Fact Check

Taylor Swift Performing 'Tortured Poets Department' Songs for 1st Time at Disney World?

The pop star's 11th album was released on April 19, 2024.

Published April 23, 2024

 (TikTok account @mousetrapnews)
Image courtesy of TikTok account @mousetrapnews
Claim:
Taylor Swift will perform songs from her 2024 album, "The Tortured Poets Department," live for the very first time at Walt Disney World.

On April 22, 2024, the TikTok account Mouse Trap News published a video claiming Taylor Swift would perform the songs from her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," live for the very first time at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Concert tickets would be free, the video said, but theme park admission and an online reservation would be needed to secure a place at the gig. Mouse Trap News also told its followers that Disney World ticket sales increased by 17,000% despite a date not yet being announced.

The video's narrator added:

Disney has additional ways to make money, including exclusive Taylor Swift Disney World concert shirts, which will start at $89.99 and go up from there. On top of that, they're limiting carry-ins to just water and money. That's right, phones will not be allowed in the park. This is so no one can record the concert except Disney, who already has plans to put it on Disney+ following the show.

However, none of the claims made in the video were true. The footage originated from a TikTok account that describes its output as being satirical in nature, as follows: "Real Disney News That is 100% FAKE."

Mouse Trap News also published an article about the satirical news on its website, where it similarly describes its content as "satire and parody… about Disney Parks stuff":

You can be assured that anything you read here is not true, real, or accurate, but it is fun… we write 100% made-up parody and satire stories for your enjoyment.

For background, here is why we sometimes write about satire/humor.

 

Sources

About. 22 Dec. 2022, https://mousetrapnews.com/about/.

First-Ever Tortured Poets Department Concert at Disney. 21 Apr. 2024, https://mousetrapnews.com/first-ever-tortured-poets-department-concert-at-disney/.

https://www.tiktok.com/@mousetrapnews. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

Nick Hardinges is a London-based reporter who previously worked as a fact-checker at Reuters.