013, it was comedian, actor, and SNL writer Tina Fey and her longtime friend and comedic partner in crime, Amy Poehler, who went after the pop crooner during the 2013 Golden Globes, poking fun at Swift's ever-evolving dating history. "You know what, Taylor Swift? You stay away from Michael J. Fox's son," Fey ribbed Swift during the opening monologue (via DailyMotion). Then, after Poehler diplomatically added, "Or go for it," she added insult to injury. "No, she needs some me-time to learn about herself," Fey urged. 

While that little bit earned Fey many laughs in the room, there was one person decidedly not laughing: Swift. Later, during a candid conversation with Vanity Fair in March 2013, when asked about the awards show slight, Swift referenced U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's famous quote: "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." Shots fired. We repeat SHOTS FIRED. Unfortunately, however, that was just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bad blood between Swift and Fey. 

Upon learning that Taylor Swift was none too pleased with their comments about her love life at the 2013 Golden Globes, Amy Poehler immediately issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that same day. "Aw, I feel bad if she was upset," Poehler lamented. "I am a feminist and she is a young and talented girl. That being said, I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons. Mostly boring tax stuff." 

Fey, however, took a much different path, doubling down instead. "If anyone was going to get mad at us, I thought it would be James Cameron," she told Entertainment Tonight (via The Hollywood Reporter), referencing her dig about his "tortured" ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow. "I did not see that one coming. It was a joke. It was a lighthearted joke. And it's a shame that she didn't take it in the crazy-aunt spirit in which it was intended." But that's not all. On January 12, 2014, when Poehler received the award for best performance by an actress in a television series — comedy or musical at the 2014 Golden Globes, Fey alluded to Swift's famous Vanity Fair jab while congratulating Poehler. "I love you, and there's a special place in hell for you!" she quipped. Ooh, look what you made her do. 

Rewind to March 2013, and it appeared Tina Fey was still feeling some type of way about all of the Taylor Swift drama. In a video published by E! News, when stopped by a paparazzi photographer on the streets of New York City and asked about Swift, Fey told the inquiring mind, "Go f*** yourself. You can go f*** yourself (via The Hollywood Reporter)." YIKES. Curiously, that video has since been deleted. 

Then, in 2015, Fey let her work on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" do the talking when she wrote a sketch wherein Kimmy's friend, Titus, reprimands Kimmy for trying to disturb his dolls' time in the shower while their perms are processing. "There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women," he declares (via E! News), hearkening back to Swift's comments from that famous Vanity Fair article. 

Interestingly enough, in 2017, Fey's BFF Amy Poehler effectively buried the hatchet with Swift once and for all when she graced the stage with the singer at the 2020 Golden Globes as they presented the best animated movie award. Fey, however, was notably missing in action. "It was cool to see Taylor Swift & Amy Poehler on stage together [seven years] after Swift rightly called out Poehler & Tina Fey in my VF story for their sexist jokes about her at the GGs. Women unite not fight," Nancy Joe Sales, the reporter who interviewed Swift for the Vanity Fair piece, later tweeted about Swift and Poehler letting bygones be bygones at the awards event (via Hello!). Alas, there's still no word on how Fey felt about the onstage reunion. Alexa, play "All Too Well."