Ina Garten Reveals Taylor Swift Invited Her to Play Beer Pong Backstage at Her Concert

Mar. 15, 2025

Ina Garten recalls playing beer pong backstage at Taylor Swift’s concert.Photo:Taylor Swift/Instagram

Taylor Swift/Instagram

Ina Gartenlived out a true Swiftie fantasy: partying backstage withTaylor Swift.

TheBarefoot Contessastar detailed the special concert moment during an interview withWall Street Journalas the October issue cover star.

“I’m crazy about Taylor Swift,” said Ina while promoting her new memoir,Be Ready When the Luck Happens. “After the show, she invited us to go to a party that she gave for all of the crew. And my friend Kate said, ‘Let’s go play beer pong!'"

Thevideo interview, part of WSJ’s “The One” series, doesn’t specify which tour this was during, but Garten does give some clues.

Wambach and the U.S. women’s national soccer team won the World Cup in 2015 — the same year Swift was on the road for her 1989 World Tour. Thewinning team joined Swift in New Jersey on stagefor “Style” to celebrate their victory.

Ina Garten talks about the silly Taylor Swift memory in her ‘WSJ Magazine’ interview.Dan Martensen for WSJ

Dan Martensen for WSJ

Garten says Wambach gave her some wise words that night. “She said, ‘Get the f—ing ball in the f—ing cup!’" laughed Garten, “and I was like, ‘That’s your advice?’”

When asked if she had played beer pong before or since and if she played well, Garten gave the same answer to all three questions: “No!”

In April, Garten told PEOPLE that she, just like other Swifties, had to go great lengths to get tickets to the pop star’s Eras Tour.

“I’m going to be in Paris in May, and I thought, ‘Wait a minute, isn’t she going to be in Paris in May?'” Garten said. “At 3:00 in the morning, I was online, seeing if I could get two good tickets, and I did.”

Garten didn’t end up getting to wearher sparkly outfit as planned, as she got sick right before the concert, she later told PEOPLE.

Ina Garten is ‘WSJ. Magazine'’s October issue cover star.Dan Martensen for WSJ

Garten and Swift first met over a decade ago.

“I met Taylor actually whenFood Network Magazineasked rock stars 10 years ago who their favorite Food Network people were, and Taylor chose me,” Garten recalled. “So she came for a photo shoot for the day, and then we saw each other for a while afterwards. She invited me to lunch and she came back for lunch one day in East Hampton. I just so admire her.”

The admiration goes both ways as Swift has detailed her love for Garten over the years.

The “All Too Well” singer went on to say that “watching Ina prepare a meal changed my perspective on cooking and reframed it as something relaxing.”

“She made cooking feel like self-care,” Swift added. “Ever since, cooking has been my escape from stress and one of the only ways I can truly calm myself on a rough day. I’ll always be grateful to her for giving me that.”

The October issue of theWall Street Journal Magazineis available now.

source: people.com