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    1. Celebrity

    Mariska Hargitay Named Her Cat "Karma" as a Nod to Taylor Swift's Pet Olivia Benson

    Incredible stuff.

    Iris Goldsztajn's avatar
    By Iris Goldsztajn
    Published 1 December 2023 In News

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    Taylor Swift and Mariska Hargitay attend the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California
    (Image credit: Getty)
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    Mariska Hargitay is in on the joke.

    The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress—who plays the detective Olivia Benson on the TV show—has just named her new cat Karma, as a reference to Taylor Swift's song "Karma," in which she sings that "karma is a cat."

    Introducing Karma the cat on Instagram, Hargitay wrote, "Karma is a Cat @taylorswift Meet Karma. My Cat. #MeAndKarmaVibeLikeThat #AndIKeepMySideOfMyPawClean #KarmaIsACat"

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    BTW, cat lovers, Karma is the cutest lil' bug, a Siamese cat with piercing blue eyes. In the second photo Hargitay posted, this sweet baby is licking its paw while staring at the camera, which is hilarious and adorable in equal measure.

    A post shared by Mariska

    A photo posted by therealmariskahargitay on

    The reason this is a doubly epic move is not just that Hargitay is a Swiftie (though Swiftie she is, rest assured): It's that one of Swift's cats is famously named Olivia Benson after her character.

    BTW, the singer also has one cat named Meredith Grey after Grey's Anatomy, and another named Benjamin Button named after, well, Benjamin Button.

    A post shared by Taylor Swift

    A photo posted by taylorswift on

    Anyway, as for Hargitay's Swift fandom, the actress showed it off loud and proud when she attended the Eras Tour back in August.

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    Posting a photo of herself in a 1989 t-shirt, plus lots of pictures from the night (including one with a TON of friendship bracelets), Hargitay wrote, "Still in the afterglow of the most magical night. Deepest gratitude to @taylorswift for your poetry and wisdom. You inspire us and connect us to our #delicate tenderness, joy, hope and strength—and most of all, our wish to live and love courageously. Thank you, Taylor, for all you do and all you are."

    I'm feeling the love from all the way over here.

    A post shared by Mariska

    A photo posted by therealmariskahargitay on

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    Morning Editor

    Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

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