Taylor Swift named Time’s 2023 Person of the Year
>>> WE ARE BACK AT 7:38 WITH AN >>> WE ARE BACK AT 7:38 WITH AN EXCLUSIVE REVEAL. THE 2023 “TIME” PERSON OF THE YEAR. >> DATING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 1927, “TIME” HAS SELECTED THE MAN, WOMAN, GROUP OR CONCEPT WITH THE MOST INFLUENCE ON THE WORLD FOR BETTER OR WORSE DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS. >> SAM JACOBS IS “TIME’S” EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. WELCOME TO “TODAY.” YOU GET A DRUMROLL, OKAY? YOU CAN REVEAL RIGHT NOW WHO IT IS. >> ARE YOU READY FOR IT? >> WE’RE READY F IT. >> OKAY. THE 2023 “TIME” PERSON OF THE YEAR
IS TAYLOR SWIFT. >> OKAY, TAYLOR SWIFT. AND I THINK YOU HAVE SEVERAL COVERS. YES, YOU DO. AND AN INTERVIEW WITH TAYLOR. LET ME JUST — LET’S JUST GET THIS OUT OF THE WAY, SAM, BECAUSE THE WORLD IS ON FIRE RIGHT NOW. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PERSON OF THE YEAR AND IT PURPORTS TO SAY THIS IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS IN THE WORLD THIS YEAR. YOU PICKED TAYLOR. WE KNOW ABOUT HER INFLUENCE. HOW DID YOU JUSTIFY THIS DECISION? >> EVERY YEAR, YOU KNOW, WE GET THE STAFF TOGETHER. WE DEBATE THIS THROUGHOUT
THE ENTIRE SUMMER AND FALL, PICKING ONE PERSON WHO REPRESENTS THE EIGHT BILLION PEOPLE ON THE PLANET IS NO EASY TASK. AND CERTAINLY IN A YEAR WHEN THE WORLD IS
SWIFT DID IN 2023. >> YOU ACTUALLY, YOUR MAGAZINE SAT DOWN AND SPOKE WITH HER. DID SHE REVEAL ANYTHING NEW? OR WHAT WAS IT LIKE FOR HER TO LEARN ABOUT THIS? >> THE AMAZING THING ABOUT TAYLOR SWIFT IS AT LEAST IN 2023 SHE WAS LIKE THE WEATHER. SHE WAS EVERYWHERE. YOU COULD HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ANYONE ABOUT HER. BUT WE HAVEN’T HEARD MUCH FROM HER. IT’S ACTUALLY BEEN NEARLY FOUR YEARS SINCE TAYLOR SWIFT HAS SAT DOWN AND HAD A CONVERSATION WITH A JOURNALIST. WE SAT DOWN AND TALKED WITH HER THIS FALL, AND SHE WAS VERY OPEN
ABOUT WHAT THIS EXPERIENCE IS LIKE. WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION FOR THE ENTIRE WORLD. OF COURSE, HER PERSONAL LIFE IS FASCINATEING TO PEOPLE. WE ALSO LEARNED HOW HARD IT WAS TO PULL OFF THIS TOUR. GATHERING 70,000 PEOPLE NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT REQUIRES A HUGE AMOUNT OF DEDICATION AND PREPARATION. >> SHE HAS NOT DONE AN INTERVIEW IN FOUR YEARS WITH ANY JOURNALIST. SHE DOESN’T NEED TO. IT IS INTERESTING THAT SHE DID SIT DOWN. IT SEEMS LIKE, FROM THE INTERVIEW, SHE WAS OPEN ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS, INCLUDING HER CAREER TRAJECTORY
AND TALKING ABOUT A TIME OF DARKNESS WHEN SHE FELT SHE WAS CANCELED AND HOW SHE CLAWED HER WAY BACK. >> WHAT’S AMAZING IS HOW SHE’S TAKEN THE LOW POINTS IN HER CAREER, THE ACQUISITION OF HER MUSIC WHO SHE NEVER WANTED TO BUY HER MUSIC AND SOME OF THE ATTENTION SHE RECEIVED IN THE PUBLIC SPOTLIGHT. SHE REACTED TO THAT IN THE AS AND IT WAS REALLY DIFFICULT. SHE TALKS ABOUT BEING SCARED TO GET ON THE PHONE, BEING SCARED TO LEAVE HER HOUSE. WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR IS SOMEONE THAT’S FINALLY COMFORTABLE IN HER SKIN. IT’S
AMAZING. THIS IS THE ONLY THE FOURTH SOLO PERSON OF THE YEAR BORN IN THE LAST 50 YEARS. JUST 33 YEARS OLD. YET, SHE’S A 17-YEAR VETERAN OF THIS INDUSTRY. WE’RE SEEING SOMEONE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH WHERE SHE IS IN HER LIFE. >> HER LAST RELATIONSHIP SHE NEVER SPOKE ABOUT. PEOPLE WERE ALWAYS QUESTIONING ABOUT, IS SHE IN ONE. THIS ONE IS SO OUT IN FRONT. AND SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT TRAVIS KELCE IN YOUR INTERVIEW AS WELL. >> SHE LAUGHED. SHE SAYS, WE ARE JUST TWO PEOPLE SUPPORTING EACH OTHER DOING WHAT WE LOVE. AND SHE FEELS LIKE THAT’S
THE RIGHT PLACE FOR HER TO BE AT THIS MOMENT. THE IDEA OF HIDING AWAY THAT RELATIONSHIP DOESN’T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH HER. >> SWIFTIES WILL EAT UP EVERY PART OF THIS. >> DID YOU WANT THE CAT OR DID SHE? >> KARMA IS A CAT. >> THIS IS BENJAMIN BUTTON, TAYLOR’S CAT THAT JOINED US FOR THIS PHOTO SHOOT AND I THINK MAKES FOR A REMARKABLE COVER. >> SHE TALKS ABOUT TRAVIS AND WHAT IT TAKES TO GET READY FOR THE ERAS TOUR, WHICH IS AMAZING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE SHOULD MENTION ALL THREE COVER EDITIONS ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT
NOW ON TIME.COM. AND IT WILL HIT NEWSSTANDS ON DECEMBER 15th.
