Taylor Swift Tried to Block SNL’s Bad Blood Spoof; Lorne Michaels Hilariously Declined Her Request: 'We Don't Negotiate...'

Lorne Michaels had denied Taylor Swift's plea to axe Saturday Night Live's Bad Blood music video parody. Read on to know what happened.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Updated on Feb 15, 2025 | 01:12 PM IST | 18.3K

Taylor Swift via Getty Images

Lorne Michaels has recently disclosed that Taylor Swift had asked him to axe a Saturday Night Live sketch ridiculing her iconic girl squad. But he declined to oblige.

In a recent conversation with Vulture, the SNL creator remembered going to Swift's management in 2015 with an offer for a surprise guest appearance. The sketch they offered her was a spoof of her girl squad featured in the Bad Blood music video, staged as an apocalypse cult known as the 'Dope Squad.'

Swift then contacted him personally later to ask him to cancel the skit, refusing to go on with it as well. Though he heard her out, he still chose to proceed with the piece. He reportedly replied to her request by informing her that he "does not negotiate with terrorists."

The sketch, released in 2015, featured Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as they created their own "Dope Squad" with appearances by Amy Schumer, Gayle King, and more.

Michaels said to Swift, "Taylor, I do not negotiate with terrorists."

The spoof rode on the idea of Swift's music video, wherein her A-list squad—comprising Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Gigi Hadid, and Cara Delevingne—was depicted as an army of space-age warriors. Jessica Alba, Hailee Steinfeld, Hayley Williams, Lily Aldridge, Ellen Pompeo, Cindy Crawford, and more also appeared in Swift's iconic music video.

In spite of her initial protest, Swift eventually appeared to laugh about the joke. She sent Michaels a bouquet after the skit was broadcast with a note that said, "I hope there's no bad blood."

Though Swift initially fought the parody, the episode did not seem to impact her relationship with SNL as she decided to roll with the punches.

The seeming reconciliation was evident in her ongoing appearances on the live sketch-comedy show, including serving as the musical guest in 2017, 2019, and 2021. Taylor Swift even pulled a surprise cameo in 2023 to present Ice Spice's performance.