Taylor Swift to perform at Academy Museum Gala on October 17 in Los Angeles
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced on October 8 that Taylor Swift will perform at its sixth annual gala in Los Angeles on October 17. Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo and John Carpenter will receive honorary awards at the same event.
The announcement
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures announced on Thursday, October 8, that Taylor Swift will perform at its sixth annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on October 17. Billboard noted the announcement came nine days before the event. Deadline described the gala as a must-stop on the Hollywood social circuit and a main fundraiser for the museum, with proceeds supporting its exhibitions, educational opportunities and public screenings. Museum director and president Amy Homma said in a statement that the museum looks forward to Swift's performance closing the evening.
- Swift's song 'I Knew It, I Knew You' released for Toy Story 5
- Four bonus tracks added to The Life of a Showgirl
- Academy Museum announces Swift as gala performer
- Academy Museum Gala with Swift performance
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.
The honorees
Charlize Theron will receive the Icon Award, which celebrates an artist whose career has had a significant global impact. Colman Domingo will receive the Vantage Award for helping to challenge dominant narratives around cinema. John Carpenter will be presented with the Luminary Award for contributions that have expanded the creative possibilities of filmmaking, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The gala is co-chaired by Tom Ford, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, and its host committee includes Jessica Alba, Judd Apatow, Demi Moore and Rami Malek. The fundraiser has been held since 2021. Last year's gala honored Penélope Cruz, Bowen Yang, Walter Salles and Bruce Springsteen, who also performed at the event.
Swift's Oscar campaign
Swift's booking follows the June release of 'I Knew It, I Knew You', an original song written for Toy Story 5. Billboard describes it as a Hot 100-topping song that continues to draw Oscar buzz in the best original song category. Swift has written several film songs in the past but has never been nominated for an Oscar. Earlier in her campaign she premiered the video for 'Patient Zero' at the VMAs, a clip starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson and shot by Emmanuel 'Chivo' Lubezki. When the song was released, Swift wrote on Instagram:
I have always dreamed of writing for these characters I adore, ever since I saw the first Toy Story movie when I was five years old.
What remains open
The songs Swift will perform, and how long her set will last, have not been announced. Billboard considers it likely she will sing 'I Knew It, I Knew You' again, but four newly released songs are also options. These are 'Patient Zero', 'Pink Clouding', 'Babylon' and 'Cleveland!', added as bonus tracks to The Life of a Showgirl at the end of September. Billboard says the album has spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Deadline notes that 'Patient Zero' became Spotify's most-streamed song by a female artist in a single day in 2026 so far. The gala takes place on October 17 in Los Angeles.
