February 27, 2024
Sam Greene/The Enquirer via USA TODAY NETWORK
A photographer in Australia claims Taylor Swift's father, Scott Swift, punched him as he was among a crowd waiting for the singer to exit a yacht in Sydney. Police are investigating the incident.
Things went awry during the Australian leg of Taylor Swift's "Eras Tour" after a photographer said he was punched by the singer's father.
Scott Swift allegedly assaulted photographer Ben McDonald who had been waiting for the singer and her entourage to exit a luxury yacht in Neutral Bay Wharf in the Sydney Harbor. McDonald said he was punched in the jaw, but he said it did not result in a bruise and he didn't need medical attention.
McDonald, 51, told the Daily Mail that Taylor Swift had exited the yacht and walked toward a security team who shielded her with umbrellas. That's when he claims Scott Swift, 71, hit him.
A spokesperson for the singer told Rolling Stone that two people pushed their way through the crowd of photographers toward Taylor Swift, grabbed at security personnel and threatened to throw a female staffer into the water.
McDonald called the statement from Swift's team "utter rubbish."
The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday in Australia – that's 10:30 a.m. Monday on the East Coast – during what appeared to be a celebration following Swift's final show in the country. The Berks County native performed for four nights in Sydney and three in Melbourne.
New South Wales Police confirmed to the Associated Press that they were investigating an alleged assault of a 51-year-old man by a 71-year-old man, though they did not release the names of the people involved.
According to the Agence-France Press, Scott Swift has since left the country, but Australian police were continuing an inquiry into the incident.
