Top 5 controversial moments when Kanye West brutally slammed Taylor Swift

Kanye West and Taylor Swift have had a history of years-long rocky relationship, which is still, to this day, one of the most-talked about feuds in pop culture.

Here are the fives times West took brutal swipes at Swift, leaving fans of both artists infuriated.

The VMA Interruption:

To fully understand the long-standing feud between the two artists, we have to enter a time machine and go back to 2009.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards proceeded as usual, but one shocking moment from that night left a lasting impact on pop culture.

What unfolded that night wasn’t a pleasant memory for Swift, as West, who was 32 at the time abruptly interrupted the Blank Space hitmaker, then 19, during her acceptance speech for Best Female Video.

Ye famously stated, "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!"

Refusal to Apologise:

According to the BBC, just days after becoming father for a first time, West withdrew his apology after initially apologising for the infamous 2009 VMA’s incident.

He stated that he wasn’t remorseful for his actions toward the Lover songstress.

Famous lyrics:

This marked the point where the feud between the two actually escalated and took a whole new turn.

In 2016, the American rapper released a song titled Famous, where he made derogatory remarks about Swift.

The lyrics went, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous."

Shortly after its release, West faced massive backlash as song stirred controversy online.

He then claimed on Twitter that Swift had given her permission to be name-dropped after they had a one-hour phone call.

"I called Taylor and had an hour long convo with her about the line, and she thought it was funny and gave her blessings," the Bully rapper tweeted.

Swift’s representatives quickly shut down the claims, stating that she was not informed about the “bitch” line and had "cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message.”

The notorious phone call:

West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian secretly recorded a phone call between West and Swift, which she claimed proved that the Betty singer had approved the Famous lyrics.

However, many believed that the call was edited to mislead the public and disgrace Swift.

Speaking to GQ in a 2016 cover interview, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star defended her former husband, saying, "She totally approved that.”

"She totally knew that that was coming out. She wanted to all of a sudden act like she didn't. I swear, my husband gets so much s*** for things [when] he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved,” Kardashian added, per PEOPLE.

Release of Famous music video:

West later released the controversial music video of Famous, which featured a wax figure of Swift depicted without clothes.

The video also displayed nude sculptures of any West, Donald Trump, Chris Brown, and even Caitlyn Jenner, all laying together in a single bed.

The video was met with massive criticism, particularly targeting at the Graduation crooner.

Netizens were outraged by the objectification of women’s bodies, especially Swift’s portrayal.

Closing note:

The aforementioned incidents highlight the top five controversial moments in the West-Swift feud.

In the most recent development, Swift told TIME magazine in 2023 that the scandal had affected her psychologically and felt like a “career death.”

"Make no mistake — my career was taken away from me," she told the publication, adding, “You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar."

Reflecting further, Taylor Swift added, "That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard.”