A security guard who went viral earlier this year for singing along to Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” during an Eras Tour concert is now facing a cruel summer himself.
Just a few months after Calvin Denker shot to notoriety online, he claims he has been fired by his former employer, Best Crowd Management.
Denker was stationed in front of the main stage at Swift’s Minneapolis show and said he asked fans in the crowd to send him photos and videos where he was captured singing along.
“Long story short: I was fired for it,” he recently revealed in a TikTok video.
@calvindenker Unexpected story time! #theerastour#taylorswift#minneapoliserastour @Taylor Nation @Taylor Swift ♬ original sound – Calvin Denker
While his former employer reportedly had no problem with Denker singing along to Swift’s songs—much to the enjoyment of millions of TikTokers—it took issue with him passing out notes to crowd members asking for photos and videos to be sent to him.
“The HR woman who called me wasn’t able to articulate exactly what I did wrong because I didn’t do anything beyond asking for photos,” he said, adding that photos were taken from behind the barricade and at no point was his own phone used.
“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.”
Denker claims he offered to take down his TikTok videos—where millions of people have tuned in to him detailing how he got the security job—if it meant keeping his job.
But, as per his TikTok update, he didn’t hear back from HR.
Yet Denker said that after the debacle he was offered more shifts, this time to work an Ed Sheeran concert.
“A couple of managers talked to me just to make sure that I wouldn’t be making any videos, but a lot of them were really cool and willing to give me a second chance,” Denker said. But after working a seven-hour shift at Sheeran’s show, Denker said he was approached by HR and fired for good.
Best Crowd Management did not immediately respond when approached by Coins2Day for comment.
‘I still got to work one of the coolest concerts ever’
Although he doesn’t agree with the reasons behind his termination, Denker—who only took the security gig in the first instance to watch Swift’s live performances without having to pay for tickets—has no regrets.
“I still got to work one of the coolest concerts ever and I got to work it twice so that is fantastic,” he said, adding that he holds “no grudges” against his former employer.
What’s more, Denker isn’t the first Swiftie to take up a job just to watch her perform.
Davis Perrigo told TMZ Live that getting a security job to gain free entry to Swift’s Nashville show was “easy.”
“I essentially just filled out a form online and showed up the day of,” he said while adding that he didn’t actually plan on working at the concert.
“My original plan was to apply for security, show up and then never even clock in, take off my security shirt, and just be a fan and go find an empty seat,” he added.
Perrigo had a change of heart when he saw how close his shift was to the stage, before also going viral for singing along to Swift’s single “Style” on the job.
But unlike Denker, he didn’t lose his job and plans to take up the prime security position for other upcoming concerts.