Conan O’Brien introduced Swift prior to her four-song set, calling her “John, Paul, George, and Ringo all in one” before she and her band launched in “Blank Space.” Following that, Swift told the audience that they were about to witness the debut performance of a Life of a Showgirl track. (Rolling Stone report)
🚨| Taylor Swift performing "The Fate of Ophelia" for the very first time at the Academy Museum Gala! pic.twitter.com/w1Pidc32mh
— The Eras Tour (@tswifterastour) October 18, 2026
“This song, which we are playing for the very first time for you beautiful people, this is called ‘The Fate of Ophelia,'” Swift told the crowd.
Swift then performed her Toy Story 5 contribution “I Knew It, I Knew You” before ending her gala performance with “Love Story.”
“Taylor is an extraordinary talent whose work resonates around the world,” Academy Museum Director Amy Homma said in a statement when Swift’s gala performance was announced earlier this month. “We are thrilled to welcome her to this year’s gala and look forward to her performance to close a wonderful evening of honoring three extraordinary filmmakers and supporting the Academy Museum’s mission to celebrate and preserve cinema.”
Since the end of the Eras Tour in December 2024, Swift has only performed live a handful of times, usually in similarly celebrity-filled settings: Prior to her Academy Museum performance, Swift played at both Grammys- and Emmys-related events back in August. Before that, she debuted “I Knew It, I Knew You” at the Toy Story 5 premiere in Los Angeles.
