For seven years, Taylor Swift and Kanye West have been embroiled in a vicious, on-off feud, and with the release of his ‘Famous’ video, the rapper has reignited things once again. Here’s a complete timeline of everything that’s gone down since that infamous VMA interruption in 2009!
Taylor Swift, 26, and Kanye West, 39, are back to being on bad terms this year, but the status of their friendship has changed a number of times since their feud began in 2009. The back and forth has been a bit confusing, so get caught up on everything that’s happened in the last seven years right here!
1. VMAs 2009 interruption
Who could forget when Kanye stormed the stage after Taylor won the award for Best Female Video?! He took the mic right from her hands to claim that “Beyonce had the best video of all time,” leaving Tay, then 19 years old, completely startled, hurt and confused. And, of course, there’s the always memorable: “Yo, Taylor, I’mma let you finish…”
2. His apology — and HER song
A few weeks later, ‘Ye took to his blog to issue Taylor a lengthy apology (although he’s since stood by his decision to storm the stage). Then, when she released her album Speak Now in 2010, the singer included a song about the incident called “Innocent,” taking the high road and opting not to totally slam her nemesis.
3. Taylor’s got jokes
When Tay was nominated for two VMA awards in 2013, she used it as an opportunity to joke about the 2009 incident. “If you vote and get us one, I promise to keep a firmer grip on the mic this time ;),” she tweeted. The next month, her pal, Ed Sheeran, shared a photo of a jar of jam she gifted him with, and on the outside she wrote, “Yo Ed – I’m really happy 4 you and I’m gonna let u finish, but this is the best JAM OF ALL TIME.” LOL!
4. The make-up
FINALLY, these two officially made up at the 2015 Grammy Awards, with some help from their mutual pal, Jay Z. “I think it was important for Jay Z for Kanye and I to get along,” Taylor’s explained. “[We] both reached a place where he could say really nice things about my music and what I’ve accomplished and I could ask him how his kid’s doing.” After the Grammys, they happily reunited again at the 2015 Brit Awards. Friends forever, right?!
5. Full circle at the VMAs
It truly did seem like this friendship would last — in Aug. 2015, Taylor proudly presented Kanye with the Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs, a full six years after he interrupted her on stage. She praised him, hugged him on stage, and had a huge smile on her face the whole time. What could go wrong?!
6. The release of ‘Famous’
Only six months later, Kanye reignited the bitter feud by releasing the song “Famous” from his album The Life Of Pablo. On the track, he sings, “I feel like me and Taylor Swift might still have sex, I made that b**ch famous.” The rapper claims he got permission from the 26-year-old for the lyric, but she and her camp have vehemently denied this.
7. Tay fires back
One year after her happy reunion with Kanye at the Grammys, Taylor won the award for Album of the Year at the 2016 show, and made sure to throw some shade at Kanye. “There are going to be people along the way who try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments, or your fame,” Taylor said in her acceptance speech. “But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you will look around and you will know it was you and the people who love you who put you there, and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”
8. Kim’s ‘GQ’ interview & the ‘Famous’ video
‘Ye’s wife, Kim Kardashian, 35, stood by her hubby in a June interview for GQ, slamming Taylor for lying and claiming she didn’t know about the “Famous” lyric before the song came out. Tay’s camp denied the allegations again, but the “Wildest Dreams” singer still can’t get away from this couple — on June 24, Kanye released the “Famous” video, and a wax replica of her is featured in it…totally naked! “It’s not support or anti any of [the people in the video],” the rapper explained. “It’s a comment on fame.” Okay…
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