“What’s he doing up there? He’s a jackass” (2009)
“He is a jackass.” (2020)
The Kanye West / Kim Kardashian saga
In 2009, 19-year-old Taylor Swift won Best Female Video at the MTV VMAs for “You Belong With Me.” Kanye West interrupted her speech, saying Beyoncé deserved the award. The crowd booed West, but Swift thought they were booing her. Beyoncé later invited Swift back onstage, and in the following weeks West apologized publicly and privately.
Over the next few years they appeared to reconcile. Swift performed “Innocent” at the 2010 VMAs, wore West’s fashion line in a 2012 shoot, and they were friendly at the 2015 Grammys. At the 2015 VMAs, West asked Swift to present his Vanguard Award; she agreed, though his speech implying MTV used her for ratings upset her. He later sent her flowers.
In early 2016, West was preparing to release The Life of Pablo and began working closely with Scooter Braun. In March, he released “Famous,” which included the lyric “I made that bitch famous” and a video showing a nude wax figure of Swift among other celebrities. West claimed she approved the lyric; Swift said she did not and called the video misogynistic. Kim Kardashian then posted a video of the phone call apparently showing Swift had approved of the lyrics.
The leak, posted on “National Snake Day,” triggered a huge backlash. #TaylorSwiftIsASnake and #TaylorSwiftIsCanceled trended worldwide. West referenced the incident at a Drake show. Shortly after, Justin Bieber- then also managed by Braun - posted an Instagram photo of himself, West, and Braun with the caption “Taylor Swift what up,” escalating the harassment.
Swift later said the experience was extremely isolating and stepped out of the public eye.
"I don't think there are that many people who can actually understand what it's like to have millions of people hate you very loudly," - Swift
In 2017, she announced her album Reputation, reclaiming the snake imagery used against her, including a 63-foot touring prop named “Karyn.”
In 2019, Kardashian said she had “moved on.”
In 2020, the full phone call leaked, proving the earlier clip had been edited and that Swift never approved the lyric.
Punching Up?
With the 2025 release of The Life of a Showgirl, which includes the song “Elizabeth Taylor,” some fans couldn’t help but wonder about the timing. Given Swift’s dominance in search results, did the album inadvertently - or deliberately - push searches for The Life of Pablo further down the page? Around the same time, Kardashian released a Netflix documentary about Elizabeth Taylor, potentially placing her once again second to Swift in search visibility. Intentional or Coincidence? We’ll never know.
A song of forgiveness and empathy written for Kanye West, urging him and others to see that past mistakes don't define a person, reminding them everyone loses innocence and can find redemption
One of Swift’s most pointed songs, the video does much of the talking. The tilted stage mirrors Kanye West’s Life of Pablo tour setup, while the glossy, high-speed car crash and swarming paparazzi imagery are widely read as nods to Kim Kardashian’s influencer-driven fame.
Even the bridge feels deliberate. When Swift says “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now,” the phone itself becomes symbolic - a sharp reference to the manipulated phone call that framed her narrative and fueled the backlash.
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Lyrics like "I was giving you a second chance / If only you weren't so shady" and "Friends don't try to trick you / Get you on phone and mind-twist you," show her frustration with his perceived betrayal despite public apologies. Lines like and the sarcastic "Forgiveness is a nice thing to do" directly point to West's inconsistent behavior and apologies. The signature laugh at the song's end captures her feeling of disbelief and exhaustion over the repeated cycle of conflict.
In 2020, when the unedited video was leaked, showing Swift had been misrepresented, Kardashian posted “To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission...’ Swift was dumbfounded by Kardashian’s doubling down on the betrayal and both her and West’s silence after the truth came out.
Cassandra is a figure in Greek Mythology who is cursed to never be believed.
(thank You aimEe)
Fans quickly noticed that the original capitalization in the song spelled K-I-M, fueling speculation that it referenced Swift’s feud with Kim Kardashian and the infamous leaked phone call. Later, the capitalization was subtly altered to read “thank You aimEe,” spelling Y-E, which many interpreted as widening the lens to include Kanye West as well. Beyond specific targets, the song’s core message is about resilience — transforming bullying and public shaming into strength, and reclaiming power by turning cruelty into something survivable, even motivating.
Kardashian responded by saying she was long over the feud and wished Swift would “move on.” To many, that response felt dismissive and ignored the role the incident played in prolonged public bullying and placing the burden on Swift to simply get past the harm caused. For critics, this expectation reflects a familiar pattern in bullying: minimizing the impact while expecting the target to absorb it quietly.