Almost 20 years into Taylor Swift’s iconic career, Swifties are just as acquainted with her parents as they are with her tracks from the vault. If you’ve been to a Taylor concert over the years, you may have met Scott and Andrea Swift, as they famously gift fans guitar picks and upgrade their seats—and you’ve definitely heard stories about them in songs like “The Best Day” and “Picture to Burn.”
After her parents recently faced a few health complications—including Scott’s recent quintuple bypass surgery—Taylor gave fans an update during her surprise appearance on the New Heights podcast with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce, on August 13.
“My dad had an interesting summer. He actually had a quintuple bypass surgery, and that’s a really intense surgery,” Taylor told Jason once he asked about her father’s recovery.
She revealed that her dad is doing “incredibly well” after the procedure, which she said happened “really fast” after he took a resting stress test during a check-up. At the time, doctors found five blockages in his heart and advised him to have the surgery ASAP.
“They’re like, ‘We gotta do this tomorrow. We don’t know how you walked in here, dude. This is crazy,’” she explained.
Once he underwent the procedure, Tay revealed that she, her mom, and her brother all moved in with him to help him recover.
Taylor and her parents in 2014.
“We moved in with him for the whole summer, pretty much. You know, ’cause you can’t really walk on your own. We had a harness for my dad, just walking dad on his harness,” she shaed. “He was like the loveliest patient ever. He kept saying thank you over and over again.”
As for her mom, Taylor said she’s doing well after getting knee surgery and seems to be in good spirits, with Tay joking, “This was the summer of my parental upgrades. We’re just upgrading the parents, making sure they live to be at least 186 years old, because they are two of my best friends.”
Her updates come after years of health complications for both of her parents, who are cancer survivors. In 2015, the Grammy winner penned an essay on Tumblr revealing Andrea’s initial diagnosis, per Billboard. While specifics were kept under wraps, she shared, “She wanted you to know. She wanted you to know why she may not be at as many shows this tour. She’s got an important battle to fight.”
A few years later, in 2019, Taylor wrote another essay for Elle, revealing that both her parents had cancer at different points. “I’ve had to learn how to handle serious illness in my family. Both of my parents have had cancer, and my mom is now fighting her battle with it again,” she wrote at the time.
That same year, Taylor released her emotional ballad, “Soon You’ll Get Better,” featuring one of her mom’s favorite artists, The Chicks, about her tumultuous health journey.
