Viral 'Eras Tour' guard gets fired after asking fans to take a picture of him with Taylor Swift while on duty

A viral "Eras Tour" guard has been fired from his job after asking fans to take photos of him with Taylor Swift while on duty then shared the whole incident on TikTok.

Calvin Denker worked as one of the security guards at Taylor's concerts in Minneapolis in June. He became viral after a concertgoer recorded him singing along to the pop superstar's performance of Cruel Summer. The video has earned 2.9 million views.

In a TikTok clip posted on his own account, Denver said that he applied as an "Eras Tour" guard after attending Taylor’s "Reputation" tour five years ago.

“I got to talk to a lot of security guards that night and learned about what positions they can work in and how to go to a lot of these concerts and sporting events in Minneapolis,” he recalled. 

After finally getting a job for these events, Denker said that it has always been his goal to work for Taylor. That’s why when he learned about her "Eras Tour," he said he “signed up as soon as I possibly could.” 

“When I went to night one, I was so amazed, the fans are so loud, and Taylor was phenomenal,” he shared. 

@anmaloney Security guard carried section A2! 🎶 @Taylor Swift @Taylor Nation #taylorswift #erastour #tstheerastour #minneapoliststheerastour ♬ original sound - Alisa Maloney

Denker said that as the show's security guards, he and his colleagues were allowed to watch the show and were tasked to solely keep their eyes on the crowd. 

Upon realizing how close his post was to his idol, he decided to hand out notes to the fans in front to document the special moment.

His note read, “I wasn’t allowed to have my phone out, but if Taylor Swift comes right behind me, please take a photo of me and text it to my number."

“I handed this out to a couple of people in the front row for night two and they were really kind and really sweet about it,” he said. 

In an update posted in August, Denker said that he was fired by his security company, Best Crowd Management, after  he shared on Tiktok how he got fans to take photos of him during the concert.

"My former security company said that they have a rule against taking photos with any of the performers. And the main issue that they had was with my follow-up [TikTok] video where I said I handed out pieces of paper to the people in front of me to ask to be sent any photos I made my way into."

Denver said that after uploading the video, he got a call from their HR department that he would be fired. He said the HR officer who called him "wasn't able to articulate exactly" what he did wrong, as what he did usually "happens at any other concert." The only difference, he said, was that he asked fans to send his photos to him.

He added that the photos were taken while he was behind the barricade "like any other photo from a fan" and that he never took his phone out at that time.

"Above all else, I made sure that Taylor Swift was safe and all the fans had a good time,” he added. “As long as I was at that concert, I was doing my job.” 

@calvindenker Unexpected story time! #theerastour #taylorswift #minneapoliserastour @Taylor Nation @Taylor Swift ♬ original sound - Calvin Denker

He tried to negotiate by offering to delete his videos, but he was told to wait until their boss returned from vacation.

After a month of waiting for feedback, Denver was tasked to work during Ed Sheeran’s concert at the U.S. Bank Stadium. After completing his shift, he was asked to talk to the management, and then he was told that he was officially terminated. 

Despite all this, Denker said he has “no grudges against [his] employer,” reminding his followers not to send them hate. 

“I still got to work one of the coolest concerts ever and I got to work it twice,” he said. “I hold no grudges against my employer.”