Taylor Swift to Perform at Academy Museum’s Annual Gala

The stop comes ahead of the start of Oscar voting season, with Swift's Toy Story 5 hit "I Knew It, I Knew You" eligible for Best Original Song

Taylor Swift will return to the stage with a special performance at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ sixth annual gala, Oct. 17. 

Swift’s performance will cap off an evening that will otherwise celebrate this year’s Academy Museum honorees: Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo, and filmmaker/composer John Carpenter. The Academy Museum is overseen by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars.

“Taylor is an extraordinary talent whose work resonates around the world,” Academy Museum Director, Amy Homma, said in a statement. “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.”

Swift is, of course, an avowed film fan and is reportedly working on feature-length directorial debut. (The movie was announced in 2022, but still no word yet on when it might go into production or see release.) But her decision to play the Academy Museum’s annual gala also comes at an important moment: Right before the start of Oscars voting season.

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Swift will be eligible for Best Original Song at the Oscars next year for her Toy Story 5 hit, “I knew It, I Knew You.” The first round of preliminary voting will take place in early December, with shortlists for many categories — typically including Best Original Song — announced on Dec. 15. Final nominations will be revealed Jan. 21, 2027. 

Swift has yet to secure an Oscar nomination, despite having written numerous songs for movies over the years. Some of her more notable endeavors include “Carolina” for Where the Crawdads Sing, “Beautiful Ghosts” for the film adaptation of Cats, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from Fifty Shades Darker, and “Only the Young” for her own Miss Americana documentary. (Swift’s “All Too Well” short film was also eligible for a Best Live Action Short Film nomination but did not make the cut.)