Heads up, Swifties! 'Taylor Watch' podcast returns after hiatus
On July 15, hosts Kelly Keegs and Gia Mariano returned to the airwaves following a month hiatus.
"Oh, you thought you could kill us! Nice try, haters," Keegs boomed at the top of the two-hour YouTube video titled "Episode 152."
"We have risen from the dead, we do it all the time," Mariano jumped in, quoting Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" lyric. The two hosts debuted a new logo in a "Folklore"-esque font surrounded by stars, a microphone and a clapboard.
Whether a rebirth or a resurrection, Season 2 started with an explanation of what happened since the show was canceled on June 4. Last month, Keegs told USA TODAY that copyright issues ultimately prompted Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy to pull the plug.
"If you have a business account, which 'Taylor Watch' does count as a business account, and we are using Taylor's music − technically, it could be said that we are using her music to promote our brand, which is not allowed." Keegs told podcast listeners.
Portnoy texted Keegs and Mariano on July 7 renewing their contracts and saying they could bring back the podcast.
"It was so out of the blue," Mariano said. "He made things right."
"The past is the past and all we're thinking about is the future," Keegs said.
Mariano explained the solution will be for "Taylor Watch" to stay away from copyrighted music and videos and steer toward posting reaction videos. The show will return to a twice-a-week format with new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays to dish on Swift news, commentary and Easter egg theories.
"It just feels like a clean slate, a fresh start all around," Keegs said.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
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