Pro wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett says Taylor Swift extended an impactful gesture to his family during the early stages of her career.
“It was Christmas of 2006 and my first wife was really ill with breast cancer,” Jarrett, 58, said in an interview with TMZ Sports on Saturday, August 30.
At the time, Jarrett lived in the same “small community” in Hendersonsville, Tennessee as Swift, 35, and her family.
After Swift was told about Jarrett’s wife Jill Gregory’s health struggles, the singer paid a visit to their household to see Jarrett, Gregory and the couple’s three daughters: Joslyn, Jaclyn and Jerlyn.
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“She came over and didn’t bring her guitar in,” Jarrett said. “She actually ran back home because the girls wanted her to sing and play.”
The visit came just two months after the release of Swift’s self-titled debut album in October 2006.
“It was around Christmas time and it was on a weekend,” Jarrett continued. “One thing led to another. Taylor went and got her guitar. Some more people dropped by and by the end of the afternoon, Taylor played about three hours in our great room. It’s a pretty big space. There was probably 35, 45 people at the end of it.”
Jarrett’s wife died just five months later in May 2007. After Jill’s death, Swift was still a presence in the family’s lives.
“What a very cool relationship that developed,” Jarrett said. “When my wife passed away, Taylor hung around and was really good to the girls.”
Swift even cast Jarrett’s daughter Jaclyn as a younger version of the singer in the music video for her song “Mine” in 2010.
Jarrett credited Swift’s parents, Scott and Andrea, for keeping their daughter humble and true to her roots.
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“A lot of folks don’t realize what a good, cool story it is and how Scott and Andrea have really committed to her and [Swift’s younger brother] Austin and their happiness,” Jarrett gushed. “They come from the financial world and they’re very successful, but they’re really committed to their kids.”
Jarrett also confirmed that Swift’s notorious baking skills — which have been put to good use in baking homemade Pop-Tarts for fiancé Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs — are the real deal.
“Knowing her as a girl who would take care of my girls on occasion, that’s what they did,” Jarrett explained. “She came over and would say, ‘Hey, I’m going to take the girls back to my house,’ and they would bake cookies. I can assure you, a Taylor Swift cookie, I wouldn’t be surprised if ol’ Travis put on a few [pounds] post-football because she can cook and can bake a mean chocolate chip cookie.”
