Why Taylor Swift turned down her first ever Oscars invite

There were whispers that Taylor Swift could make a surprise Oscars red carpet appearance this year, and hopes that she would find herself rubbing shoulders with the likes of Emma Stone and Margot Robbie. The singer has just finished a string of gigs in Singapore and is now set to take some time off until the European leg of the Eras Tour starts in May, meaning that her fans were holding out for an appearance at the Dolby Theatre in LA on Sunday evening. 

Of course, it has been a busy year for the singer. As well as travelling around the world performing, picking up Grammys and releasing new music, Taylor is also in the throes of a new relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce and has been attending his football games in between her own shows and enjoying cute dates with him wherever her tour has taken her. 

But with rumours that Taylor was set to top off a huge career year with her first trip to the Oscars, many were watching out for her on the red carpet. Producer Katy Mullan, who was behind this year's show, had said to Indie Wire: "Listen, we all love Taylor. She’s the best cheerleader you could ever possibly have in any audience, whether it’s the NFL or an award show. So if she wants to get on a plane and come to the Oscars, then we’ll hold a seat for her, 100 percent."

However, it appears she turned down the invite this time. Taylor has not attended the ceremony before, although she has been a guest at the annual Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty with her last appearance on the famous entrance carpet taking place in 2016. Given that she had just finished her run of shows in Singapore on Saturday 9th and it's a 17 hour flight to LA, on top of the fact that videos of Taylor coughing through performances have been going viral, it's understandable if she decided against it and just wanted a well deserved break.

Her Eras Tour support act Sabrina Carpenter did make it there though, and even had a flirty moment with Barry Keoghan on their way into the bash.