Inside Taylor Swift and Kanye West's feud after he ambushed her at the VMAs

11 September 2023 , 15:12

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Taylor Swift and Kanye West first fell out at the MTV VMAs (Image: GETTY)

Taylor Swift and Kanye West have been embroiled in one of the most notorious feuds in music history for more than a decade, with there being no sign of the pair reuniting anytime soon.

It all started back in 2009, when an uninvited Kanye rushed onstage during Taylor's acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. While he apologised for the incident, the rapper later retracted his statement.

Things went from bad to worse when he hit out at Taylor in his hit song Famous. And it wasn't just Kanye taking aim at the singer-songwriter. His now-ex-wife Kim Kardashian also became mixed up in the drama. As the feud reaches its 14th year, we've taken a look back at the bitter dispute.

Brutal VMAs ambush

Kanye West stormed onstage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech (Getty Images)

Kanye and Taylor's feud all started on September 13, 2009. Taylor was delighted when she received the Best Female Video for her hit track You Belong With Me. But as she was giving her acceptance speech, Kanye climbed the stairs up to the stage to interrupt her words. In a now-infamous speech, the rapper said: "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."

Taylor later broke her silence about the incident as she spoke to waiting reporters. "I was standing on stage and I was really excited because I'd just won the award and then I was really excited because Kanye West was on stage … And then I wasn't excited anymore after that," she said.

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The apology

The rapper initially apologised for his interruption (WireImage)

The next day, Kanye addressed the incident during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "I immediately knew in the situation that it was wrong and it was a spectacle," he said.

The musician said the outburst was due to a mixture of "sincerity and alcohol". He added: "It's actually someone's emotions that I stepped on. It was very, it was rude, period. I'd like to be able to apologise to her in person."

Taylor then admitted that Kanye had apologised to her for the VMAs incident. "Kanye did call me and he was very sincere in his apology, and I accepted that apology," she said on ABC Radio. The singer added: "The support I got from other artists and from the fans, and so many people sticking up for me, that's what got me to the place where I could accept that apology. And I'm just very thankful that everyone showed me so much love."

However, Kanye later took back his apology. He said he had "no regrets" about the stage storming incident.

Reunion

Kanye and Taylor sparked rumours of a reconciliation (Getty Images)

Kanye said they were 'definitely' going into the studio together (AFP via Getty Images)

Taylor and Kanye reunited at the 2015 Grammy Awards and it seemed as though they had put their past behind them. They were pictured together during the show, sparking rumours of a possible collaboration.

Indeed, Kanye himself fuelled the rumours. Speaking to Ryan Seacrest at the time, he teased: "She wants to get in the studio, and we're definitely going to go in. Any artist with an amazing point of view, perspective, fanbase, I'm down to get in the studio and work. I don't discriminate."

Taylor later addressed their relationship. Speaking to Vanity Fair a few months later, Taylor said: "I feel like I wasn't ready to be friends with him until I felt like he had some sort of respect for me, and he wasn't ready to be friends with me until he had some sort of respect for me. We haven't planned [any collaboration] … But hey, I like him as a person. And that's a really good, nice first step, a nice place for us to be."

They further came together at the 2015 MTV VMAs, where Taylor presented Kanye with the Video Vanguard Award. He then sent her flowers and Taylor posted about them on Instagram, writing: "Awwww Kanye sent me the coolest flowers!! #KanTay2020 #BFFs".

'Famous' song fallout and X-rated video

Kanye featured a naked wax figure of Taylor Swift in his music video for Famous (Corbis via Getty Images)

He also name-dropped the singer (AFP/Getty Images)

In February 2016, Kanye debuted his new song Famous from the album The Life of Pablo. The song includes a dig at Taylor: "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b***h famous."

There was a huge online backlash to the song, with Kanye then claiming to have gained permission from Taylor to name-drop her following an hour-long phone conversation. In June that year, Kanye released the accompanying music video to Famous.

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The controversial video featured a naked wax figure of Taylor. Other people in the video included Caitlyn Jenner and Kanye's now-ex-wife Kim Kardashian.

Phone call drama

Kim Kardashian jumped into the feud (Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)

She claimed Taylor had known about the song lyric (Getty Images)

Kim then jumped into Kanye and Taylor's feud, claiming the Blank Space hitmaker knew about the song. "She totally approved that. She totally knew that that was coming out," Kim told GQ magazine.

She added: "She wanted to all of a sudden act like she didn't. I swear, my husband gets so much s**t for things. He really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved."

Taylor's spokesperson was quick to comment on Kim's statement. They insisted Kim's statement was incorrect.

In response, Kim released a recording of a phone call which happened between Taylor and Kanye. "It's like a compliment," Taylor can be heard saying after Kanye seemingly reads her the lyrics that say: "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex."

Taylor told Kanye she appreciated the "heads up" about the lyrics. However, Taylor later claimed she hadn't been made aware of the full lyrics and referred to the Famous music video as "revenge porn".

In 2020, the full phone call was leaked. This showed Taylor had never been made aware of the lyrics: "I made that b***h famous".

Scarlett O'Toole