Josh Hutcherson Responds To Backlash From Taylor Swift Fans

Josh Hutcherson is opening up about the big reputation he’s gained among Taylor Swift’s fandom in recent months. At the end of 2025, the I Love LA star caused a stir by adamantly saying he is “definitely not” a fan of Swift’s music. Now, Hutcherson is revealing the intense response he’s gotten from Swifties, which has bolstered his decision to remain as offline as possible.

Back in December 2025, Hutcherson threw “a little bit of shade” at Swift’s music during an i-D video with his co-star Jordan Firstman. While scrolling through photos on his camera roll, Hutcherson pulled up a photo of himself with his mom at a Taylor Swift concert. “My mom made me,” Hutcherson said of attending the event. “I'm not a Swiftie. Very much not. No shade, all respect, but definitely not,” the actor added. When Firstman chimed in saying that the pop megastar “can handle a little bit of shade,” Hutcherson agreed that his statement did come with “a little bit of shade.”

About four months after the comment, Hutcherson revealed the he “got some heat” from Swifties online, which he felt was disproportionate to what he had said. “All of a sudden it garnered this, ‘F*ck him! He’s a monster! Destroy him! He’s short! He hates her because he’s short!’” Hutcherson said in an April 20 GQ profile. “It’s just like, whoa! I think she’s great. Her music is not my kind of music.”

He points to this surprising backlash as one of the reasons he tries to stay off social media as much as he can. “That is why I don’t want to be online,” Hutcherson said. “I don’t need that energy.” He added that becoming too much of an online persona negatively affect his profession. “It’s counterintuitive to my job, because if people know you more, you can’t disappear into characters,” he said. “They see you as, ‘Oh, that’s Josh.’ You know what I mean? So, if you’re a f*cking meme, people know you for the meme.”