"We included a clip that falsely depicted her"— Billboard issues apology over Taylor Swift video as #BillboardIsOverParty movement erupts online

On November 26, Billboard named Taylor Swift the second greatest pop star of the 21st century. However, in the announcement video, the American music outlet included a shot from rapper Kanye West’s 2016 music video for his song, Famous, which featured a naked wax figure of Swift.

Amid this now-viral clip, Billboard has been facing online backlash with the hashtag #BillboardIsOverParty trending on X.

“Okay, Billboard‘s intention was to recap everything that happened in her entire career, I get that. But was it really necessary to include THAT scene? Just nasty, disrespectful, and unprofessional. #BillboardIsOverParty,” a person wrote.

“Highly unprofessional of them to use a clip from THAT video while highlighting her career... Talk about a woman's career without bringing men into it especially the ones who did her dirty, alright Billboard?? #BillboardIsOverParty,” another person wrote.

“using one of the most publicly degrading things that’s ever happened to her when you’re trying to show her 'career highlights' was definitely a choice,” wrote another.

“#BillboardIsOverParty. I was very sad because of Taylor's wax statue in Kanye's MV satirizing Taylor that Billboard posted with the implication of 'honor.' I don't understand how Billboard works,” a fan wrote.

Following the backlash, Billboard issued an apology on social media on November 28 and took down the video.

Billboard apologized to Taylor Swift and her fanbase for including the infamous Kanye West MV clip. (Image via X/@billboard)

So far, neither Taylor Swift nor her representatives have addressed the matter.

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Exploring further the feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West surrounding his song Famous

The reel, uploaded by Billboard on Instagram earlier this week, announced Taylor Swift as the second greatest pop star of the century after Beyonce. It showed a selection of highlights from Swift's two-decade-long career.

However, the clip had the infamous shot of Taylor Swift’s nude wax figure lying on the bed beside Kanye West. The shot was a part of Kanye's official visual for his February 2016 track, Famous.

“I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x/ Why? I made that b*tch famous (Godd*mn),” Ye rapped in the first verse alongside Swizz Beatz.

The track also had naked wax works of other celebrities like Kanye’s former wife, Kim Kardashian, Amber Rose, Ray J, Caitlyn Jenner, Bill Cosby, Riri, Chris Brown, Anna Wintour, George Bush, and Donald Trump.

At the time, the visual of Taylor Swift and the lyrics directly naming her stirred controversy. Her spokesperson told Billboard that Ye didn’t call her for “approval” and instead asked her to “release his single” on her X account.

“She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyrics…” the representative added.

Kanye West and Taylor Swift attended the 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty)

In June 2016, Kim Kardashian told GQ during a cover photoshoot and interview that Swift had “approved” the lyrics. She stressed on a recorded phone call allegedly shared between her then-husband and Swift.

“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 sh*t for things [when] he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved. What rapper would call a girl that he was rapping a line about to get approval?” Kim told GQ.

Kim further claimed that many “respected people in the music business,” such as Rick Rubin, had heard the alleged phone conversation between Ye and the Cruel Summer songstress.

Kardashian mentioned how she was surprised to learn Swift “flipped all of a sudden” and thought it was “funny,” as the latter reportedly told West how she would surprise the media at the Grammys and let them know she was “on it the whole time.”

“And I’m like, wait, but [in] your Grammy speech, you completely dissed my husband just to play the victim again,” Kim shared.

Back then, Taylor Swift’s representative told Billboard that she didn’t hold anything against Kardashian as “she recognizes the pressure Kim must be under and that she is only repeating what she has been told by Kanye West.” They further denied Taylor and Ye ever sharing the alleged call regarding his song Famous.

In July 2016, Kim Kardashian released footage of the recorded clip on her Snapchat where Ye appeared to be on the phone with Taylor and discussing the “I feel like me and Taylor might still have s*x” part." However, the portion where he calls her a “b*tch” and takes credit for making her “famous” did not appear.

Following the leak, Swift took to X and doubled down that she never heard or approved Kanye calling her a “b*tch” in his song.

“It doesn’t exist because it never happened… Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination,” she mentioned.

Over the years, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Taylor Swift have gone back and forth in their feud, with other versions of the recorded call surfacing in 2019 and 2020.

In 2023, Swift even told TIME that Kardashian “illegally recorded” the phone call and “edited” it to show to the world that she was a “liar,” adding that it was a “fully manufactured frame job.” She also shared how it deeply impacted her “psychologically,” and she moved abroad and refused to “trust” anyone for a year.

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Billboard’s countdown of the 25 greatest pop stars of the 21st century began in August 2024 when they named Katy Perry at number 25. Other artists who made it to the list include Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Drake, Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Shakira, BTS, Eminem, Nicki Minaj, and Ariana Grande.

Kanye West, too, was named at number 7. Meanwhile, Bieber’s number 8 spot was criticized by his wife Hailey last week, who called Billboard “a f**king joke as per usual!”

The Billboard ranking is done by the outlet’s employees and is based on factors including pure record sales, cultural impact, legacy in the last 25 years, and more. Swifties also slammed Billboard online for not offering the pop star the top spot. The outlet defended itself, saying Taylor Swift started “much later” than Queen Bey in both “genre and music in general.”