what did joni mitchell say about taylor swift

Joni Mitchell has mostly been cool and a bit cutting when Taylor Swift’s name comes up, with one specific quote becoming the headline.

Quick Scoop: What Joni Actually Said

The most famous line came when Mitchell was asked about a proposed biopic, Girls Like Us , in which Taylor Swift was rumored to play her.

Mitchell shut the project down and told the producer:

“I squelched that. I said to the producer, ‘All you’ve got is a girl with high cheekbones.’”

She also dismissed the project as too gossipy and inaccurate, saying there was “a lot of nonsense” and “assumptions” about her in the source material.

How She Seems To View Taylor Swift

Wider coverage and commentary paint a picture of Mitchell being skeptical of Swift’s image and the constant comparisons between them.

• Mitchell is wary of being directly compared to any other artist, including Taylor, and bristles at the idea that someone else can “stand in” for her story.

• She appears uncomfortable with Swift being framed as “the next Joni Mitchell,” even though fans and critics often link them as confessional, diary-style songwriters.

Some pop‑culture write‑ups and videos go further and describe Mitchell as openly critical of “commercialized pop” and list Taylor among the high‑profile artists she’s taken aim at, though these are often more interpretive than direct quotes.

The Biopic Context: Why That Quote Blew Up

The sharp “high cheekbones” line came specifically in the context of the Girls Like Us film, not as a random jab at Swift.

• Mitchell’s main issue was that she felt the script didn’t tell her life story accurately and leaned on gossip.

• Fans in forums pointed out that headlines made it sound like she rejected Taylor personally, when much of her frustration was about the book and screenplay, not just the casting.

So: she did throw shade with that one-liner, but it was wrapped inside a bigger “I don’t like this whole project about my life” stance.

Their Strange Artist-to-Artist Connection

Even with Mitchell’s dismissive tone, the two are linked all over music discourse.

• Taylor has repeatedly cited Blue as one of her favorite albums, praising how deeply it explores Mitchell’s inner world and pain.

• Critics and fans compare them as emotionally honest, confessional songwriters who mine personal experience, even while acknowledging that Swift has moved into mainstream pop in ways Mitchell never did.

That contrast—Swift revering Mitchell as an influence while Mitchell resists being compared or dramatized—adds to the “complex connection” articles and ongoing forum debates.

How Fans and Forums Talk About It

In fan spaces, people often split into a few viewpoints.

1. “Joni was shading the script, not Taylor” – These fans argue the quote is overblown clickbait and that Mitchell mainly wanted to protect her story from a gossipy, inaccurate portrayal.

2. “She just doesn’t like Taylor or modern pop” – Others frame Joni as an old‑school purist who disdains big‑machine celebrity culture, putting Taylor on a long list of artists she allegedly doesn’t respect.

3. “Complicated idol–fan dynamic” – Some Swift fans see it as a classic “never meet your heroes” scenario: Taylor idolizes Mitchell, but Mitchell seems uninterested or even hostile, which adds a bittersweet layer to their supposed artistic connection.

You’ll also see people wondering if Mitchell’s interviews or artistic choices indirectly inspired Taylor’s later concept‑album thinking, especially around Midnights , though that part is speculative fan interpretation, not something either artist has confirmed.

TL;DR:
Joni Mitchell’s most quoted line about Taylor Swift is that a proposed biopic casting Swift as her was just “a girl with high cheekbones,” and she personally “squelched” the project. She has generally resisted comparisons, questioned the accuracy of stories about her, and comes across as skeptical of the Taylor‑as‑Joni narrative, even while Swift openly praises Mitchell’s influence.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.