Taylor Swift’s 1989 World Tour: Most Epic Celebrity Guests
Published on August 27, 2015. Updated October 2, 2019At 25 years old Taylor Swift is on top of the world as possibly the most dominant female star right now and in the midst of her success is enjoying an incredibly popular world tour for her massively successful first full pop album 1989. Her tour is so popular that the singing sensation had a record-breaking five sold-out shows at L.A.’s Staples Center and, on top of thousands of her regular fans packing stadiums to see Swift perform, she has gained the support of quite a few big name celebrities. Many have been posting pictures to their social media of taking in one of Swift’s concerts while she has also surprised fans by bringing some of them up on stage with her. In fact, she is so popular it isn’t just musical guests making appearances at her shows. So far, Swift has been joined on stage by actors, actresses, sports stars and, of course, fellow artists, creating one of the most buzzed about world tours ever. There have been a ton, but we rounded up Taylor Swift’s 13 most epic celebrity guests on her 1989 world tour. Check it out.
13. Calvin Harris
These days, there is no discussing Taylor Swift without bringing up her new hot boyfriend Calvin Harris. The hunky DJ has been seen taking in quite a few of Swift’s shows as the ever supportive boyfriend and, with a lot of interest always swirling around Swift’s love life, eyes have definitely been on the pair. That means fans couldn’t have been more thrilled than when Swift said “I love you” to Calvin while taking her bows at the end of one of her shows, which Harris was enjoying from the front row. He may not have been on stage with her at the time, but Harris is a star all on his own and having him there and watching Swift openly say she loves him was big for fans.
12. Russell Wilson and Ciara
Everybody it seems loves Swift, and that is not limited to her everyday fans or fellow artists. Even one of the most popular quarterbacks in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks’ QB Russell Wilson showed his support by joining Swift onstage with his own famous girlfriend, Ciara. Swift is appealing to more than just her average female teen audience, that much is clear by the apperance of Wilson and even more surprising — he got louder cheers than Ciara!
11. Natalie Maines – Dixie Chicks
It hasn’t been that long, but it seems many have already forgotten that Swift got her start as a country music starlet and, after dominating the airwaves with that genre, she moved on to take over the pop world. Her fans may not remember this but Swift has and has paid tribute to her country roots with a few guests including Natalie Maines of the country music group Dixie Chicks. Maines was one of Swift’s guests during one of her record-breaking nights at the Staples Center and did not disappoint. The two did an amazing rendition of the Dixie Chicks’ hit song from 2000, “Goodbye Earl.”
10. Little Big Town
Those who began as country fans of Swift and have stayed loyal were pleased when Swift brought out the country music group Little Big Town when she was performing in Pittsburgh near the beginning of her tour in June. Once again, Swift and her guests performed one of their hits, singing “Pontoon.”
Source: Billboard9. Sam Hunt
With country music making a recent transition into more pop and rock sounds, thanks largely to Swift, it wasn’t surprising she brought out one of country’s biggest male stars right now, Sam Hunt. Hunt’s country style incorporates a rap and hip-hop vibe that has catapulted his singles to the top of the charts, making him a perfect duet partner for Swift. The two made the amped up crowd go nuts, even though it is a slower romantic song.
8. Mary J. Blige
It wasn’t just pop stars, sports stars or country stars who have made surprise appearances on Swift’s tour either. Swift performed with nine time Grammy winner Mary J. Blige on August 22 at the Staples Center. The two powerhouse women performed “Doubt” off of Blige’s 13th studio album. Swift shared a picture of the two on stage via her Instagram, captioning it with a reference to another Blige hit album No More Drama, writing, “Cause we’re celebrating no more drama in our lives…”
7. “Bad Blood” Girls
Swift’s group of famous friends has been the envy of friends everywhere, but fans also love it because that means they get to see a bunch of stars, not just one when attending a Swift concert. Swift showcased just how many super famous singer, actress and model friends she has with the music video for her single “Bad Blood” and fans in East Rutherford, New Jersey, got to see Hailee Steinfeld, Lily Aldridge, Gigi Hadid and Lena Dunham when they joined Swift on stage in their “Bad Blood” costumes. Her friends also appear throughout her concerts in other ways as several of them, including Dunham, filmed pre-taped messages for the crowd on what it’s like to be friends with Taylor Swift. Swift has single handledly redefined the popularity of #SquadGoals.
Source: Harper’s Bazaar6. The Weeknd
As always, keeping the audience on their toes and never knowing just who is going to appear on stage with the singer, many were shocked when she took a turn into yet another genre by teaming up with rap star The Weeknd. Not only did fans who attended the East Rutherford show get to see a slew of Swift’s famous friends, they also were treated to a duo performance of Swift and The Weeknd of his huge hit “I Can’t Feel My Face.” The woman is a Hollywood chameleon, loved by everyone of every facet of the industry and able to perform any genre flawlessly.
5. Joan Baez and Julia Roberts
It definitely didn’t take long for Hollywood’s elite actors and actresses to want to join in on the fun, but no one was expecting the likes of folk singer Joan Baez and Hollywood royalty Julia Roberts to show up. The two women made their guest appearances during the second sold-out night at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Baez and Roberts were Swift’s ultimate fans both donning 1989 tour shirts and dancing it out to “Style,” absolutely having a blast in front of a completely stunned and star-stuck crowd.
4. Justin Timberlake
The Staples Center’s location in L.A. meant that some of Swift’s biggest celebrity guests appeared over those five record breaking nights, but you know that you are something big when international superstar Justin Timberlake is your guest. Timberlake was her final guest of all of her guests from her Staples Center performances and the surprise nearly brought down the house. Attendees said his arrival “literally made the ground shake,” as the fans lost their minds over him and Swift on the same stage. The pair sang Timberlake’s “Mirrors,” while his famous wife Jessica Biel watched from the stands.
3. Ellen DeGeneres
Always a crowd pleaser on her own, Ellen DeGeneres made one of the best appearances of all so far on the 1989 World Tour, joining Swift on August 24 at the Staples Center. Donning a sequined body suit and frilly tutu-skirt Ellen stole the show and strutted her stuff down the catwalk to Swift to an ecstatic crowd. Swift really is going all out for her fans on this one, which is evident because of the sheer number of celebrities and by the inclusion of all kinds of stars. The comedy, visuals, guests and, of course, music is redefining the definition of huge world tour.
2. John Legend
John Legend is a busy and very famous man who can sell out crowds all on his own, but he wasn’t too busy to send fans into a frenzy as one of the guest stars on Swift’s tour. The Grammy winning superstar joined Swift on stage at the Staples Center, piano and all for a rendition of his hit “All of Me.” Even though he was a guest at her concert, packed with her fans, it was Swift who had the fangirl moment posting a photo from the night on Instagram with the caption, “ALL OF ME. JOHN LEGEND. ALL OF THE FEELS.” Tickets to a Swift show can’t be cheap, but fans are definitely getting their money’s worth when they also get to hear the likes of John Legend displaying his talents.
1. Lisa Kudrow/Phoebe Buffay
Last but certainly not least is perhaps Swift’s best performance. Actress Lisa Kudrow was also one of the last celebrity guests from Swift’s Staples Center stint and, while Kudrow just joining Swift onstage would have been enough to please fans, things got even better. Kudrow became her iconic character Phoebe Buffay yet again and the two peformed a rendition of perhaps the most popular not real song ever, “Smelly Cat,” made famous of course on Friends. She may have performed No. 1 hits with the likes of Justin Timberlake and John Legend, but nothing compares to Swift and Kudrow’s performance. Kudrow embraced her character through and through, telling Swift she wasn’t singing right and “needed to feel the lyrics.” Fans couldn’t believe it and rightly so — it is incredible.