“When Jeslyn [Gorman] got sick, it was the first blow that the tour family experienced emotionally,” Swift recalled in her new docuseries.

Taylor Swift reveals background singer was diagnosed with breast cancer during Eras Tour: ‘Everyone was just in shambles’

"When Jeslyn [Gorman] got sick, it was the first blow that the tour family experienced emotionally," Swift recalled in her new docuseries.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

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December 28, 2025 8:00 p.m. ET

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Taylor Swift with her backing vocalists during Eras Tour. Credit:

Kevin Winter/Getty

Taylor Swift and her Eras Tour family were dealt a devastating blow in the middle of the record-breaking tour: Background vocalist Jeslyn Gorman was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Eagle-eyed fans first noticed Gorman's prolonged absence from the show starting with the Mexico City dates, which took place in late August 2023, though no official explanation was given for it at the time. Six months later, during the 2024 stops in Sydney, Australia, the singer returned. Now, thanks to Swift’s Disney+ docuseries, *The End of an Era*, we know why Gorman wasn't around.

In episode 3, the backup singer revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer during the tour, news which everyone took really hard. "When Jeslyn got sick, it was the first blow that the tour family experienced emotionally,” Swift recalled. “It was, like, completely unfathomable to us. … I’ll never forget when she told us, everyone was just in shambles. And it’s the not knowing.”

Taylor Swift and Jeslyn Gorman.

Jeslyn Gorman/Instagram

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“When I let Taylor know, she came storming in with hugs and crying and just saying, ‘I’m so sorry,’” Gorman recalled. “And her mom said, ‘You just take care of you, and we’ll be here when you’re ready.’”

At first, in order to do just that, Gorman would fly home to Los Angeles in between shows for tests. “Obviously, it was devastating,” she said. “[I] had biopsies and [got] poked and prodded to learn really what I had to do treatment-wise, and then hopped back on stage and pretended like nothing was happening.”**

Gorman ultimately ended up needing to take off six months to complete chemotherapy and surgery, which came with various complications.**

“I had edema, I had skin issues,” she said of the side effects she endured. “I usually have all this curly hair. I lost about 75 percent of my hair. I felt and looked completely different and just kind of watched my friends on livestreams in the show.”

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The docuseries then showed clips of some of the other tour bandmates sending well wishes to Gorman, telling her how much they loved and missed her. Swift made it clear to Gorman, with whom she had worked since the Reputation tour in 2018, that she could return to the Eras Tour anytime, if she was up for it.

Much to Swift's surprise, immediately after finishing treatment, Gorman did exactly that. “I cannot believe that she was back in a few months,” Swift gushed. “The will to come back and do the hardest show ever, none of us could believe it. I still can’t.”**

The first four episodes of *The End of an Era *are now streaming on Disney+.

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