The Infamous Feud: Taylor Swift and Kanye West’s Epic Clash at the 2009 MTV VMAs

I’m Riley Carter, and I’m here to spill the tea on one of pop culture’s most iconic feuds. The drama between Taylor Swift and Kanye West has been brewing for over 15 years, and it all started at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Swift, then just 19, had won Best Female Video for her hit song “You Belong With Me” and was taking the stage to accept her prize. But before she could even finish her speech, West stormed the stage, grabbed the mic, and declared that Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” was the real winner.

The audience booed West as he left the stage, but Swift thought they were booing her. “For someone who’s built their whole belief system on getting people to clap for you,” she recalled in her 2020 documentary Miss Americana, “the whole crowd booing is a pretty formative experience.” This moment marked the beginning of a long-standing feud between the two artists. West’s actions that night sparked a chain reaction of events that would play out over the years.

In the aftermath of the VMAs, West apologized to Swift, claiming he was “sincere” in his regret. Swift accepted his apology and even played a song rumored to be about forgiving him, “Innocent,” at the award show the following year. West also told Jay Leno that his behavior was “wrong” and “rude, period.” However, in a 2013 interview with The New York Times, West revealed that he didn’t regret the onstage interruption and only apologized due to peer pressure.

Fast-forward to 2015, and it seemed like the two were putting their differences behind them. Swift, West, and his then-wife Kim Kardashian were spotted chatting it up at the Grammys. Swift told Vanity Fair that she and West had developed a mutual respect for each other, and she had become friends with Jay-Z, which helped facilitate their reconciliation. She even presented West with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2015 VMAs, poking fun at their infamous encounter.

But just when it seemed like the feud was over, West released his song “Famous” in 2016, and the drama reignited. Swift claimed that West never told her about the lyric, “I made that b—h famous,” while West and Kardashian insisted that he had given her a heads-up. The controversy surrounding the song sparked a heated debate, with fans taking sides.

The feud continued to escalate, with Kardashian posting videos to Snapchat that appeared to show Swift and West discussing the track. The videos seemed to contradict Swift’s claims, fueling the fire. It’s clear that the drama between Swift and West is far from over, and fans are still invested in the saga.

As I look back on the history of their feud, it’s clear that this is more than just a celebrity squabble – it’s a cultural phenomenon. The drama has played out on social media, at award shows, and in the press, captivating audiences and sparking heated debates. And honestly, who isn’t here for it?

Anyway, that’s the deal. Do with it what you will.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online, Entertainment Tonight, ABC News Radio, Jay Leno, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Miss Americana
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed