For AJ McLean, Taylor Swift will always be larger than life.
In fact, the "Cruel Summer" singer will always have a special place in his heart for the way Taylor treated his 11-year-old daughter Elliott—he is also dad to Lyric, 6, with ex-wife Rochelle Deanna Karidis—when meeting her.
"She's met my oldest three times," he said on the May 28 episode of the Getting Grilled with Curtis Stone podcast. "And the last time she met her, she remembered her name, which that, as a dad alone, catapulted her into the stratosphere for me."
"You know, we were backstage. She came back, she's like, 'Ava,'" AJ recalled, while noting this occurred before Elliott decided to change her name almost four years ago. "And I was just like, 'What? Mind blown.'"
Because for the Backstreet Boys alum, who understands all too well how life in the spotlight can come with a big reputation, meeting Taylor exceeded his wildest dreams.
"She is, by far, in my opinion, one of the most grounded, humble performers ever," he said. "It's like, 'OK, something's gotta be off about you. There's gotta be like a dark side.' And there isn't."
And for those who are looking for Taylor's dark side, they'll need to keep searching. After all, AJ isn't the only celebrity to recount an enchanted encounter between their kids and the 34-year-old.
Emily Blunt—who shares daughters Hazel, 10, and Violet, 7, with husband John Krasinski—recently detailed the moment her girls got the opportunity to meet Taylor.
"She's the nicest," Emily said of Taylor on the April 29 episode of Howard Stern. "She was so nice to my kids. My oldest kid had just cut all of her hair off, this very short haircut that she was very self-conscious about. And Taylor Swift, goes like, ‘God, look at you, you're just this ‘60s Beatnik cool kid. I love your style.'"
As the Oppenheimer actress recalled, it was exactly what Hazel needed to hear.
"I thought my child was going to faint," she joked. "It was the best thing anyone has done for my child."
As Emily—who has dubbed herself a Swiftie and expressed her desire to go to the Eras Tour—added of Taylor, "She's very cool."
But AJ and Emily aren't the only ones in Hollywood shouting out their love for the "Anti-Hero" artist. Just take it from the many celebrities who have attended the Eras Tour—Taylor will never go out of style.
Christina Milian
The "Dip It Low" singer and her teen daughter Violet were in a lavender haze at Taylor Swift's Paris show.
Jessica Capshaw
The Grey's Anatomy actress attended the Eras Tour in France in May 2024, captioning this pic with the Midnights lyric, "Cause we were in Paris."
Travis Kelce & Rita Ora
"It’s fair to say Sydney always delivers," Rita Ora captioned Instagram photos from Taylor's Feb. 23 show, including a snap with Travis Kelce. "Or shall we say our TayTay @taylorswift always delivers!”
Taika Waititi, Taylor Swift & Rita Ora
Taylor's dad Scott Swift delivered an epic photobomb.
Katy Perry
"Got to see an old friend shine tonight," Katy Perry captioned footage on Instagram from the Feb. 23 concert.
Tom DeLonge & Rebel Wilson
The Blink-182 rocker—whose band was playing near Taylor's Sydney venue on the same day—and the Pitch Perfect alum hung out in the VIP tent.
The Oscar winner captioned the moment with friends in Mexico City, "Spamming u w really good @taylorswift Eras Tour content."
The Pretty Little Liars star attended with friends Morgan Pesante, Katie Greenthal and Claire Leahy. "Omg??? @taylorswift putting on a show that was so good I can't even process," she wrote. "Nostalgic, empowering, and sparkly."
The "Bad at Love" singer got in the spirit by making friendship bracelets to trade with fans during the last Los Angeles show.
Mariska Hargitay & Savannah Guthrie
"Still in the afterglow of the most magical night," the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star wrote on Instagram Aug. 9 after a bejeweled night out in L.A. "Deepest gratitude to @taylorswift for your poetry and wisdom. You inspire us and connect us to our #delicate tenderness, joy, hope and strength—and most of all, our wish to live and love courageously."
Sharing pics from an L.A. show, Chris Olsen quoted the T.Swift lyrics in his caption, "I DON'T KNOW HOW IT GETS BETTER THAN THIS."
"Eras tour (Dylan's version)," the influencer captioned fits of her rocking a Stella McCartney outfit. "@taylorswift you are a goddess best night ever."
Spencer Pratt & Heidi Montag
The Hills stars filled a blank space in their calendar with a date night in Los Angeles at the Eras Tour. Heidi Montag captioned their pics, "This was the concert of a lifetime! Legendary! Thank you for the tickets @taylorswift."
Jessica Alba & Cash Warren
"@taylorswift with the fam," Jessica Alba wrote, "what a show!" She and husband Cash Warren celebrated their love story by taking their kids Honor, Haven and Hayes.
The Mad Max star danced to "Shake It off" with her kids August and Jackson. "Thank you for the best birthday ever @taylorswift!!!" she wrote. "We had such a great f–king time."
Paula Abdul & Vince Vaughn
"What a SHOW," Paula Abdul wrote while posting for a photo with Vince Vaughn and Taylor's parents Scott and Andrea Swift in Los Angeles.
James Kennedy, Paula Abdul, Scheana Shay & Ally Lewber
The Vanderpump Rules stars made their wildest dreams come true on the floor with Paula.
The "No One singer" attended the Aug. 5 show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with her 8-year-old son Genesis.
The actress attended one of Swift's shows at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles with Anastasia Beverly Hills cosmetics founder Anastasia Soare and her daughter, Claudia.
The late Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant and their daughters Natalia Bryant, 20, Bianka Bryant, 6, and Capri Bryant, 4 attended Swift's show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles Aug. 3. While performing her song "22," the singer approached Bianka at the end of the stage, hugged her and gifted her a black hat she typically gives a fan during the number. The family later got to hang out with the pop star backstage.
The Hills alum was ready to be enchanted at the Aug. 4 show.
The New Girl star shared a family photo on TikTok ahead of the Aug. 4 show.
Elizabeth Banks & Amy Adams
The duo snapped a selfie at SoFi Stadium on the first night of the Eras Tour in Los Angeles, with Elizabeth Banks writing of Taylor's performance, "She was an Angel and a Unicorn and Pure Magic."
Elizabeth took a pic of Sarah Paulson showing off her Eras Tour merch from the Casamigos suite.
"The first night of the LA Eras tour was everything!" Mindy Kaling wrote after the Aug. 3 show. "@haimtheband set the tone by destroying in their home town and then @taylorswift, well, did her bejeweled thing and 70,000 of us were like 'how can we know every single lyric to 5 hours of songs?'. There were no highlights. It was all highlight."
Hayley Kiyoko & Becca Tilley
The couple headed to Night One of the tour in Los Angeles, with Becca captioning their look with the "Fearless" lyrics, "I know I wanna ask you to dance right there, in the middle of the parking lot."
Brie Larson shared a pic from her view of the show in Los Angeles.
Brie captured a video with fellow Marvel star Lupita Nyong'o.
The Hills alum was ready for it on Aug. 4 in L.A.
Kobe and Vanessa's 20-year-old daughter shared a hug with Taylor after the show.
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