Kanye West Infamously Stormed Taylor Swift's VMAs Speech 15 Years Ago: A Recap of the Viral Moment in Music History

When it comes to infamous MTV VMA Awards moments, nothing compares to the clash between Taylor Swift and Kanye West at the awards ceremony on September 13, 2009.

As Swift accepted her first VMA for Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me,” West infamously stormed the stage during her speech, exclaiming, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos ever!”

The event sparked a series of events that resulted in a long-standing feud between the musicians. Although they briefly patched up their feud in 2015 — while Swift was at the West MTV Video Vanguard Awards at the VMAs — things finally took a turn in 2016 when the rapper released his song “Famous,” which included criticism of Swift.

West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian then waded into the drama when she came to his defense by sharing a phone call between West and Swift that appeared to show the rapper and singer discussing the song ahead of its release.

In the years since, Swift has shared her side of the story through her music. her Reputation the album mainly deals with the feud and her recent album Department for tortured poets features a song called “thank you aIMee” which alludes to the drama since the title of the song has K, I and M in capital letters.

In fact, Swift subtly re-stylized “thanK you aIMee” to “thank you aimEe” as she blocked West’s album from reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in August.

While Swift and West’s interaction at the 2009 awards show became an embarrassment for the VMAs, their onstage interaction wasn’t the only big moment of the night. Relive the viral moment in music history right in front of you.

Taylor Swift arrives at the VMAs in Cinderella’s carriage

Taylor Swift arrives at the MTV VMAs.

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On her heels Fearless album, Swift turned the MTV VMAs into her princess moment. It was a momentous moment as Swift was seen making a stop at Radio City Music Hall Cinderella-esque horse and carriage.

Taylor Swift sparkles on the red carpet

Taylor Swift on the MTV VMAs red carpet.

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Swift had her eyes on her as she exited the carriage and walked the red carpet in a silver sequined dress, which she paired with her signature red lipstick. The dress itself became a historic moment in pop culture history, and the singer wore it again for her “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, in which she alludes to her feud with West.

Taylor Swift accepts her first MTV VMA from Shakira and Taylor Lautner

Taylor Swift and Shakira at the MTV VMA Awards.

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Just moments before her infamous moment with West, Swift was in pure bliss as she accepted her first MTV VMAs. For a special honor, she was presented with the award by Shakira and Taylor Lautner, who Swift was actually dating at the time. The pair were seen cuddling sweetly on stage before she took to the microphone.

Taylor Swift hugs Taylor Lautner at the MTV VMAs.

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Swift later alluded to sharing the stage with Lautner — and the infamous West moment that followed — in her song “Back to December” as she sings about the “September night” where he first saw her cry. Meanwhile, Lautner reflected on the moment in 2023 during the debut episode of his podcast Grip.

During the episode, the actor recalled that he “wasn’t aware that the Kanye thing wasn’t a sketch.” The actor said he then laughed off the interaction until his then-girlfriend turned around and saw her face. “I thought, ‘Oh,'” he said. “No, that…wasn’t good.”

Kanye West storms the stage during Taylor Swift’s speech at the VMAs

Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the MTV VMA Awards.

Christopher Polk/Getty

Shortly after accepting the award, West stormed onto the stage and interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech with the now infamous expletive: “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! ”

The outburst was met with shocked faces from the crowd, including Beyoncé who seemed to say, “Oh, Kanye!” As Swift stood on stage in shock, the entire crowd erupted into boos. During it Miss America documentary, Swift recalled the moment, noting that at first she thought the audience was booing her.

“It resonated so much there. At the time, I didn’t know he was being booed for that,” she said. “I thought I was being whistled.”

“For someone who built his entire belief system around getting people to clap for you, being booed by a whole crowd is quite a formative experience,” she added. “It was kind of a catalyst for a lot of psychological paths that I went down and not all of them were helpful. All of this was fueled by the fact that I didn’t feel like I belonged there. I’m only here because I work hard and I’m nice to people.”

Taylor Swift ‘shakes it off’ with a New York subway performance

Taylor Swift performs in front of Radio City Music Hall.

James Devaney/WireImage

Like the “Fearless” singer that she is, Swift didn’t miss a beat as she performed on the New York subway moments after the West incident. Wearing a bright red dress, Swift sang “You Belong With Me” on a moving subway surrounded by fans before exiting the Rockefeller Center subway station and singing outside Radio City Music Hall.

It was certainly an iconic VMA moment, so much so that it’s currently nominated for a new social category at the 2024 ceremony, the VMAs Most Iconic Performance.

Taylor Swift poses with her Moon Person backstage

Taylor Swift with her Person of the Month at the MTV VMA Awards.

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Later in the night, Swift went backstage to the press room as she posed with her first person on the moon. During a press conference, Swift spoke for the first time about the incident with West, revealing that she was a fan of the rapper before the interaction.

“I was standing on stage and I was really excited because I had just won an award, and then I was really excited because Kanye West was on stage… And after that I wasn’t excited anymore,” she said at the time.

Taylor Swift shares the stage with Beyoncé

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé at the MTV VMA Awards.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

The night came to a dramatic end as Beyoncé took home Video of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” at the end of the ceremony. During her acceptance speech, the singer shared a sweet moment with Swift as she asked her to come back on stage and give the rest of her acceptance speech.

“This is amazing,” Beyoncé said as she accepted her award. “I remember when I was 17 I was nominated for my first MTV award with Destiny’s Child and it was one of the most exciting moments of my life, so I would love for Taylor to come out and have her moment.”

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé hug at the MTV VMAs.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

After Swift’s speech, the two embraced and left the stage together. “It was so wonderful and kind of her,” Swift told reporters after the show. “She’s always been a great person… I thought I couldn’t love Beyoncé more and tonight it happened and it was just beautiful.”

While that night sparked Swift’s longtime feud with West, it also sparked her longtime friendship with Beyoncé. In the years since, the two have publicly shown support for each other in the music industry, including attending each other’s concert film premieres in 2023.

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Source: HIS Education