ICYMI: Superstar Taylor Swift made headlines last week after she was named TIME Magazine’s Person of The Year. In her cover story, the singer looked back on some of her greatest moments and even some of the “psychologically” damaging experiences.
While speaking with the mag, Swift recalled her past issues with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West which ultimately stemmed from the rapper infamously interrupting her VMA acceptance speech at the 2009 awards show.
While recently being interviewed by Entertainment Tonight, Amber Rose who was dating Ye at the time and attended the ceremony revisited that whole moment. Anchor Deidre Behar mentioned to Rose that 2024 will mark 15 years since Kanye’s infamous VMA takeover which took Swift’s moment and praised Beyonce‘s ‘I Am…Sasha Fierce’ hit ‘Single Ladies.’ Rose said, “I love Taylor Swift,” she began. “Was [Kanye] telling the truth? He was telling the truth. Beyonce deserved that award, but you can’t take it from somebody else. It wasn’t Taylor’s fault [that she received the award].”
Amber continued, “[Taylor] essentially did deserve it. He [Kanye] instantly felt bad because it wasn’t about Taylor at all. I think the media made it seem like he was picking on her and stuff but he wasn’t he was just standing up or Beyonce,” she said. “It was just an unfortunate situation.”
RELATED: Amber Rose Reveals Whether She Loved Kanye West Or Wiz Khalifa More: ‘It’s Not Even A Question’
RELATED: Amber Rose Speaks Out To Defend Sukihana After Yk Osiris Kissed Her Without Consent
More On The 2009 VMAS:
On September 13, 2009, Taylor Swift took the stage at the VMAs to accept the award for Best Female Video for her hit song “You Belong with Me.” However, her acceptance speech was abruptly interrupted by Kanye West, who stormed onto the stage, grabbed the microphone from Swift, and declared that Beyoncé’s music video for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” was more deserving of the award.
The immediate reaction from the audience and viewers at home was a mix of shock, disbelief, and outrage. Swift, visibly taken aback, was left speechless, and the incident became an instant viral sensation. The incident quickly overshadowed the rest of the awards show and dominated headlines for weeks to come.
The fallout from the incident was swift and intense. Kanye West faced severe backlash from fans, fellow artists, and the media for his disrespectful behavior towards Taylor Swift. Many accused him of being arrogant, rude, and lacking basic decency. The incident even led to a temporary hiatus in West’s career, as he became a target of public scrutiny and faced significant backlash.
In the years that followed, both Kanye West and Taylor Swift embarked on separate journeys of redemption and growth. West publicly apologized to Swift multiple times, acknowledging his mistake and expressing remorse for his actions. Swift accepted his apologies and chose to move forward, eventually mending their strained relationship.
However, things became sour between the two entertainers again. In 2016, Kanye released the song “Famous,” which included controversial lyrics about Taylor Swift. He claimed that he had received her approval for the lyrics, but Taylor denied this. The situation escalated quickly, with Kim Kardashian, Kanye’s wife, releasing a recorded phone call between Kanye and Taylor. This led to a massive public feud between the two, with fans and celebrities taking sides.
In Swift’s TIME Magazine story, she recalls leaving the country over that moment.
“Make no mistake—my career was taken away from me,” she told TIME. “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. 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.”
Further speaking on her journey with the mag, Swift added:
“It’s not lost on me that the two great catalysts for this happening were two horrendous things that happened to me,” she said. “The first was getting canceled within an inch of my life and sanity. The second was having my life’s work taken away from me by someone who hates me.”
Swift continued, “Nothing is permanent. So I’m very careful to be grateful every second that I get to be doing this at this level, because I’ve had it taken away from me before. There is one thing I’ve learned: My response to anything that happens, good or bad, is to keep making things. Keep making art.. But I’ve also learned there’s no point in actively trying to quote unquote defeat your enemies. Trash takes itself out every single time.”