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Taylor Swift handed out $197 million to her team in bonuses after the Eras Tour, here's how they reacted
A behind-the-scenes episode shows how Taylor Swift prepared $197 million dollars worth of bonus envelopes for her tour staff
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour continues to make news even after its end, this time over the scale of bonuses distributed to members of her touring team. New footage from Taylor's documentary series The End of an Era shows crew members reacting to the bonus they received at the end of the record-breaking tour.
“Bonus day is so important…”
When the tour concluded in December 2024, People reported that Taylor had paid out $197 million in bonuses to individuals involved in the production. The recipients included production staff and assistants, carpenters, dancers, band members, and other crew working behind the scenes.
In the second episode of The End of an Era, released on Friday, Taylor is shown preparing envelopes and handwritten notes for team members. The documentary series chronicles the Eras Tour and its behind-the-scenes operations. “Bonus day is so important, because setting a precedent with The Eras Tour is so important to me, because people who work on the road, if the tour grosses more, they get more of a bonus,” Taylor said while writing the letters.
While the documentary does not specify the amounts paid to individual recipients, it shows several crew members reacting to their bonuses. In one clip, production assistant Max Holmes opens his envelope and says, “I’m gonna pass out.” Another scene shows Taylor gathering her on-stage crew, including dancers and band members, to distribute the bonuses personally.
Dancer Kameron Saunders reads his note aloud. “Dearest Kam, we’ve travelled the world like we set out to do. We’ve dazzled the crowds, but we’ve missed family, too. My full gratitude doesn’t come from a bank, but here’s [bleep] dollars just to say thanks. Love, Taylor,” he read. Several staff members are seen reacting emotionally as Swift hands out the envelopes.
Taylor Swift's famous bonuses
Taylor began issuing large-scale bonuses earlier in the tour. In August 2023, after the North American leg, she reportedly distributed more than $55 million to her team. This included giving each of the truck drivers responsible for transporting the stage sets $100,000 ahead of a show in Santa Clara, California.
“She’s giving a sum of money that is life-changing for these people,” Mike Scherkenbach, who runs the transportation company that worked on the tour, told Rolling Stone earlier. “A lot of these drivers are not homeowners, and a lump sum like this gives you the ability to put a down payment on a home. That's what makes me really happy. That generosity is a game changer for these people,” he said.
About the Eras Tour
Taylor's Eras Tour spanned 149 shows across 53 cities on five continents. According to The New York Times, the tour generated $2,077,618,725 in ticket sales, a figure confirmed by her production company, Taylor Swift Touring. Merchandise sales are estimated to have added approximately $400 million.
