The actor said being attacked by Swifties on social media is why he doesn’t want to be online.

Josh Hutcherson responds to hate from Taylor Swift fans: ‘I don’t need that energy’

The actor said being attacked by Swifties on social media is why he doesn't want to be online.

By Leigh Blickley

April 20, 2026 12:14 p.m. ET

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Josh Hutcherson; Taylor Swift. Credit:

- Josh Hutcherson was surprised by the hate he received from Swifties following a recent interview.

- The actor said he prefers to stay offline and out of the spotlight to avoid comments about his "insecurities."

- Hutcherson is looking forward to going back into hiding after the* I Love LA* press tour.

Josh Hutcherson is clarifying comments he made about Taylor Swift after fans attacked him on social media for saying he wasn't a Swiftie.

In December 2025, Hutcherson, 33, and his *I Love LA** *costar Jordan Firstman appeared in an *I-D* chat, in which they discussed Swift's music. "I'm not a Swiftie. Very much not," Hutcherson said at the time. "No shade, all respect, but definitely not."

Firstman replied, "A little tiny shade. She can handle a little bit of shade."

In an interview with *British GQ* published on Monday, Hutcherson said Swifties came for him hard following the comments.

"I got some heat because I did a photo shoot with Jordan, and Jordan asked me something about being a [Taylor Swift fan], and I was like, 'Oh no, I’m definitely not a Swiftie,'" he said. "All of a sudden it garnered this, 'F--- him! He’s a monster! Destroy him! He’s short! He hates her because he’s short!’"

Hutcherson, who is 5-foot-5, admitted the vitriol made him want to go back into hiding. (*The Hunger Games** *star has mainly enjoyed a private life in Los Angeles with his girlfriend of 13 years, Spanish actress Claudia Traisac.)

"It’s just like, whoa! I think [Taylor] is great. Her music is not my kind of music," he said. "That is why I don’t want to be online ... I don't need that energy."

Hutcherson limits his social media presence to maintain the mystery.

"It’s counterintuitive to my job, because if people know you more, you can’t disappear into characters," he told *British GQ*. "They see you as, 'Oh, that’s Josh.' You know what I mean? So, if you’re a f---ing meme, people know you for the meme."

Josh Hutcherson on 'I Love LA'.

Kenny Laubbacher/HBO

The actor is looking forward to the end of his current press tour as he realizes all too well how overexposure can lead to dark places.

"Being thrust out again in the world and online in such a big way, doing a bunch of press and being on TikTok, all those things made me feel very exposed. I started to get a lot of anxiety about it," said Hutcherson, who has faced cruel comments about his height, acne, and rosacea in the past.

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“I have those same insecurities,” he added. "[They] haven’t gone away. I think I’ve learned how to cope and accept that these are my genetics. This is what I have."

With age and some therapy, Hutcherson now looks at those insecurities not "as negatives or as beauty faults, but part of your whole character, your whole existence."

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"I feel like it has led to me being able to handle it in a much more healthy, sane way, and not spiral out and feel like a piece of s---," he stated. "I’m owning myself and who I am and what I look like.”

Still, Hutcherson noted, "That could change tomorrow. I could wake up and find out that some other guy got cast for a role that I wanted. Maybe he’s taller. That can trigger all that s---. It’s easier to keep a tiger in a cage than on a leash. So I’m trying to keep it in the cage, but it is trying to get out sometimes."

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