Fans have been clamoring to know who performed at Taylor Swift’s star-studded wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden earlier this year. Although no one knows whether Nelly performed at her reception, he revealed that she had discreetly paid him in a McDonald’s bag to perform with her during her Speak Now tour in 2011.
Nelly Reveals Why Taylor Swift Paid Him $50K In A McDonald’s Bag
Nelly revealed that Taylor Swift secretly placed $50,000 in a McDonald’s bag so he would perform for her Houston tour stop during her Speak Now tour in 2011.
During an appearance on The Breakfast Club on Thursday, October 29, Nelly talked about his relationship with Swift. “I’ve known her for a long time,” the 51-year-old artist said of his relationship with Swift, according to Us Weekly. “She’s popped out at some of my shows.”
Sixteen years ago, he received a call from the “Mirrorball” singer asking him to perform.
“That woman called me one night, just out the blue, and said, ‘Yo, Nelly, listen, me and my friends, we made a routine to ‘Hot in Herre’ last night, right?” he said, adding that Swift asked him for a “really big favor.”
“She said, ‘I got two shows in Houston, tomorrow and the next day. Can you come down to Houston and just perform [the song]?’” he recalled. “‘I don’t want to disrespect you. I don’t really have a budget like that.’”
Nelly Performed A Few Songs With Swift
Nelly claims Swift offered to pay him $50,000 and send her private jet to bring him to Houston to perform at the concert. “You know, I just said, ‘Can you put that in a McDonald’s bag?’” the rapper joked.
Nelly said he would have performed for free, but Swift ended up paying him after all.
“Picked up me and the kids. Flew us down to Houston because she was doing, like, three to four nights at the baseball stadium,” he recalled. “56,000 people. Her father … comes out, tosses me a McDonald bag, $50,000 cash.”
After they performed “Hot In Herre” on stage, the duo sang “Just A Dream” together. Fortunately for fans, Houston wasn’t the only time they shared the stage. He later joined her on her Red Tour in 2013 and her 1989 World Tour in 2015.
Nelly and Ashanti Attended Taylor Swift’s Wedding To Travis Kelce
Nelly and his wife, Ashanti, also attended Swift’s wedding to Travis Kelce in July. “They know mad people, but it was so many different types of people,” Ashanti, 46, said on Thursday, although Nelly wasn’t surprised by the star-studded guest list.
“She’s been in this business for a long time, and at the top of it,” he replied. “And when you’re like that, you make a lot of friends. You know what I’m saying? And her husband is [a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs]. He might go down as the greatest tight end of all time. So, he knows a lot of people.”
Celebrities from all walks of life attended Swift’s wedding, including actor Tom Cruise, gymnast Simone Biles, and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Tim McGraw Shuts Down A Rumor About Taylor Swift’s Wedding
Tim McGraw also attended Swift’s wedding with his wife, Faith Hill. Many fans believed that the country singer had performed at the reception. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“I didn’t perform at her wedding. That was a rumor,” McGraw told Michael Sebastian, Esquire’s editor-in-chief, during an installment of Esquire’s “What I’ve Learned” interview series released on Wednesday, Oct. 28. “The internet’s not always correct.”
McGraw said Swift has a “close” relationship with his family and praised her as a “genius songwriter” who can “span generations with her music.” The pair quickly developed a fast friendship following the release of her debut single, “Tim McGraw,” in 2006.
“Taylor’s always been close to our family, our girls,” the country singer shared, referring to his three daughters. “She’s been to our house and hung out with our girls. And, I mean, she’s a special person, and one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of her,” he continued. “We just felt like she was just a special artist and a special person, and we still feel that way. And we couldn’t be happier for her to find Travis, who’s a cool guy as well.”
