David Mueller, the DJ sacked after Taylor Swift complained he had groped her at a 2013 meet-and-greet, has been hired by a Mississippi radio station.
Mueller lost his job at Denver’s KYGO-FM after Swift’s management and security team told him he would no longer be welcome at the star’s concerts following the incident. He subsequently sued Swift for $3m (£2.1m) in damages, claiming he had been falsely accused and that she had ruined his career. She countersued, claiming that Mueller had assaulted her, and a jury ruled in favour of her. Mueller’s case against the pop star was dismissed.
Inside Radio reports that Mueller has been hired at Delta Radio’s country station WMYQ-FM. He will co-present its breakfast show, Jackson and Jonbob, under the sobriquet Stonewall Jackson, in reference to a Confederate general in the US civil war. He has also been appointed marketing consultant.
Delta Radio president and CEO Larry Fuss defended Mueller’s hiring to the New York Daily News. “He’s either the world’s best liar, or he’s telling the truth. I tend to believe his version of the story and most people who have talked to him face to face do believe his version of the story.”
Fuss claimed that angry comments on the station’s Facebook page had likely been left by Swift fans: “It’s just people who don’t have a clue, or don’t really have any knowledge of the facts.” He also admitted that Mueller’s hiring was “maybe a tiny bit” about bringing publicity to the station.
Swift countersued Mueller for a “symbolic” $1. In 2017, she was named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for being one of the “silence breakers” who inspired women to speak out against sexual harassment. In an interview with Time, she revealed that more than three months after the jury reached its verdict Mueller had not paid her the dollar. “I think that act of defiance is symbolic in itself.”
Swift was widely praised for her cool testimony in the courtroom during the civil suit. Following the case’s conclusion, she pledged to support other victims of sexual assault. “My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard,” the singer said in a statement, acknowledging her ability to “shoulder the enormous cost” of defending herself. “Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organisations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”
Swift, 28, started her career as a country singer in the mid-2000s before crossing over into pop and achieving global status with her albums Red and 1989. Last year she released her sixth studio album, Reputation.
