Women's Lifestyle November 2, 2026 0 Comments

Taylor Swift’s Surprising Cult Film Obsession with Bestie Abigail That Will Change How You See Her Forever

Isn’t it fascinating how pop culture seeps into every corner of our lives—sometimes in the quirkiest ways? Take Taylor Swift, for instance. Here’s a woman who named her cats after characters from Grey’s Anatomy and Law & Order: SVU, weaves tales from Peter Pan to Romeo and Juliet in her songs, and once shared a laugh-worthy moment belting out “Smelly Cat” with Lisa Kudrow from Friends. But what really tickles me is Swift’s lesser-known obsession: the cult classic comedy Napoleon Dynamite. Imagine bonding over quirky movie voices as a way to cement a friendship from teenage awkwardness to lifelong companionship. It’s a beautiful reminder of how those odd little references and shared weirdnesses aren’t just pop culture trivia—they shape relationships and reflections on our truest selves. Ready to delve into how this ties into her latest musings on friendship and identity? Dive in and enjoy the ride. LEARN MORE

2 min read

Taylor Swift loves her pop culture references. After all, she named two of her cats after Grey’s Anatomy and Law & Order: SVU characters, her songs feature allusions to everything from Peter Pan to Romeo and Juliet, and she once even brought Lisa Kudrow on stage to do a rendition of “Smelly Cat” from Friends.

So, it comes as no surprise to learn that Swift is a secret fan of one of the biggest cult classic comedies of the early 2000s: Napoleon Dynamite. As it turns out, the movie was one of the first things that she and her longtime friend, Abigail Anderson, bonded over when they were teenagers.

This tidbit was revealed when Swift sat down for a rare Q&A with Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton yesterday afternoon, following a screening of the film in New York City. During their conversation, Swift noted how the relationship between the characters Bonnie and Blaze (voiced by Scarlett Spears and Mykal-Michelle Harris, respectively) mirrors that of her and Anderson’s friendship.

The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Red Carpet

Lester Cohen//Getty Images

Taylor Swift and Abigail Anderson pose together on the red carpet at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

“I’d love to pile on to what Andrew was saying about finding someone who’s the same genre [of] weird and silly as you are and just why Bonnie and Blaze’s story resonated with me so much,” Swift shared.

“When I moved to Nashville when I was 14… you know, you’re the new kid in school and you’re like, ‘Who should I be friends with? These girls are cool, these girls are cool, these are nice girls,’” Swift recalled. “But there was one girl named Abigail—and she even has curly hair, too, like Blaze—and the two of us, all we wanted to do was talk in Napoleon Dynamite voices.”

Swift went on to reveal that this playful bonding exercise has continued long past their high school years. “And we still do this,” she said with a laugh. “And it’s something our husbands have to put up with.” (Swift is married to NFL tight end Travis Kelce, while Anderson is wed to a chief technology officer named Charles Berard.)

The two have been friends ever since they met in English class at Hendersonville High School in Tennessee, and Swift has referenced her BFF in songs like “Fifteen” and “Ruin the Friendship.” Anderson has even appeared in a number of Swift’s music videos, for tracks like “Picture to Burn” and “I’m Only Me When I’m With You.”

After sharing her special anecdote, Swift went on to do an impression of the titular Napoleon Dynamite character. Then, she tied it all back to Toy Story 5 by saying: “When you find that person who just completely sees you for the strange, little genre that is you at your purest, that hit me so hard watching the film.”