Katy Perry Praises Taylor Swift for Political Instagrams (EXCLUSIVE)

Taylor Swift shocked her fans (and Washington, D.C. for that matter) when she broke her silence on politics last month, endorsing two Tennessee democrats on Instagram.

Katy Perry was one of the first to “like” the post, fueling speculation that the bad blood between the two pop megastars has finally come to an end.

And now, Perry is speaking out about Swift’s public political endorsements.

“She’s setting a great example,” Perry exclusively told Variety on Thursday night at amfAR Gala Los Angeles, where the “Firework” singer was honored with a Courage Award.

Swift and Perry’s relationship has been on a rollercoaster of sorts over the last few years. Perry began to smooth things out when she sent Swift an olive branch and a letter in May before the start of Swift’s Reputation tour.

Earlier this week, Swift posted another message to her 112 million Instagram followers about early voting with a link to vote.org’s calendar.

Swift wrote in her initial post, “In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now, I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country.”

She then added, “I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives.”

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I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now. I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent. I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love. Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives. Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway. So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people have turned 18 in the past two years and now have the right and privilege to make their vote count. But first you need to register, which is quick and easy to do. October 9th is the LAST DAY to register to vote in the state of TN. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy Voting! 🗳😃🌈

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Oct 7, 2018 at 4:33pm PDT

Perry is no stranger to politics. She was an outspoken and very active supporter of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential bid. She not only hosted fundraisers for the former Secretary of State, but Clinton also used her song “Roar” in campaign ads. Perry has also said that her politically charged song “Chained to the Rhythm,” written about a week after the election, was influenced by Donald Trump’s win.

Meanwhile, Perry revealed that she received a very thoughtful gift for her amfAR honor from fellow “American Idol” judge Lionel Richie. “Lionel sent me a big bouquet of flowers and a box of chicken nuggets for tonight,” she told Variety. “He knew I would need a snack.”

As for their upcoming second season of “Idol,” Perry said, “I think it was pretty successful so just times it by two. It’s all spontaneous and the chemistry with Luke [Bryan] and Lionel is spectacular.”