DJ Accused of Groping Taylor Swift Has Gotten Another Radio Job
The disc jockey who accused Taylor Swift of ruining his career after he was accused of groping her at a meet and greet in 2013 has scored a new job at a country station in Mississippi.
David Mueller was fired from KYGO in Denver after Swift's team reported that he groped her behind under her dress while posing for a photo at a meet and greet. He sued the country-turned-pop superstar in 2015, accusing her of slander and interfering with his employment, and she countersued, alleging sexual assault. In a devastating series of court rulings, judges threw out Mueller's claims one by one, and in August a jury sided with Swift, rendering a decision that Mueller had groped her and awarding her the symbolic one dollar she requested.
Despite the overwhelmingly negative publicity from the case, the New York Daily News reports that Mueller has been hired to work the morning show on KIX 92.7 in Greenwood, Miss. Mueller will serve as half of the morning team of Jackson & Jonbob under the name of Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate general.
See the Best of Taylor Swift's Scorching Groping Trial Testimony
Delta Radio CEO Larry Fuss hired Mueller, who has strongly denied that he groped Swift throughout the court case and its aftermath. He came across an article in a trade magazine in which Mueller said he was willing to move anywhere and even work for free to get back on the air, and while he could not match the money Mueller had earned in Denver, they came to an agreement.
Fuss tells the Daily News that he's entirely comfortable with the hiring decision, adding that hiring Mueller might have been "a tiny bit" about garnering publicity. He claims that after meeting Mueller, the staff of the station got over any initial reluctance they might have had in working with him, including the women.
"I sat down with him face-to-face in Minneapolis before I offered him the job and talked to him about it," he says. "He's either the world's best liar, or he's telling the truth. I tend to believe his version of the story and most people who have talked to him face-to-face do believe his version of the story."
Fuss dismisses a slew of negative comments from social media users, saying, "Most of them need to get a life... none of it is radio people, none of it is local people in Mississippi. It's all originating from some Taylor Swift fan group somewhere. They're telling people to go to this station's webpage and post negative comments."
He adds that in the radio business, "It's all about what comes out of the speakers ... that's the reason I hired David. He sounds good."
Country Women Well-Represented in 2017 Taste of Country RISERS
Country Music's Most Powerful Women of All Time