Taylor Swift Told Fans Not to Bully John Mayer Ahead of the Release of 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)'

If Swifties were to create a popularity ranking of all of Taylor Swift’s exes, it’s no question that John Mayer would likely round out the bottom of the list (right next to Jake Gyllenhaal — give Taylor her scarf back!). As the alleged inspiration behind one of Swift’s most heartbreaking ballads, “Dear John,” from her 2010 album Speak Now (which is set to get its Taylor’s Version re-release on July 7), it’s only natural that the songstress’s devoted fan base would feel a bit of animosity towards the star. 

But as deserved as (Swifties think) it may be, Taylor just tried to get ahead of the impending chaos that surrounded her last re-release by blatantly telling fans not to bully Mayer — like how they bullied Gyllenhaal during the Red (Taylor’s Version) era — on her most recent Eras Tour stop.

During a performance in Minneapolis over the weekend, Swift took some time during the surprise song segment of her show to chat with fans about their “internet activities.”

“I get to stand on stage every single night of this tour and watch the most beautiful things happen,” she said in reference to friendships made in the crowd each night. “It's the most unbelievable thing to watch … So, I was hoping to ask you, as we lead up to this album coming out; I would love for that kindness and that gentleness to extend onto our internet activities.”

After reiterating that the sole purpose of her re-record project is to own all of her music, Swift continued, “I'm 33 years old. I don't care about anything that happened to me when I was 19 except the songs I wrote and the memories we made together. So, what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm not putting this album out so that you could go and, like, feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago.”

She then summed her speech up perfectly (before launching into an acoustic version of “Dear John”) by adding, “I do not care. We have all grown up. We’re good. So, I’m saying that because — only because I am proud of it as a song — I’m going to play 'Dear John.'”