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Jeff Jarrett says Taylor Swift looked after his daughters while his late wife had cancer

Jeff Jarrett says Taylor Swift looked after his daughters while his late wife had cancer

Wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett described the close bond he and his family have with Taylor Swift in a new interview on Friday, July 5.

The 56-year-old WWE Hall of Fame member told WREG that the 34-year-old Grammy winner helped his family through a difficult time by taking care of his daughters Joslyn, Jaclyn and Jerlyn while his late wife Jill Gregory battled breast cancer.

Swift was a “friend of the family,” Jarrett said, noting that Swift was “very good to our family during a very, very dark time” before his wife’s death in May 2007. Swift would have been about 17 years old at the time of Jill’s death.

Jeff Jarrett.

Jeff Jarrett/ Instagram


“Taylor was like a big sister,” Jarrett explained. “She would come over, take the girls out to bake cookies and just hang out at our house. I can’t say enough good things about Taylor.” He then joked that the 14-time Grammy winner “handled it pretty well.”

“She’s just a sweetheart. I still call her ‘our girl’ and now she’s at the top of the NFL circles,” he said, referring to Swift’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

The professional wrestler clarified that Swift enjoyed spending time with his daughters and was “never on Jeff Jarrett’s payroll,” adding, “So technically not a babysitter.”

Taylor Swift on July 4, 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Carlos Alvarez/Getty


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Swift’s bond with Jarrett’s daughters stretched back to the early days of Swift’s career. Jarrett’s daughter Jaclyn appeared in the music video for Swift’s 2010 song “Mine,” which is featured on Swift’s third studio album. Speak Now.

In 2021, Jarrett spoke about the experience with Instinct Culture. “The ‘Mine’ video is so creative, and my daughter Jaclyn looked like a little Taylor,” he said, adding that the singer asked the wrestler to include his daughter in her music video.

“Taylor, as brave as ever, simply said, ‘I want Jaclyn in the video,'” he recalled.

Jaclyn Jarrett in Taylor Swift’s music video “Mine”.

Taylor Swift/YouTube


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The family traveled to Maine for the production, Jarrett said. “You had to hand over your cell phone on set and stuff. It was a great experience for the kids.”

Jarrett also praised Swift’s business acumen. “Not only is she extremely creative as an artist, but she also thinks like a businesswoman,” he said. “It’s rare to see those two skills combined. She deserves all the success she’s having.”

During the conversation with Instinct Culture, he also revealed that Swift brought her then-boyfriend Joe Jonas to the Jarretts’ house once or twice.