Taylor Swift manages to stay in the headlines for more reasons than one. Apart from her skyrocketing fame and success, the pop sensation has also been in the limelight for her relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce. But it’s not all fun and games. Swift has her fair share of battles, one of which is the inadvertent negative limelight she keeps getting herself into.
In another such incident, Billboard publicly apologized to Taylor Swift after an accompanying video to its announcement naming her the second-biggest pop star of the 21st century caused a lot of backlash. The ranking was meant to honor Swift’s great career, but people were upset when the video included footage from Kanye West’s incendiary ‘Famous‘ music video that reignited the feud between the two artists. Here’s the full story.
What Did Billboard Apologize For?
In Kanye West’s 2016 ‘Famous‘ video, the wax figure of Taylor Swift was naked and in bed with him, which called back to the lyric line where he said he “made that b**** famous.” The lyrics to the song, as well as this video, marked the end of their friendship.
Kanye’s then-wife Kim Kardashian had argued that Swift had accepted the lyric, but there was a leaked phone call between Taylor and Kanye talking on the phone that revealed she wasn’t fully informed about the lyrics of the song.
In its announcement naming the pop star the second-biggest pop star of the 21st century, Billboard included footage from Kanye West’s incendiary ‘Famous‘ music video showing Swift’s naked wax doll. Though the footage was meant to honor Swift’s achievements, it hit the wrong note with her fans.
We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.
— billboard (@billboard) November 28, 2024
After public outcry, Billboard promptly removed the video from its channels and took responsibility by issuing a formal apology on X (formerly Twitter). “We are sorry to Taylor Swift and to all our viewers and readers that in our video of congratulation with Taylor Swift, we showed a video clip which gives the impression that is real while she did nothing wrong,” reads a statement.
Swifties Are Relieved After Billboard Removes The Problematic Video
Taylor Swift’s fans have a sixth sense when it comes to defending their pop icon. This time was no different. As soon as Billboard released the video in question, Swifties were quick to respond and defend the pop titan, especially given the long-lasting damage from the Kanye incident.
In case you missed it: “Who Does That?”: BLACKPINK’s Rosé Reveals How Taylor Swift Helped Her Ahead Of Her First Solo Album Release
They were also relieved after Billboard removed the video. Even in the misstep, however, the impact of Taylor Swift on the music industry remains undeniable, as she continues to dominate charts and break records.
