Originally appeared on E! Online
Charli XCX’s “Saturday Night Live” appearance was hotter than a fever.
The “Party 4 U” singer shocked audiences when she stepped out for musical guest Role Model’s set during the Oct. 11 episode, hosted by Amy Poehler.
As Role Model (real name Tucker Pillsbury) performed his hit song “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out,” the singer asked the crowd, “Where’s my Sally tonight,” only for Charli XCX to walk through a set of stage doors. The surprise appearance earned screams from the crowd, with Charli dancing during the song’s bridge.
For the occasion, the “brat” artist donned a black leather mini skirt, which she paired with tights, knee-high boots and black sunglasses. On top, she wore a “Max’s Kansas City” t-shirt.
While the choice in tee could have been an homage to Role Model—he wore the same shirt in promos for the episode earlier in the week, and his album is titled “Kansas Anymore”—or a tribute to the former New York City nightclub and restaurant Max’s Kansas City, some fans wondered if the reference was an allusion to the ongoing drama between Charli and Taylor Swift.
READ Charli XCX Posts Cryptic Video Amid Rumored Taylor Swift Feud
After Swift’s new album “Life of a Showgirl” was released on Oct. 3, fans speculated that her song “Actually Romantic” was about Charli (real name Charlotte Emma Aitchison).
“I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave,” Swift sings in the song’s opening lines. “High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face.”
Many fans interpreted the song as a response to Charli’s 2024 hit “Sympathy Is a Knife,” in which she sings about insecurities that seemingly referenced Swift’s brief relationship with Matty Healy, who is in “The 1975” alongside Charli’s now-husband George Daniel.
“Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show,” Charli sings on the “brat” track. “Fingers crossed behind my back / I hope they break up real quick.”
So, while neither Swift nor Charli have addressed the speculation head on, some fans interpreted the Kansas City shirt as a reference to Swift, whose fiancé Travis Kelce is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs NFL team.
As one user wrote in the comment section of an Instagram post from the epsiode, “In the KC shirt??? The TEA,” while another added, “Its Actually romantic…”
A third, meanwhile, noted alongside a pink heart, “It’s a great day to be a chronically online girlie.”
