Taylor Swift's Controversial Advice On How To Deal With 'Hate' Is Going Viral—And It's Sparked A Heated Debate

Perhaps one of the bitterest prices of fame is that for all the fandom that may come with celebrity, there will also be haters.

In this day and age of social media, people are more comfortable than ever letting their dislike of people be known.

Few people are more aware of this than Taylor Swift, who proudly declared in one of her biggest hits that the only way to deal with hatred is to "shake it off."

However, in a recent interview with Elle magazine, 21-year-old rising singer Sombr disclosed that Travis Kelce's new wife recently shared some candid advice with him regarding haters.

And not everyone is having it.

Sombr, who was hand picked by Swift to honor her at the Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, shared that the Grammy winning icon confided in him that having "haters" might be as valuable as having fans:

"One of the best pieces of advice the legend has given me— the person I look up to most has given me."

"The amazing pop star."

"Is that if these hate comments go away, maybe you’re not at your peak anymore."

"I think it’s a privilege to be receiving these and rise above it."

"Ever since she gave me that advice, it’s really changed my perspective and has helped."

As Sombr's interview began making the rounds on X (formerly Twitter), it became increasingly clear that not everyone agreed that Swift was sending Sombr in the right direction.

Some went so far as to say that Swift offered "terrible advice," and felt what she told him was a not-so-thinly veiled way of admitting that she was unable to take criticism, something all artists must face at one point or another:

As was to be expected, however, there were a few "Swifties" who came to her defense, feeling she was instead trying to emphasize not to dwell on things that were simply out of our control, not to mention that age-old belief that all publicity is good publicity:

Like Swift, Sombr is no stranger to dealing with hatred and internet trolling.

The singer gained some unwanted attention in 2025 when a TikToker named Meg posted a video criticizing his "vulgar" behavior at a recent concert.

Sombr did not stay silent, accusing Meg of body shaming him, while also declaring he had "never uttered a serious word in [his] life."

The "Homewrecker" singer was met with considerable backlash at the time, which he has since gone on to admit he deserved, citing his youth and inexperience, and admitting that clapping back at adversaries "only makes it worse":

"I was a teenager when I was kind of just pushed into the spotlight."

"All of a sudden, this is one of my first instances of being hated on a larger scale."

"I thought I needed to defend myself."

Very few would disagree that sometimes the best thing to do with criticism is to, indeed, "shake it off."

Whether or not having more haters than fans is something to celebrate, however, is debatable.

Especially if that hatred is owing to more than a matter of liking or disliking a song.