Eric Church recently stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he sat down for a chat with host Jimmy Fallon and also performed “Johnny,” the second single from his eighth studio album, Evangeline Vs. the Machine.
During the sit-down portion of his visit on Sunday, Sept. 21, Church, 48, recalled the moment when Taylor Swift, 35, gifted him the first gold record plaque for her self-titled debut album. Church received the special item as a thank you from the country-turned-pop superstar shortly after she took over the “Springsteen” singer’s slot on Rascal Flatts’ 2006 Me and My Gang Tour.
At the time, Swift was a fresh-faced teenager in the beginning years of her career, but for reasons he did not detail, Church ended up getting bumped from Rascal Flatts’ tour, and Swift took his place.
“On my first major arena tour, I was invited to no longer be a part of [it],” Church remembered of the lost opportunity that he says “pretty much” just didn’t work out. “That’s all I’m going to say about that one.”
“But when I was no longer invited to be a part of it, it was at Madison Square Garden. And if you’re going to not be invited to be a part of something, that’s the place, Jimmy, to not be invited to be a part of something,” he added with a hint of sarcasm.
Eric Church Found Out via the Internet That Taylor Swift Had Replaced Him
Church went on to say that he “actually found out about it online, that I had been replaced by this — I think she was 16 — blonde-haired [singer]. She had a song out called ‘Tim McGraw.’”
Is There Bad Blood Between Eric Church and Taylor Swift?
The answer to that is no. Despite his surprise at having been replaced by a green artist at the time, Church was impressed by the then-young rising star when she got on the phone and dialed him up to let him know that she was not only grateful to be able to step in for him, but also was a fan of his music. Most of all, she wanted to clear the air and make sure there was no ‘bad blood’ between the two of them.
“The following day, after I was invited to not be a part of the tour anymore, I got a call from Taylor. She called, and it was actually great. She was like, ‘Hey, hope there’s no, um…’ I guess, I’d say bad blood,” Church said, giving a nod to Swift’s 2015 smash “Bad Blood.” “So, she’s like ‘Hope there’s no bad blood. Because I love what you do and I’m taking over on… the tour I was supposed to not be invited on. I said, ‘Listen, Taylor, I have seen this crowd. This crowd is going to love you. I love what you do.’”
He continued, “I didn’t know how fast this was going to happen. But, I said, ‘’This is going to really be great for you, and you owe me your first gold record when this happens.”
Church noted that the craziest part of the story is that it only took about seven days for Swift to show up with a gold record. Swift surprised the North Carolina singer/songwriter on a bus about a month later while the two were performing at the same music festival.
“She walks up on the bus, and she, the first record of her career, she inscribed [the plaque], ‘To Eric, thanks for playing too long and too loud on the tour. Sincerely, Taylor,” Church said. “You could just tell then. She’s a pro. Just an artist. An artist.”
“I don’t even have it. It’s in the Country Music Hall of Fame. They don’t let me have it,” Church joked.
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This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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