David Letterman reveals what Taylor Swift smells like in bizarre TV moment: "Don't take this wrong way..."
David Letterman had a foot-in-mouth situation with Taylor Swift after he just couldn't stop talking about her perfume, leaving her laughing nervously. In October 2010, the 14-time Grammy winner stopped by 'The Late Show with David Letterman' to promote her third studio album titled 'Speak Now' and during the episode, the talk show host David Letterman commented on her scent. As per The Things, at one moment, Letterman went on to say, "Please don't take this the wrong way, you smell like expensive wood." Soon after, Swift and the studio audience broke into laughter. Then, a curious Letterman asked Swift, "What is that?" Swift quipped, "That is the most unique compliment I've ever gotten."
However, Letterman didn't stop there as he remained curious to learn about Swift's scent, making her slightly uncomfortable. She exclaimed, "Believe me, it is very good. I've never had a little of that before, it is very subtle and pleasing." Despite Letterman's second attempt, Swift didn't reveal the name of her scent on the talk show. She continued laughing, seemingly slightly uncomfortable as Letterman just stared at the audience, saying, "She finds it funny." Shortly afterward, Letterman changed the subject of discussion to Swift's travel schedule as she was busy touring at that time.
This was not the first time the 'I Knew You Were Trouble' hitmaker received a compliment about how good she smells. During the 2024 MTV Music Awards, drag queen Xunami Muse couldn't stop herself from asking Swift about the perfume she was wearing at the star-studded award show. According to Yahoo, Muse told Swift, "You smell so good. What is that?" to which the latter responded by saying, "Oh, thank you, it's Tom Ford." After getting an answer from Swift, Muse seemed happy and uttered, "Tom Ford! It's so nice."
📹| Drag queen @XunamiMuse asking Taylor what perfume she's wearing 😂 #VMAs
— Taylor Swift Updates 🩶 (@swifferupdates) September 12, 2024
Xunami: You smell so good. What is that? *imitates perfume spray*
Taylor: Oh thank you! It's Tom Ford!
Xunami: Tom Ford!! It's so nice! pic.twitter.com/42rKXUdPIN
In the last couple of years, Swifties have pulled out all the stops to figure out her signature scent. In her 2020 Netflix documentary named 'Miss Americana', eagle-eyed fans spotted a bottle of Tom Ford's Santal Blush alongside a bottle of L'Oreal Elnett Spray. It has been reported that Swift has disclosed her favorite fragrances to her secret listening party attendees over the years. The rumored list of Swift's favorite fragrances includes Santal Blush, Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, and Tobacco Vanille by Tom Ford, as per OK! Magazine.
Once the episode aired, fans flooded the comments section with guesses about the perfume Swift was wearing. One social media user wrote, “'You smell like expensive wood' i want that compliment lmao." Followed by a second user who penned, "I am 99% sure she wore her own perfume Wonderstruck, but it wasn´t out yet, and thats why she was so secretive about it." Another netizen stated, "You smell like Expensive Wood". Letterman predicts Folklore." A fan chimed in, "She could’ve just said “this is the sandalwood note in my perfum”. It would’ve make things make sense and he would be able to do the interview without distractions." Another user commented, "It could be Oud, a popular type of wood that comes from southeast Asia. It is an extremely good smell that makes ínstense and perfumes. It’s used literally everywhere in the Middle East that I know of at least. But I’m guessing she’s not wearing that lol."