Revisit the unforgettable 2009 VMAs moment between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Discover what really happened and how it shaped both of th...
Revisit the unforgettable 2009 VMAs moment between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. Discover what really happened and how it shaped both of their careers. Over the years, the MTV Video Music Awards have seen some crazy pop culture events: Madonna kissing Britney Spears on the tongue. "Twerking" on Robin Thicke is Miley Cyrus. Lil Mama showing up during Jay Z and Alicia Keys' performance of "Empire State of Mind," and Kanye West famously cutting Taylor Swift off in the middle of her victory speech.
West and Lil Mama both lost it on the same night in 2009, but the media mostly focused on West. With good reason, too, since the event still affects how we see some of the biggest names in music, shows how internet virality has changed over time, and has had a big impact on the lives of the two main characters. No less than 10 years later.
Who was involved?
In the middle of this 10-year-old pop culture moment are country singer-turned-pop star Taylor Swift (19 years old), talented but troubled producer/phenom Kanye West (32 years old), and superstar Beyoncé (27 years old), even though she really didn't want anything to do with it. A lot of other famous people were involved, including Kim Kardashian West, Jay Z, and even former President Barack Obama.What happened?
The 13th of September 2009 probably began like any other night, but what happened next was not at all like that. West rushed on stage to cut Swift off as she was accepting her award for Best Female Music Video of the Year. "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you," West told the singer, who looked confused. Beyoncé had one of the best movies ever. I'll let you finish. This is one of the greatest videos ever!"It was in reaction to Swift's "You Belong With Me" beating Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" in the same category. This made things awkward for Beyoncé, and she could be seen in the crowd mouthing "Oh, Kanye" in shock. She would go on to win the more important award, Music Video of the Year, that same night and ask Swift to join her on stage so that she could finish the bad award speech she had started.
How did social media react?
For social media, the effect happened right away. Twitter and Facebook, which were both only three years old at the time, were absolutely hopping. But it was the old platform that suddenly became the internet's water cooler. People were crazy about asking what happened and sharing "Kanye Interrupts" memes. It made me think of how people felt about the event with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl, which became famous and helped create YouTube.What was the impact at the VMAs?
The Kanye-Taylor moment ended up being more important than everything else that night. Madonna paid a touching tribute to Michael Jackson, who had died less than three months before; Janet Jackson, Jackson's sister, gave a heartbreaking tribute to the king of pop; Lady Gaga performed the bloody "Paparazzi"; Lil Mama interrupted; and Pink did an amazing acrobatic performance of "Sober." The VMAs have always been known for breaking the rules of normal (and sometimes dull) awards shows, but this moment was clearly its own thing.How did the central players handle it afterward?
Much of the talk that followed Beyoncé was able to avoid, but West and Swift were not so lucky. People quickly turned against West. Even President Obama called him a "jackass." In that year, he started an apology tour with a blog post that says, "I'm sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mum..." She has a lot of ability! I wasn't supposed to be on stage and ruin her moment!" He later said sorry again on The Jay Leno Show the next night, and was asked directly what his late mother Donda West would have thought of it. Then he disappeared from public view for a few months. When he came back, it was with a new record that got great reviews, and he told everyone about his health on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.Swift quickly got over what happened and used her newfound fame (and support) in a way that only she can. Swift's first Grammy was for Album of the Year in 2010. In her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live in November 2009, she made fun of the VMAs incident: "You might be expecting me to say something bad about Kanye and how he ran up on stage and ruined my VMA monologue..." "I don't have anything else to say because everything is fine." There's security all around the stage!" She then joked, "We have a great show," followed by a break. This is not where Kanye West is.
When do you want now?
Even after 10 years, it would be wrong to think that the famous fight in 2009 hasn't affected West and Swift. The event touched on many issues, such as stereotypically angry black men, white women feeling like victims, and racism and sexism in the music business.
West's image as a hip-hop rock star and the bad guy that everyone loves to hate was solidified by the event. In fact, West eventually went in a direction that seemed to show he found more satisfaction in going against the grain (all the way down to his support for Donald Trump and "MAGA" rhetoric). This was in contrast to his earlier persona as an outspoken superstar who spoke out against racism in the entertainment industry against black people and the Bush administration's racism against the black community in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. At the same time, that event may have solidified Taylor Swift's carefully created image as an underdog. This would give her the power to supposedly call out bad boyfriends, bad friends (most notably John Mayer and Katy Perry), and even the music industry itself. However, this weak position would eventually lead to fair criticisms calling her to account for allegedly anti-woman lyrics and her apparent willingness to readily accept a victimhood narrative, as Kim Kardashian-West famously pointed out.
We, West, and Swift probably won't be the only ones talking about this event, which has turned into an interesting study of our shared relationship with social media going viral, celebrity superstardom, and all of us just going along for the ride.
FAQs
How many VMAs has Taylor Swift won?
Taylor Swift has won **30 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)**, making her the most awarded solo artist in the history of the show. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}
Why is Taylor Swift not attending the VMAs in 2025?
She is skipping the 2025 VMAs despite being nominated (for Artist of the Year) — reportedly to focus on her upcoming album and because of conflicting schedules (her fiancé’s NFL season opener in Brazil). :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
Did Taylor Swift win anything at the VMAs in 2025?
No — she left the 2025 VMAs empty-handed and did not win an award that year. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Did Taylor Swift have a 4.0 GPA?
Yes — It is reported that Taylor Swift completed her junior and senior high school years with a **4.0 GPA**. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}