A security guard who went viral for singing along at a Taylor Swift Eras Tour show in Minneapolis in June says he was fired after passing around notes to fans asking them to take photos of him at work.
Calvin Denker explained the ordeal in a video posted to TikTok.
"My former security company said they had a rule about taking photos with any of their performers and the main issue they had was with my follow-up video where I said I handed out pieces of paper to the people in front of me to ask to be sent any photos that I made my way into," he said.
Denker explained that a Human Resources representative at BEST Crowd Management did not provide him with any additional details regarding the reasons for his termination "beyond asking for photos, which is what happens at any other concert, with the only exception being that I made sure I got any I was included in."
He emphasized that all the photos of him from that evening were taken from behind the safety barricade, just like typical fan photos. Denker made it clear that he never used his own phone to take pictures.
"And above all else, I made sure that Taylor Swift was safe and all the fans had a good time," he added.
Further, Denker stated that he inquired with the HR representative about what would happen if he deleted the pictures. However, he received no response as the individual he reached out to had gone on vacation.
By the time Denker was scheduled to work at an Ed Sheeran concert on August 12 at U.S. Bank Stadium, he still hadn't received a reply.
After getting dressed in his uniform and talking to his bosses, who made sure he wouldn't record any videos, Denker was assigned a spot near the stage for the Sheeran concert, similar to where he was during the Swift show. But right before Sheeran started performing, a manager moved him to a different spot.
After his seven-hour shift, Denker explained that the HR person who hadn't replied about the Swift incident made it clear they were unhappy with him for taking more shifts before finally letting him go.
Concluding his video, Denker urged Swift fans not to lash out at BEST, adding that he holds no grudges.