What did Billboard post about Taylor Swift? Fans demand an apology as clip from infamous Kanye video sparks outrage

Billboard named Taylor Swift as one of the 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the Century on November 28, 2024. The publication announced that the singer had bagged the second spot and to celebrate the same, it shared a reel on Instagram, looking back at Swift's career. However, the reel also had a snapshot of Taylor Swift taken from Kanye West's controversial song, Famous.

While Billboard has since deleted the video, fans who saw the video demanded an apology from the publication. The video showed how Taylor began her career as a country singer before gaining popularity and becoming a chart-topping artist.

However, the clip from Ye's Famous in Swift's video had fans furious. The clip showed what looked like Taylor's naked wax figure sleeping while the 2016 song played in the background.

The song's lyrics, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x. Why I made that b*tch famous," left fans feeling displeased.

While Billboard did delete the video and replaced it with another one without Ye's song, Swifties demanded that the publication publicly apologize to the singer. Many used hashtags like “BillboardIsOverParty” and “ApologizeToTaylor” to call out the publication. While some said it was "disgusting," others called them "nasty pigs."

“@billboard girl tf is wrong with you,” an X user said.

“That’s disgusting thing #Billboard,” a platform user said.

“@billboard: amongst many other things, you’re now also publicly endorsing the s*xual harassment & trauma of a woman? The bar keeps getting lower for you. Nasty pigs,” another netizen commented.

Several netizens dubbed Billboard’s move to include the Famous song clip as some stated that they would always "stand by her side."

“Disgusting.. The industry is trying to humble and shame her, but we will always stand by her side,” an X user said.

“This is disrespectful and disgusting. f**k you billboard,” another netizen said.

“I’d expect this from Interview but not Billboard. Wow,” another platform user said.

“We all know pay z and payonce are behind this,” an X user said.

“Notice how Beyonce is staying silent,” another netizen said.

“Beyonce is behind this, she always has been greedy and never supported with honest other women,” a platform user said.

Billboard ranked Beyoncé in their number one spot. An official announcement is yet to be made by the publication. Several netizens pointed out that the Single Ladies crooner had not responded to the Taylor Swift-Billboard controversy at the time of writing this article.

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Recapping Taylor Swift and Kanye West’s relationship following Billboard’s Instagram reel release

The feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West began in 2009 when West interrupted her MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech. He claimed that Beyoncé deserved the Best Female Music Video Award rather than Swift. Swift had won the award for You Belong With Me, but West said onstage that "Beyoncé had the best video of all time.”

The move left Swift dumbfounded on stage, while many critiqued West on social media. Former president Barack Obama also went on to call Kanye a “jacka*s.”

Years later, the duo managed to get along, as Taylor Swift told Vanity Fair in September 205 that Jay-Z urged her and West to make amends.

Kanye West released his Famous track from his The Life of Pablo album in 2016. Taylor Swift’s rep told Billboard that West had not called Swift and asked for her permission. They added that she was unaware of the lyric—“I made that b**ch famous”—being included in the song and that she had warned Kanye of releasing a song with such a strong “misogynistic message.”

In June 2016, West’s then-wife Kim Kardashian interjected and said in a GQ interview that Swift had “approved” the lyric. She also dropped a recording where West and Swift were seen discussing the track. However, Swift took to social media later to clarify that she cannot be heard giving West permission to call her a “b**ch” in the song because that conversation “never happened.”

The Famous controversy was heavily discussed by fans and fellow musicians alike and Kanye West used Taylor Swift’s name yet again in his Vultures 2 album. While discussing Swift’s romance with Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, Lil Wayne sang in the Kanye track:

“I twist my Taylor spliffs tight at the end like Travis Kelce.”

Neither Taylor Swift nor Kanye West have responded to Billboard's video or the fans' reactions to it. Additionally, while fans did mention Beyoncé in their social media posts, she is also yet to make any comments about it.