Steve Carell Says Taylor Swift Showed Him Kindness Early on in Career

Steve Carell can’t shake off his love for Taylor Swift.

The actor revealed his admiration for the 34-year-old singer during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.

“You know, I was doing some research about the things that people may not know about Steve Carell and I read somewhere that you were a Swiftie,” host Jimmy Fallon, 49, said. “A Taylor Swift fan.” This prompted cheers from the crowd, setting the stage for The Office star to share his story.

“Listen, I met — briefly — I met Taylor Swift,” the 61-year-old began. “Remember TRL, way, way back. So early on in my career and in hers too, I was obviously much older, but we were both on TRL at the same time. I met her sort of in passing and I thought, ‘Boy, is she, she seems special,’ like even back then. Very sweet, very nice. Just had a really nice first impression.”

Actor & comedian Steve Carell during an interview on Monday, June 10, 2024 – Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images
Carell continued to describe a touching video that further cemented his admiration for Swift.

“Some kid who was recovering from something,” Carell recounted. “There was no big crew. It was like a really low-keyed, handheld thing that she sort of just did on the sly.” He added, “That’s so cool and not publicized. Just leading with her heart. I thought, ‘OK, I’m a fan, I am going to root for that person.’”

Fallon praised Carell, calling him a “really nice human as well,” to which Carell humorously downplayed his own kindness.

Fallon retorted, “No, but you’re up there. I’ve seen, you’re so nice, you’re one of the nicest.”

Carell jokingly replied, “It’s an act, come on! Hollywood stuff. It’s what gets you ahead. Just wait until the cameras go off,” prompting laughter from the audience.

Carell isn’t alone in his admiration for Swift as his The Office co-star, John Krasinski, also has some Swifties in his house. Krasinski’s wife, Emily Blunt, shared her family’s fondness for the singer during a recent interview on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. Blunt, 41, described a heartwarming encounter between Swift and her daughters, Hazel, 9, and Violet, 7.