Taylor Swift’s hefty bonuses to her “Eras Tour” employees have made plenty of headlines.
Now, fans can see for themselves how the singer’s backup dancers reacted when Swift personally presented them with bonus checks.
In an emotional scene from Episode 2 of the Disney+ docuseries, “The End of an Era,” Swift gathers with her dancers as they hold unopened handwritten thank you letters from her.
After telling the dancers how much she appreciates their “hard work,” Swift asks one of the them, Kameron Saunders, to read his letter aloud.
“Dearest Kam, we’ve traveled the world like we set out to do. We dazzled the crowds but we’ve missed family, too,” Saunders reads.
“My full gratitude doesn’t come from a bank, but here’s — ” Saunders adds before pausing to catch his breath after seeing the dollar amount of his bonus.
Saunders then finishes reading Swift’s message aloud, but the docuseries censors the exact figure with a bleep.
Saunders’ fellow dancers hold their hands over their eyes and mouths in shock. Some visibly cry.
Later, Swift is seen embracing the tearful dancers. “We love you so much. This is crazy,” one of them tells her.
While the exact bonus amount each dancer and crew member received is unknown, it’s safe to say it was a hefty amount. As some viewers online have noticed, the censored number took several seconds to say aloud. And a few have tried reading Saunders’ lips to determine what the shocking figure might have been.
Overall, Swift handed out $197 million in bonuses over the course of the tour to her “Eras Tour” employees, including dancers, band members, instrument techs, hair and makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, choreographers, security personnel, truck drivers, merchandise team members, caterers, videographers, pyrotechnics techs and riggers, lighting and sound techs, production staff and assistants, carpenters and physical therapists, People reported.
After completing the American leg of her tour in August 2023, the “Lover” singer surprised her truck drivers with $100,000 bonuses.
“Her father was the one that actually presented the checks to our drivers,” Shomotion trucking company CEO Mike Scherkenbach told TODAY at the time. “And he presented handwritten letters from Taylor. It’s incredible that they would take that time, and what it means to our staff to be recognized.”
The record-breaking tour spanned the globe from March 2023 until its final concert in Vancouver, Canada, on Dec. 8, 2024.
The tour grossed more than $2 billion in tickets, which is double the gross sales of any other concert tour in history, Swift’s production company confirmed to The New York Times.
The $2 billion figure does not include the tour’s merchandise sales, the Times reported.
In the documentary, Swift explained: “If the tour grosses more, the bonuses are more.”