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He's done.
By Amanda Hartmann — Written on Nov 15, 2021
Screenshots were posted across social media of an alleged exchange between John Mayer and one of Taylor Swift’s young fans, who are often referred to as “Swifties”.
The teenage Swiftie DMed Mayer on Instagram, and much to her surprise, he responded, according to the screenshots.
But instead of getting upset over the harsh comment, Mayer appeared surprisingly calm and forgiving.
John Mayer had the perfect response to hate from Taylor Swift's fan.
The exchange didn’t start off very civil. The Swift fan, later saying that she had been dared by a friend, apparently sent John Mayer a death threat, hoping that he would “choke on something.”
Mayer supposedly took this as a chance to discuss someone’s hateful comments, lately he's been receiving many threats and malevolent comments, according to his statement in the screenshots.
"I'm not upset. I just tend to have a curious mind and I feel compelled to ask. Do you actually hope that I die?" Mayer appears to respond.
After his response, the fan grew considerably less confrontational, saying that she didn’t want him to die and reportedly saying (in the voice memo) that a friend had dared her to leave the comments.
The two then shared some apologies and much kinder words, a dramatic shift from when the teenage fan reportedly believed that Mayer would not see the message.
"So it's a fun thing people are doing without taking into account that I might see it and by affected by it?" Mayer asks.
According to the screenshots, Mayer was considerate in his confrontation with the fan, and after the initial comments the two appeared to share no ill will.
Mayer might have more hate coming his way.
Despite the shift in conversation, the fan maintained in the screenshots that Mayer could expect even more hate to come with the rerelease of Taylor Swift’s "Speak Now" album — which has been long understood to be partially inspired by her past relationship with Mayer, especially the song “Dear John.”
So, why are fans hung up on Mayer now? Well, with the recent rerelease of "Red," many Swift fans speculate that "Speak Now" is going to be the next one up for rerelease.
Many fans are joking and speculating in anticipation for the album, wondering what Taylor Swift has in store for John Mayer after Jake Gyllenhaal was treated to Swift’s new 10-minute short film for “All to Well,” which is speculated to be about their own brief relationship.
Why are Swifties angry with Mayer in particular?
Alongside this interest, fans have become increasingly suspicious about his past relationship with Swift, especially their age gap.
And with Swift back in the spotlight with "Red (Taylor’s Version)" and the speculations of "Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)" on the horizon, the discussion of the age gap has been revived as well, many fans deeming it inappropriate.
When Swift and Mayer allegedly began dating in 2009, Mayer had been 32 at the time, while Swift was only 19.
Many people have questioned their large age gap of over 12 years, especially when Taylor was still such a new adult.
The two broke up in the next year. With their alleged relationship noticed by the public, it was easy to identify “Dear John” as having been inspired by Mayer.
Swift’s song “Dear John” alludes to several issues in their relationship, including the age gap, rather directly in certain lines. Swift wrote, “Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone. Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?”
It seems that after the relationship ended, Swift agreed with many of her fans, seeing that the age gap was too wide, and that Mayer had not been responsible enough with how he handled it, at the very least.
Meanwhile, after the release of "Speak Now" in 2010, Mayer responded to the song he inspired in an interview with RollingStone, stating, ““ never got an e-mail. I never got a phone call,” he says.
“I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I’d already been dressed down” also saying, “It was a really lousy thing for her to do.”
Many Swift fans have and continue to take issue with Mayer’s response and his part in their relationship in general, especially when he declined to comment on the significant age gap between the two.
Amanda Hartmann is a writer and editorial intern with YourTango, writing for topics such as entertainment and news.