Taylor Swift security guard claims he was fired after asking fans to take photos of him
Taylor Swift security guard claims he was fired after asking fans to take pictures of him
A Minneapolis security guard who went viral for singing at a Taylor Swift concert claims he was fired for asking fans to take pictures of him, even though he says he was “doing my job.”
Calvin Denker was spotted singing Cruel Summer while working for security company BEST in June by a fan close to the stage, who posted the clip to TikTok – to which he responded.
In his response, he revealed that he passed notes to those before him asking to receive photos where he “came to,” which turned out to be the deciding factor for his employers.
In his latest update, he revealed, “Long story short, I got fired for it. My former security company said they had a rule against taking pictures with performers.
“The main issue they had was with my follow up video where I said I was handing out pieces of paper asking for photos I came across.”
You’re fired: Calvin Denker has revealed he lost his job for asking Taylor Swift fans to take pictures of him and the singer working as a security guard – he had previously gone viral when he was filmed singing along to the 2019 hit Cruel Summer (above)
Eras: The superstar singer played June 23-24 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis – where Denker worked
In its original TikTokDenker also admitted that seeing Taylor Swift for free was always “the goal” once he got his security job, which he applied for after speaking to security during the artist’s 2018 Reputation tour.
He fulfilled that by working at U.S. Bank Stadium on June 23 and 24, saying, “after the first night I realized how close Taylor was getting to me, so I really wanted to take a picture to document it.
“So I handed out these little slips of paper that said not to bring my phone, but if Taylor Swift comes right behind me, please take a picture of me and text it to my number.”
Some of those in the front row were willing to do so, though Denker made it clear that the person posting the viral snippet of him singing wasn’t one of them.
However, in the follow-up message posted on Aug. 17, Denker confirmed that “above all, I made sure Taylor Swift was safe and that all fans were having a good time.”
He insisted, “I was doing my job.”
But the former security guard revealed he got the fateful call from HR “a few days” after admitting to handing out his contact details asking for photos of him and his idol.
Denker said, “Besides, the HR woman who called me couldn’t articulate exactly what I was doing wrong.”
Oddly enough, he also revealed that after communicating unclearly about when his stint with BEST would end, he was given shifts for and able to work on Ed Sheeran’s concert at the same venue on August 12.
Denker claimed that he was finally officially fired after the seven-hour shift.
BEST crowd management and event security services have been approached for comment.
Close: Denker realized how close he was getting to the singer after the first night, which inspired him to request photos from those in attendance