How a Teenage Taylor Swift Stepped Up for Wrestler Jeff Jarrett's Family After His Wife Died

Taylor Swift is the surrogate big sister you'd think she would be.

Wrestler Jeff Jarrett said the "Fortnight" singer, 34, really helped his family when they were going through a "very, very dark period." Jarrett, 56, explained that Swift was a big support to his young daughters while his wife, Jill Gregory, was sick with cancer. Speaking with WREG News Channel 3 on Friday, July 5, Jarrett was asked if it was true that Swift used to "babysit" his children.

"Y'know, that story has really extrapolated out, but she's a friend of the family," he said. "My wife got sick, and she passed away. But Taylor was like a big sister and came over and took the girls, baking cookies, and just kind of hung out at the house. I can't say enough good things about Taylor." Jarrett's wife tragically died from breast cancer in May 2007. Swift released her debut album in 2006, so the Grammy winner would have only been about 17 years old at the time.

"She's such a sweetheart," Jarrett continued, adding how proud he was of her success. "I still call her 'our girl.'" However, the AEW Director of Business Development clarified that Swift never expected to be paid for spending time with the girls. "I can tell you this right now. She was never on the Jeff Jarrett payroll, so technically not a babysitter," he said.

As time went on, Swift continued to be close with the Jarrett family. In fact, the wrestler's children appeared in the 2010 music video for Swift's single "Mine." Jarrett had previously opened up about the experience in a 2021 interview with Instinct Culture. "The 'Mine' video is so creative," he said, noting, "and my daughter, Jaclyn, looked like a little Taylor."

He explained that she showed up one day, and "Taylor, being as bold as she always is, just said, 'I want Jaclyn in the video.'" Jarrett said the whole family went up to Maine for the production, which he dubbed a "good experience for the kids." Jeff added, "We all enjoyed it as a family. So the 'Mine' video, you can check out the Jarrett kids in the video."

Later on in the interview, he couldn't help but gush about Swift's talent in the years since. He lauded her for being able to command boardrooms as a young girl. "Not only is she uber creative and talented, and just thinks like an artist, but she also has the ability to think like a businesswoman. And those two skill sets combined, you rarely see," he said, adding, "She deserves all the success she has."