How Did Taylor Swift’s Cat End Up on Emmys’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Sketch? Here’s What Star Kelli Giddish Revealed
Mariska Hargitay and Taylor Swift with her cat Olivia Benson appear in a 'Law & Order: SVU' sketch at the Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on Sept. 14, 2026. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Ripped from the headlines … of Cat Fancy? Taylor Swift made a surprise cameo appearance at the Emmys on Monday (Sept. 14) when she showed up in a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit sketch starring the cast of the long-running NBC procedural, which also boasts Emmy host Mariska Hargitay as the lead, Captain Olivia Benson.
But there was another Olivia Benson on the screen that night … the cat Olivia Benson, whom the pop superstar — who boasts 277 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 to date — named after the beloved character played by Hargitay for 27 seasons and counting. And now, SVU star Kelli Giddish is dishing on Swift’s and feline Liv’s surprise appearances in the sketch filled with Swiftie Math and Easter eggs.
“It was so fun,” Giddish, who portrays Det. Amanda Rollins, told Women in Entertainment in a teaser clip of the episode set to drop Sept. 22. “We were so happy to host her, and Mariska told me about it, and I was like, ‘Can she be holding her cat? That’s my only request.’ And then she actually brought her cat! It was great!”
“It was like the president of the United States was visiting!” the actress exclaimed. “Security was crazy.”
While things might’ve been locked down tight for Swift and Olivia the Cat’s filming of the SVU sketch, Giddish noted that the pop superstar was nothing but wonderful — and of course, shared some baked goods with the cast, which also includes Ice-T, Peter Scanavino, Kevin Kane, Aimé Donna Kelly and Corey Cott, all of whom were in the bit.
“The thing is, she comes in and she’s totally just sweet, down to earth, a beautiful spirit and made really good cookies!” Giddish said. “She brought me some really, really, really good cookies, and I’m kind of a cookie snob. I was really pleased! It was fun, though!”
The type of cookie that impressed so much? According to Giddish: “They were sourdough brown butter chocolate chip.”
Swift is the proud cat mom of three kitties: Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey (named after Ellen Pompeo’s Grey’s Anatomy character) and Benjamin Button. The three felines have appeared alongside the award-winning singer in the past, including music videos, tour promo clips and even magazine covers.
Watch Kelli Giddish discuss Taylor Swift’s surprise SVU Emmys cameo below:
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