Miles Teller finally says he’s vaccinated after new Taylor Swift video and months of controversy

Miles Teller has finally addressed rumors and announced that he has been vaccinated “for a while” against COVID-19.

The timing of Teller’s short and apparently reluctant declaration on Twitter late Monday night is only likely to raise more questions.

Teller’s statement comes nearly two months after he was first accused in reports of shutting down production for a TV series because he was allegedly hospitalized for COVID and after he refused to be vaccinated. The actor’s statement also comes two weeks after he was drawn into pal Aaron Rodgers’ anti-vaccine controversy.

Teller’s statement might have been prompted by new questions emerging Monday about his appearance in Taylor Swift’s new music video for her song, “I Bet You Think About Me.” The video dropped Monday and immediately sparked inquiries about COVID safety protocols on the set of the video, which was directed by Blake Lively.

“What’s Miles Teller doing here? Did he finally get vaccinated?” asked Daily Beast entertainment reporter Laura Bradley

Taylor Swift’s music video for #IBetYouThinkAboutMe is directed by Blake Lively and stars Miles Teller as a groom who is haunted by a red-clad Swift at his wedding to another woman, played by Teller’s real-life wife Keleigh

Watch the full video: https://t.co/kOx1nuL0Pg pic.twitter.com/DHyfwK1pMt

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 15, 2021

The Daily Beast said it reached out to representatives for Teller and Swift about his appearance in the video, but these reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the actor’s vaccination status and COVID protocols on the video’s set.

Hours later, Teller tweeted: “Hey guys, I don’t usually feel the need to address rumors on here but I am vaccinated and have been for a while. The only thing I’m anti is hate.”

Hey guys, I don’t usually feel the need to address rumors on here but I am vaccinated and have been for a while. The only thing I’m anti is hate.

— Miles Teller (@Miles_Teller) November 16, 2021

While some people offered supportive replies and told Teller that his  vaccination status was nobody’s business, his tweet and, specifically, his use of the phrase “for a while” only prompted more questions.

One person said that Teller “surely” could have clarified months ago, or even filed a lawsuit, if earlier reports about his vaccine resistance had not been true. “I support his right to choose but choices have consequences,” the person said.

Another person offered a “translation” of what Teller’s statement: “Taylor Swift’s PR didn’t like how my non-vaccination status has gained traction since the release of the music video of hers that I’m in, so now I’m being forced to clarify so as to not attract any bad press her way.”

For several months, the 34-year-old “Whiplash” actor has been at the center of a fierce debate in Hollywood over film and TV performers who have expressed skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine or who are refusing to be vaccinated.

According to a Daily Mail report, Teller caused headaches on the set of his new TV series by refusing to be vaccinated. The Mail said his positive test in late July forced production to halt on the Los Angeles set of “The Offer,” a Paramount+ series about the making of the classic film, “The Godfather.”

The Daily Mail cited a production source who said, “Teller is not vaccinated. He wouldn’t even get the test. Now he’s brought the virus to the set and the whole set had to shut down.”

The Daily Mail also reported that the work stoppage cost the production company $6 million.

The Hollywood Reporter similarly said that an actor it did not name had tested positive for COVID-19. In an account that lined up with the Daily Mail’s report on Teller, the Hollywood Reporter said that this actor needed to be hospitalized, and production for his project had to shut down for three weeks.

The actor “was known to the cast and crew as being dismissive of vaccines,” the Reporter said, but after the star tested positive for COVID-19, other crew members also became sick.

At the time, Teller’s publicist told the Daily Mail that their “facts are incorrect,” while a rep for Paramount+ told the Hollywood Reporter that the cost for the work stoppage was less than $6 million.

Over the past couple of weeks, Teller has — willingly or not — also played a supporting role in Rodgers’ anti-vaccination controversy. The Green Bay Packers quarterback tested positive for COVID and was forced to sit out the Packers Nov. 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The reigning NFL MVP also was accused of deliberately misleading the public about his vaccine status and violating NFL COVID protocols by not wearing a mask when at indoor team events.

On Nov. 5, Rodgers tried to justify his decision to not be vaccinated by appearing on “The Pat McAffee” show, where he ranted against the “woke mob,” claimed he got medical advice from podcaster Joe Rogan, and spewed misinformation about vaccines and treatments.

Some wondered if Rodgers’ views on COVID-19 had been influenced by his fiancée, Shailene Woodley, or by Teller, Woodley’s pal and co-star in the “Divergent” films. Woodley hasn’t said anything about her own vaccine status, but she has been public in the past about her preference for herbal remedies, alternative treatments and even eating clay to supposedly rid the body of metals and toxins.

Following Rodgers’ anti-vaccination comments, images of him and Woodley on vacation with Teller and his wife, model Keleigh Sperry, circulated online, suggesting a close bond between the two couples. Sperry shared multiple images of the foursome enjoying lavish, fun-filled trips to the Kentucky Derby in April and to Maui in May.

The reported anti-vaccination views expressed by Rodgers and Teller cast those vacations in a new light, while Teller’s appearance in Swift’s video brought renewed attention to his reported opposition to the vaccine.