Did a Tennessee professor cancel their class over Taylor Swift's engagement? All about the viral video

A University of Tennessee associate professor recently captured global attention across social media with a playful response to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement. The lovebirds announced the joyous life update recently, and quite evidently, they broke the internet. Netizens haven't been able to calm down since then.

The now-viral professor joined the expanding list of excited fans to rejoice in the special moment. According to a report by Dexerto, advertising and PR associate professor Matthew Pittman turned the celebrity news into an impromptu lesson in public relations.

As the engagement announcement appeared on a classroom projector, Pittman dramatically wrapped up his lecture and announced that the scheduled biochemistry midterm was off.

Although the video initially looked like a sudden class cancelation, it was later revealed to be a staged PR demonstration. The candid clip went viral quickly, further delighting viewers with Pittman's unique teaching approach. 

Everything we know about the Tennessee professor canceling his class for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement post alone garnered over 30.5 million likes in just a day of sharing the news on the internet. As per Dexerto, it is now one of the 20 most-liked posts on Instagram.

In the viral video with nearly six million views and 290K likes, associate professor Matthew Pittman can be seen conducting his widely discussed lecture. Amused by the buzz and hype for the news, he showcased the engagement picture on a projector and surprised his class full of students.

To take their excitement to a notch above, he even told his students that their upcoming biochemistry midterm was officially called off. His statement surely transformed the class into a spontaneous celebration and cheers.

The professor can be heard expressing,

"We had a biochem midterm today. But Taylor and Travis just got engaged. Due to this information, I can't focus, you all can’t focus. Class is canceled, get outta here. We need time to process this information."

Tombras School of AD & PR shared a new video explaining the reason behind the fake cancelation of the biochemistry midterm. Later, he explained the stunt was intentionally crafted to demonstrate how online surfers respond to such significant pop culture moments.

He reacted to the engagement news "from an advertising perspective and as a fan," elaborating,

"I don't know how anybody could be expected to focus on school work or anything work or career-related right now. This is pretty big news. It's gonna take a few days to process all of these."

The associate professor also noted the engagement's timing was strategic, as it was right before the NFL season. Another key moment was when their engagement news was disclosed weeks after her record-breaking New Heights podcast appearance with Travis Kelce. It was perfectly poised to capture interest.

He added that the post had the potential to become one of the most shared social media posts ever within a single day. However, it ultimately fell short of that milestone.

Praising the professor for his unique representation of showing the significance of pop culture, an Instagrammer commented,

"This is so awesome!! I’m a 1970 UT grad…classes not quite this fun and exciting!!"

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