Taylor Swift Got Her Big Break After Replacing This Major Star On Tour

While it may seem impossible to think of a time when Taylor Swift wasn't a global superstar, she was once simply a young singer-songwriter who'd moved to Nashville looking for her big break. In 2006 at the age of 16, Swift had her first hit single with "Tim McGraw," and country singer McGraw was flattered that Swift dropped his name in a song. But it was Eric Church, another country star, who that same year inadvertently helped Swift break into the business by getting her on a major arena tour. A big part of Swift's transformation into a massively successful hitmaker started when Swift took over for Church when he was fired as the opening act for Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang tour.

Wearing his signature sunglasses, Church talked about what happened with Swift on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in September 2025. He didn't mention Rascal Flatts or the tour by name, and he didn't go into a lot of details as to why he was let go from the tour (reports have said that it was because he played too long). But he did say that he was "invited to no longer be a part of [the tour]." And it turned out that Swift was the singer who had replaced him, making it the first big tour of her career.

In a diary entry about getting the big call for the tour, 16-year-old Swift wrote, "I am on the Rascal Flatts tour! I got the call yesterday and I screamed louder than I can ever remember screaming before," according to Taste of Country.

Eric Church confirmed on "The Tonight Show" that Taylor Swift reached out after she took over for him to make sure that things were okay between them. And Church explained to Fallon that he was happy for Swift, and that he'd told her, "This is going to really be great for you, and you owe me your first gold record when this happens."

He was right, and Swift followed through on his request, later delivering him a signed copy of her gold record plaque. The inscription on it read, "Eric, Thanks for playing too long on the Flatts tour. I SINCERELY appreciate it. Hahaha. Love you! Taylor," according to People. Church revealed that the plaque is now in the Country Music Hall of Fame, and it was on display there in 2023 for the Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul exhibit.

Swift has come so far from being an opening act. She has released multiple albums, and embarked on The Eras Tour, which took fans around the world through all of her albums and eras, and was the highest grossing concert tour of all time.