NBC News' Steve Kornacki Confesses He Didn't Know Who Taylor Swift Was

Taylor Swift is one of the world's most popular celebrities, with a fervent fanbase that continues to grow day by day. But surprisingly, one TV personality didn't know who the pop star was until just recently.

NBC sports analyst and politics reporter Steve Kornacki appeared on Today on Friday, Sept. 29, where it was revealed that he'd never heard of the superstar. While speaking about Swift's romance with NFL player Travis Kelce, Jacob Soboroff (who was filling in for Carson Daly) put Kornacki on the spot, announcing, "Steve just said he didn't know before this week who Taylor Swift was."

He added that his NBC News colleague had asked if Swift was an actress or musician. To be fair to Kornacki, Swift is both.

Soboroff pointed out to Sheinelle Jones that they should've known that the sports journalist wouldn't know much about pop culture outside of his beat, given his interests. "I said to Sheinelle, 'Have you ever looked at Steve Kornacki's Instagram? It's pictures of trees, lakes, mountains," said Soboroff.

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Kornacki clarified that he'd seen Swift before, but didn't know anything about her. "I knew she was prominent, I'll put it that way," he said. "I just didn't know her name before."

He also shared what he's been taught about Swift since his discovery: "[She's a] music star, Taylor Swift! And the fans are called the Swifties! She has a song or an album called 1989." He impressed Jones, who didn't know the fans' name.

Kornacki then pointed at a chart with Swift stats presented on a screen, reading the information out loud. "She's got a 16-year career, 12 Grammy wins—I'm giving the positive things here!" he said.

Turns out, not knowing celebrities' names is a recurring theme for Kornacki. His partner and former BuzzFeed News staffer David Mack poked fun at this in a Twitter thread, sharing the hilariously wrong name guesses Kornacki gave about some of the biggest stars.

Sports fans like Kornacki who were somehow unaware of who Swift is will soon learn, as her relationship with Kelce is currently the hot topic in the sports world. The NFL is embracing the buzz over the romance, teasing Swift's expected appearance at the upcoming Kansas City Chiefs vs. New York Jets game by using her song "Welcome to New York" in an ad.

Next: Travis Kelce Reacts to Mark Cuban Begging Taylor Swift to Date Dallas Mavericks Player