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Taylor Swift is ready to see the Olympic athletes shine like opalite on the slopes and skating rinks, with the pop superstar making a cameo during the Opening Ceremony on Friday (Feb. 6) to deliver a special message to them.
During the first 20 minutes of the program — which began streaming live on NBC and Peacock at 1:40 p.m. ET before the official ceremony’s kickoff at 2 p.m. — the pop star’s Billboard Hot 100-topping “The Fate of Ophelia” started playing as clips of stars such as Usher and Jeff Goldblum made their entrances in Milan to watch the beginning of the Winter Games. Then, Swift herself popped up on screen in a pre-taped video, wearing a sweatshirt with a teddy bear on it.
“This is a message to all the athletes,” she told the camera. “Getting to learn your stories, and seeing everything you sacrificed and all your determination and hard work and passion … it’s just really inspiring.”
“I am very grateful for everything you’ve done to get to this point in your life and grateful that you’ve brought all of us along on this journey,” Swift continued. “Wishing you all the best of luck and a safe journey, and I hope this is an experience you cherish for the rest of your life.”
Andrea Bocelli and Mariah Carey were slated to perform later in the ceremony. The program will also feature the lighting of the Olympic cauldron following a torch relay — in which ENHYPEN’s SUNGHOON took part.
The Winter Olympics will last from from Feb. 6 to 22, featuring competitions in skiing, skating and more. The 2026 Games aren’t the first the 14-time Grammy winner has taken part in, with Swift narrating a Team USA commercial in the summer of 2024.
Fridays’ ceremony came the same day Swift dropped a music video for her The Life of a Showgirl single “Opalite,” featuring cameos from Domhall Gleeson, Graham Norton, Greta Lee and more. The visual is available to watch only on Apple Music and Spotify until Feb. 8, when it’ll arrive on YouTube.
“I had more fun than I ever imagined — Made new friends, metaphors and fashion choices,” Swift wrote on Instagram after the video’s release. “It was an absolute thrill to create this story and these characters.”
