Taylor Swift foot US$160,000 police bill for her wedding, New York mayor says
Critics of the billionaire pop star had questioned if taxpayers were on the hook for security costs at her weekend extravaganza
Taylor Swift shelled out six figures to cover the cost of NYPD officers and other city resources required to protect her massive Madison Square Garden wedding to Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce earlier this month, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed.
The Grammy winner “has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over US$160,000 for that event and for the response to that event”, Mamdani said during a Friday press conference, after a reporter asked him whether Swift would compensate New York for the police overtime.
“That was a permit that was finalised, I think, in just the days before the event itself,” he added.
Mamdani’s comments came one week after the singer’s wedding day on July 3, which required an increased police presence and the closure of several streets in the Midtown area while the couple exchanged vows inside the Garden.
Their rehearsal dinner, which seemingly occurred the night prior, saw a similar law enforcement presence as well as roadblocks, meant to protect the privacy of Swift, Kelce and their around 1,000 guests.
It all unfolded amid a very busy summer for the city, which recently celebrated the Knicks’ first championship in 53 years, the nation’s 250th birthday and is still enjoying the Fifa World Cup.