Who Was the Taylor Swift Doppelgänger Who Attended the Chiefs Preseason Game?

Fans watching the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason finale against the Chicago Bears thought they might have spotted Taylor Swift cheering from the stands. It would have been her first preseason game appearance … Well, almost.

While the person everyone mistook for Swift had the familiar blonde hair, red lips, and Swift’s signature style, those who looked closer realized it wasn’t the pop superstar herself. It was her well-known doppelgänger, Ashley Leechin.

Leechin, a registered nurse turned TikTok creator, has built an online following [212K followers on Instagram, to be precise] because of her uncanny resemblance to Taylor Swift

Leechin’s real viral moment came when she doubled down on her resemblance and posted a clip in Swift-style outfits that racked up 30,000 views overnight. From there, her TikTok quickly turned into a stream of Swift-inspired skits, lip-syncs, and playful nods to the pop star’s image.

But not all of the attention has been flattering. After relocating with her husband to Nashville, Leechin found herself constantly recognized, to the extent that the couple joked about counting how many times in a day she would be mistaken for Taylor Swift.

The comparisons, however, took a sharp turn in 2023, when she staged what became her most controversial stunt.

Flanked by bodyguards and dressed head-to-toe in Swift-like fashion, she walked through a shopping mall and later Downtown Disney, sparking chaos as fans swarmed her, thinking they were witnessing a surprise Taylor Swift appearance.

But when the reveal came that it was Leechin’s prank all along, backlash from Swifties was severe. “This is weird behavior,” one Swifty commented back then. “This is so disgusting,” wrote another. A third added, “This can be proof for Taylor to sue them… especially Ashley, she needs to seek help.” Many even argued the prank created a real security risk for the actual singer.

Despite the backlash, Leechin has continued posting similar content, inspired by her resemblance to the pop sensation.

Talking about resemblance, Leechin has also publicly denied ever having plastic surgery to look like Swift, even collaborating with a surgeon to debunk the claims.

So while Chiefs fans thought they might have seen Swift herself in the preseason crowd, what they were really seeing was Ashley Leechin’s now-familiar role as the world’s most controversial Swift look-alike. And if history has shown anything, it’s that whenever Ashley appears in Swift’s shadow, confusion and debate are never far behind.