A news anchor’s joke about a gay, pasta-making Taylor Swift fan hits the wrong note

A Taylor Swift-loving pasta maker has gone viral for all the right and wrong reasons.

Danny Freeman is a lawyer-turned-chef based in Beacon, New York. He built himself a huge TikTok and Instagram following after he started posting videos of himself making pasta dishes. This led to him publishing his first ‘Danny Loves Pasta’ book last June.

In early December, a couple of videos he posted went viral. A big Taylor Swift fan, he said he hadn’t been able to make it to the Eras tour. However, he instead recreated Swift’s album covers in ravioli. Here’s one of the videos.

@dannylovespasta

Taylor Swift Pasta! Should I post a video for each one, or would that be too much 😅

♬ updated album sound – HolyGround

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The videos were soon picked up by news outlets, including Fox. 

However, Freeman has just been made aware of how it was reported by one local news station. It’s currently unknown which one. 

The anchors played one of Freeman’s videos. Not only did they feel his age (37) was relevant to him being a Tayor Swift fan, or that it took him “several weeks” to make the pasta, but the male anchor also quips at the end, “I’ve got a feeling he does NOT have a girlfriend.”

“Maybe he thinks Taylor Swift’s his girlfriend,” shoots back his female co-anchor. They then both laugh at their own, supposed hilarity. 

Watch below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Danny Freeman (@dannylovespasta)

“I was on the local news and they did NOT like me! 😭” Freeman commented on Instagram. “I have no idea where this aired or who these news anchors are, but someone posted this clip on TikTok and it’s pretty clear they are not fans! I’m not sure why they felt the need to insult me at the end but no hard feelings —- they were right, I do not have a girlfriend 😆😆”

He also posted a reaction to TikTok. 

@dannylovespasta #duet with @BradleyFrancis I mean, they’re not wrong, I don’t have a girlfriend 💅 #TaylorSwift ♬ original sound – BradleyFrancis

If the news team involved had taken even a cursory look at Freeman’s social media, they’d have realized he is married to a man. The couple are dads to two kids. 

Here’s Freeman making rainbow pasta for Pride month. 

@dannylovespasta Replying to @mrmacmyles I’ll be doing some pride content throughout the month, sprinkled in with my cookbook content! #happypride #pride #pride2023 ♬ original sound – Danny Loves Pasta

Followers react to on-air shade

On Instagram, commentators were shocked by the news report.

“As a former local news anchor this is APPALLING and unprofessional,” said a woman named Noel McClaren. “Where did this air???? I’m sorry @dannylovespasta, you deserved better. You bring all the positivity to this world/ platform.”

“That’s embarrassing for THEM. Don’t even know you and throwing all sorts of judgments out there,” said another. 

“How truly bizarre and rude of them to have that exchange when they could have ended on a note about how creative and talented you are to make all of these! Everything you make is so cool and I hope you won’t let them dim your shine,” offered another.

Finally, someone else reminded us Taylor Swift has an appropriate quote for such an occasion: “The worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb, or stupid for being excited about something.”

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