Americans were briefly more interested in William Taylor than Taylor Swift


You know it's a monumental day when the world's most-Googled Taylor isn't Swift.
Ukrainian Ambassador William Taylor — who testified Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump's Ukraine dealings — was briefly the most interesting Taylor in the world, FiveThirtyEight's Micah Cohen reports. Even considering his high-profile testimony, that's a bit surprising, considering Taylor (the singer) released a remix of her song "Lover" with Shawn Mendes also on Wednesday. Nevertheless, Taylor (the ambassador) managed to edge her out just after 10:40 a.m., about 40 minutes into the hearing.
The blue lines represent searches for "William" and "Bill" Taylor; red represents searches for Swift:
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As Google Trends illustrates, the dueling Taylors remained neck-and-neck throughout the afternoon, but anyone rooting for the underdog seems sure to be disappointed in the long run. After today, Taylor (the singer) seems all but assured to reclaim her title as the World's Most Interesting Taylor.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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