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Nelly reveals Taylor Swift once paid him $50,000 to perform at concert

Nelly is shown from the chest up, wearing sunglasses, diamond stud earrings, a silver chain with diamond "DERRTY" and "91" pendants, and a white and blue football jersey with the number "91".

Published by Cover Media

30 Oct 2026

Nelly has recalled how Taylor Swift once paid him $50,000 (£44,000) to briefly perform at one of her concerts.

During a recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, the singer-rapper - real name Cornell Haynes Jr. - described how the Shake It Off hitmaker called him one night "out of the blue" and asked if he would be willing to appear during an upcoming show.

According to Nelly, Taylor and some of her "friends" had choreographed a routine to his 2002 hit Hot in Herre and wanted to perform it for the crowd.

"Now, I'm in St. Louis, and she's in Houston," he remembered. "She said, 'I got two shows in Houston tomorrow and the next day. Can you come down to Houston and just perform it? I don't wanna disrespect you. I don't really have a budget like that.'"

The hip-hop star went on to recount how Taylor offered to send him her private jet.

"Now, listen to her. She says she doesn't really have a budget. But she said, 'What I will do is send my plane. I'll get your room and all of that. And we only have like $50,000.' I said, 'Can you put that in a McDonald's bag?' I said, 'But I would've done it for free,'" the 51-year-old exclaimed.

Straight after the performance, Taylor's manager "tossed" Nelly a McDonald's takeaway bag filled with cash.

"I was like, 'Oh, no s**t! OK, cool.' Now, the money wasn't really the issue. But she was just like, 'Yo, the jet is there whenever you're ready.' And she got us the presidential suite right there. I think it was the Four Seasons, right there by the stadium. Had the whole top floor. We never even saw the room. We went from the show right back to the airport, or whatever the case may be."

Representatives for Taylor have not yet commented on the story.

The Ride wit Me star and the Opalite singer performed Hot in Herre along with the Haim sisters at a 1989 World Tour concert in September 2015.

Published by Cover Media

30 Oct 2026