Elizabeth Taylor’s Son Praises Taylor Swift’s New Tribute Song — Here’s Why It Matters

Hello, I’m Riley Carter. Okay, but like…Taylor Swift just named a track after Hollywood royalty and Elizabeth Taylor’s son actually weighed in. Let’s unpack this without trying too hard.

Taylor Swift announced the track list for her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on August 13 while appearing on the New Heights podcast with boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce. Track two is called “Elizabeth Taylor,” and the cultural cross-current was immediate: Christopher Wilding, the 70-year-old son of the iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor, spoke to TMZ on August 14 and offered a surprisingly measured, supportive reaction.

Wilding called Swift a “rare, positive role model for young girls,” praising her philanthropy and willingness to stand up for her beliefs. He added that if Swift’s song revives respect and interest in his late mother’s legacy, “that’s great.” Those are direct, public comments reported by TMZ, and they add an interesting layer to the Swift–Taylor name-drop: this is not idle celebrity play, it’s an endorsement from the family of the subject being immortalized.

Swift’s flirtation with the Elizabeth Taylor mystique isn’t new. The pop star previously invoked Taylor’s aura on reputation’s “…Ready For It?” where she likened her love interest to Richard Burton, Taylor’s famously tempestuous co-star and spouse. The resemblance isn’t purely lyrical; during her 1989 era Swift leaned into old-Hollywood glamour in the “Wildest Dreams” music video, channeling Taylor’s sleek black hair and the on-set romance trope that defined Taylor and Burton’s Cleopatra-era love story.

Elizabeth Taylor’s public biography is dramatic and well-documented: she wed seven times and famously married Richard Burton twice, first in 1964 and again in 1975 after a brief split. Taylor herself described the Burton relationship as consuming, saying, “I gave everything away…my soul, my being, everything,” a line that colors Swift’s cinematic references and gives the new track its thematic weight.

The connection resurfaced again in 2023, when Swift received a birthday gift from friend Keleigh Teller: a piece of opal and blue topaz jewelry. Swift posted an Instagram Story calling the gift “like a present for Elizabeth Taylor, not me,” and Teller replied, “You’re my Elizabeth Taylor.” That text exchange, shared publicly on social media, shows the way Swift and her circle intentionally play with old Hollywood iconography, making Taylor a shorthand for classic glamour, drama, and bold jewelry choices.

Of course, the Swift–Taylor echo is also wrapped in Swift’s personal storyline with Travis Kelce, which helped make the album announcement into a wider pop-culture moment. On New Heights, Swift and Kelce traded stories about how their relationship began. Kelce has said he was “butt hurt” about not being able to leave Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number at a 2023 Eras Tour stop, and Swift joked that he didn’t even try to coordinate with her team to meet her, assuming his contact with venue staff would do the trick. That behind-the-scenes podcast banter — reported on-air in August 2025 — turned a routine album reveal into a chapter in a modern celebrity romance.

So why does Christopher Wilding’s reaction matter? For one, it signals that family members of late cultural icons can see contemporary references as respectful tributes rather than opportunistic grabs. It also cements Taylor Swift’s status as an artist who selectively borrows iconography to build narrative threads across eras. By naming a song “Elizabeth Taylor,” Swift isn’t just tossing a cool name into the lyric pool; she’s delivering an intertextual wink that links her own persona to classic Hollywood excess, romantic tragedy, and philanthropic legacy.

Keep an eye on lyrics and interviews once The Life of a Showgirl drops; if Swift leans into the Burton/Taylor dynamic or references jewelry and public spectacle, this will feel less like name-checking and more like a conscious historical riff. And if Christopher Wilding’s measured thumbs-up is any indication, the family’s good graces are intact — for now.

Okay cool, so like, yeah, that happened.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, New Heights podcast, Elizabeth Taylor official website, Instagram (Keleigh Teller), E! Online
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed