Vanessa Bryant Reacts to Taylor Swift’s Sweet Nod to Kobe Bryant

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Vanessa Bryant is enchanted by Taylor Swift’s show of support.

In a moment from her docuseries, the Grammy-winning artist wore a sweatshirt supporting the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. The foundation was renamed after the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, in a plane crash in January 2020. Kobe Bryant’s widow noticed and appreciated this quiet show of support.

Vanessa shared a screenshot from a clip of Taylor Swift playing guitar and wearing a blue sweatshirt on her Instagram Story on December 31st, writing, “What a gift! We love you @taylorswift!!!!!!”

She mentioned the foundation in a post, then shared another post with a picture of the docuseries title on her TV and a loving message for Taylor, whom she also tagged.

Vanessa, who also has three daughters – Natalia (22), Bianka (9), and Capri (6) – with her late husband Kobe, is close to Taylor Swift. In fact, Taylor gave Bianka a special “22” hat at one of her Eras Tour concerts in Los Angeles back in August 2023.

The Bryant family was honored at the show with a touching tribute to Kobe and Gigi. The performers wore denim jackets with a photo of Kobe and Taylor Swift together from the 2015 1989 World Tour. Vanessa Bryant also added a heart-shaped patch to her jacket featuring lyrics from Taylor’s song “Wildest Dreams,” which read “say you’ll remember me.”

Kobe loved listening to Taylor Swift’s music with his daughters, especially Gigi, and often talked about how much he enjoyed it.

He explained on The Jordan Harbinger Show in 2019 that he believes it’s valuable to learn from successful people, adding that Taylor Swift has been a leader in her field for a long time.

For more moments from The End of an Era docuseries, keep reading.

The first episode of The End of an Era featured Taylor Swift discussing the cancellation of her August 2024 concerts in Vienna, Austria, due to a terror threat. Two men were arrested for allegedly planning the attack.

Taylor explained that the tour has faced several frightening and intense incidents. She said they narrowly avoided a potentially disastrous situation, and it’s left her feeling shaken and overwhelmed.

It’s just…it’s devastating. I mean, only days after those sweet little kids – three of them! – tragically died while doing a dance class inspired by Taylor, this happened. It feels like the world is just… cruel. They were all such big Swifties, and to have something so awful happen so soon after… it’s just heartbreaking. I can’t stop thinking about it.

An emotional Taylor shared through tears, “I have a hard time explaining it.”

After the tragic event, Taylor met privately with those who survived the Southport attack and with their families, offering support backstage at her concerts in Wembley.

In the docuseries, Taylor and her mother, Andrea Swift, were both seen crying after a conversation. Andrea told Taylor, “I know you helped them. It might not feel like it, but I know you did.”

Taylor was very nervous before performing at Wembley Stadium, especially after the recent upsetting events.

“I just need to do this show,” she told pal Ed Sheeran backstage, “remember the joy of it.”

Taylor went on to explain that after she wraps up her Wembley concerts she’ll have two months off.

After Ed asked what she was up to, she said she needed to get away where no one could find her. She explained she simply didn’t want to feel like she was being followed or watched, as she’d been feeling increasingly anxious and targeted recently.

Recent reports, titled The End of an Era, have confirmed that Taylor Swift generously gave bonuses to all members of her tour crew – including dancers and musicians – after each leg of the tour was completed.

Taylor explained that having a bonus day is crucial, as she wants to establish a positive pattern for how The Eras Tour is run.

She explained that crew members receive larger bonuses when the tour is financially successful. She deeply appreciates their hard work and talent, so she personally wrote a handwritten note to every single person on the team. It took her a few weeks, but she enjoyed the process.

And Taylor was on hand to deliver those notes, which brought her team to tears.

Okay, so even when Travis wasn’t with Taylor at the Eras Tour – which, honestly, felt like a lifetime when they were apart! – he was totally glued to his phone just like the rest of us, obsessively checking for pictures and videos of the shows online. It was SO cute to find out he was basically a fanboy right along with me!

Travis told Taylor in a heartwarming phone call before her concerts in Wembley, “I really want to be there! I’ll be searching everywhere online to try and make it happen.”

While putting The Eras Tour together, Taylor turned to a longtime pal for guidance.

I needed a choreographer, so I asked my friend, Emma Stone—she’s done a lot of dancing in movies—for recommendations. Taylor said Emma immediately suggested Mandy Moore, saying she was the only person to consider.

Mandy Moore, a choreographer and distinct from the actress with the same name, collaborated with Emma on the 2016 film La La Land.

To prevent rehearsal surprises – like when Taylor Swift unexpectedly performed “Florida!!!” with Florence Welch – Taylor and her band would lower the volume during practice. This way, fans waiting outside the stadiums couldn’t overhear what they were working on.

Taylor explained in the second episode of the docuseries, “Magic of the Eras,” that keeping everything a secret was exhausting. “Honestly, just thinking about it makes me want to take a nap!” she said. “But seeing it all come together and successfully surprising everyone makes it completely worthwhile.”

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2026-01-01 00:17