Once considered America’s sweetheart, Taylor Swift’s reputation has taken a bitter turn. In 2023, the popstar was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year and was Spotify’s most streamed artist globally. Recently fans have noticed Swift’s growing romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, one of NFL’s most famous players. The couple’s love story made waves online and has fueled gossip. As any supportive girlfriend, she travels to several of Kelce’s games by flight and attends to the super bowl from performing in Tokyo, Japan. 

According to the Fast Company article, she would emit 200,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions for traveling over 19,400 miles. This is 14 times as much as the average American household emits in a year, which is 14,020 pounds per household. 

This became a controversy when Jack Sweeny, a junior studying information technology at the University of Central Florida, revealed public data of Swift’s’ travel. Sweeney tracks the private jet usage of many celebrities, and has received a cease-and-desist letter from Swift’s legal team. He dedicated an Instagram account to her travel, reporting that Swift’s trips to see Kelce have “produced 138 tons of CO2 emissions in three months.” Data and Marketing Yard have ranked Taylor Swift, 1st for the celeb’s Worst Private Jet CO2 Emissions. 

The usage of private jets has sparked a debate about wealth and celebrity privilege, with many questioning whether it was appropriate for her to use such a luxury mode of transportation. Some argued that as a successful and wealthy artist, Swift was entitled to use her private jet; however, people have scrutinized the singer for planet-warming emissions.