PHOTOSTaylor Swift Gives A Tearful Speech On The One-Year Anniversary Of Her Sexual Assault Trial
Aug. 15 2018, Updated 2:12 p.m. ET
Tuesday marked one year since Taylor Swift's verdict swayed in her favor in her lawsuit against former radio host David Mueller, who she alleged groped her at a meet-and-greet back in 2013. The "Style" singer fought back tears on the one-year anniversary of that trial in front of her sold out Reputation tour audience, where she spoke to them about what the moment has meant to her and what she hopes for other assault survivors.
“A year ago I was not playing in a stadium in Tampa. I was in a courtroom in Denver, Colorado,” Taylor began her stirring speech to the audience. “This is the day the jury sided in my favor and said that they believed me.”
She reflected on the significance of the verdict: “I just think about all the people that weren’t believed and the people who haven’t been believed, and the people who are afraid to speak up because they think they won’t be believed. I just wanted to say I’m sorry to anyone who ever wasn’t believed because I don’t know what turn my life would have taken if somebody didn’t believe me when I said something had happened to me.”
The 28-year-old then turned her attention to her devoted fans, reminding them that there is still room for progress. “I just wanted to say we have so much further to go, and I’m so grateful to you guys for being there for me for what was really a horrible part of my life,” she continued.
- Travis Kelce 'Effortlessly' Lifts Taylor Swift in the Air to Help Her See During Couple's Coachella Date-Night Outing: Watch
- Taylor Swift Fans Joke She 'Must Have Been Trapped' as She Poses With 'RHONJ' Star Teresa Giudice at Coachella: Photo
- Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Spotted at Coachella to Support Jack Antonoff Despite Skipping Out on Pal Lana Del Rey’s Headlining Set
The “Delicate” singer went on, “I know when I meet you guys at meet-and-greets and after the shows, you guys tell me about the hard times that you’ve gone through in your lives and I really appreciate you trusting me with that information. You know, you guys have seen me go through so many ups and downs in my life just due to the public nature of the way my life is, and I just wanted to say that I’m so happy to see you and to have you and know you through the ups and the downs in my life.”
That’s when she had to struggle to stop the tears from falling, “Sorry I just haven’t really talked about it, and so I’m just not composed at all,” she concluded before going back to her performance. To top off the powerful moment, the audience held up $1 bills in honor of her impactful verdict.
What do you think about Taylor’s passionate speech in commemoration of her sexual assault verdict? Sound off in the comment section!
