Expert Reveals How to Tell if Taylor Swift’s ‘Generous’ Tipping at Grammys Was All for Show
Taylor Swift has gone viral recently for a couple of reasons. One was for her reaction after hearing boos when she was shown on the Jumbotron at Super Bowl LIX. And the other was one week prior to the NFL game when she was seen on video handing out money as she left the Grammys.
The latter video has people talking about whether she was being nice or just playing things up for the camera. Well now, a body language expert is weighing in and laying out how to tell if Swift is being genuine or not.
Viral video shows Swift handing out money at the Grammys
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 02, 2025, and now a clip from that evening showing Swift leaving the venue is making the rounds online.
The video shows the “Fortnight” artist briefly stopping as she’s headed out with her entourage to thank some arena staffers for their work that evening. Swift is then seen handing each of them money as a tip.
The billionaire pop star is known for her generosity but some people still thought she was being fake and took to social media with their opinions.
One person wrote: “She’s always looking for that pat on the back.”
A second commented: “Her PR team works a lot.”
Another person on Reddit posted: “I know people might think this is performative but good for her. Too many wealthy celebrities are known for not tipping or barely tipping at all (I understand they’re for the event, and it’s not obligatory, but still).”
But how do we know if she’s being performative or not? Well, a body language expert can answer that.
Expert shares whether Swift’s act of generosity was genuine or staged
Inbaal Honigman is a body language expert and celebrity psychic who has been reading Tarot since the ’90s. She has appeared in media for more than 20 years giving her predictions for Big Brother’s Little Brother, Elle Magazine, and talkSPORT radio to name a few. She recently analyzed the video of Swift tipping and says she can that the “Shake It Off” artist was being genuine.
Speaking on behalf of Fruity Slots Honigman explained: “Taylor’s tipping is 100% genuine and not for show. She turns her head to thank the staff as she leaves, which isn’t too controversial, and then she moves her hands very quickly and spontaneously stops, she’s had an idea. This shows us that the tipping wasn’t a pre-planned photo op. Taylor asks the workers quietly if they’re allowed to receive gratuities, so her primary concern is that she doesn’t get anyone in trouble, her gesture is selfless, not selfish.”
The expert continued: “At the moment of tipping, we can see that Taylor does her best to keep it secret. First of all, she turns her back to the camera. If she knows that there’s a camera there at all, turning her back will not get her the press attention, therefore she’s not trying to get attention.
“Secondly, her moves are speedy and exact, she doesn’t use excessively large gestures to create flair, and there’s no ‘look at me’ element to her moves. Thirdly, she hunches her shoulders, which is a subconscious way of trying to hide, keeping a low profile. She’s moving as if she doesn’t want to get caught. And finally, we can see that Swift makes eye contact with each staff member that she’s tipping, without breaking eye contact to check if anyone has noticed.”
Honigman concluded: “She walks away really happy. We can spot a little spring in her step, her ponytail is bouncing, and she’s delighted that she got to thank the hardworking staff. Taylor rejoins her group as if she never left. The fact that those actions are so smooth and quick suggests that she’s done this before. That we have no footage of previous times, is a testament to her discretion and selflessness. This is not performative.”
