News broke this week that Taylor Swift had given staff members from her Eras Tour bonuses totaling $55 million, which included $100,000 each for the 50 truck drivers on the tour.
This is an extremely generous sum, and it could have absolutely "life-changing" effects for the recipients, according to a transportation company boss.
"She’s giving a sum of money that is life-changing for these people," Shomotion's Mike Scherkenbach told Rolling Stone in a recent interview.
"A lot of these drivers are not homeowners, and a lump sum like this gives you the ability to put a down payment on a home. That’s what makes me really happy. That generosity is a game changer for these people."
Scherkenbach also shared with the publication that artists similar to Swift might usually give drivers bonuses between $5,000 to $10,000, which—while obviously generous—pales in comparison to what she gave them this time around.
He is truly grateful for Swift's generosity, and is annoyed that anyone would question her intentions. "The comments that I read that bother me the most are when they’re comparing [what she gives] to her net worth," he said.
"That’s irrelevant. There are a lot of very wealthy people who choose not to share a dime of it. We work with all kinds of wealthy people, but this is not the norm."
Not only is it irrelevant, but by my highly unprofessional calculations, Swift actually ended up giving her Eras Tour staff roughly 7.5% of her net worth—which is frankly huge, so it's really quite difficult to blame her for it.
The transportation pro loves working with Swift generally, because of the culture he feels she creates on her tours.
"They did the documentary on the last tour, Reputation, for Netflix, and she listed my drivers in the credits," he revealed "To put the drivers’ names in the movie credits? That shows the character of a person."
