Billboard, the self-proclaimed Official Keeper of Music’s Cool Factor, decided to celebrate Taylor Swift by crowning her the second-biggest pop star of the 21st century. Pretty major, right? But instead of throwing confetti, they threw a whoopsie big enough to rival the “Blank Space” drama.
In a video meant to honor Taylor’s many achievements, Billboard included—brace yourself—a clip from Kanye West’s infamous “Famous” music video. Yep, the one featuring a wax figure of a nude Taylor Swift. Insert collective Swiftie gasps here.
Naturally, the internet went full-blown meltdown mode. Fans were like, “How dare you disrespect Taylor during her *own* celebration?!” and Billboard quickly realized they were dancing with fire… and maybe a swarm of very angry cats in sequined cardigans.
For anyone who needs a refresher on pop culture’s messiest soap opera: Kanye’s “Famous” claimed he made Taylor, well, famous (as if “Teardrops on My Guitar” didn’t already have her on Billboard’s radar). The music video, which featured wax statues of celebrities sprawled out like awkward mannequins at a yard sale, marked the official end of any hopes for a Taylor-Kanye friendship. Cue Kim Kardashian chiming in with her infamous “receipts,” which later turned out to be about as reliable as a cheap knockoff purse.
Anyway, back to Billboard’s big oops: They quickly yanked the video from social media, much like you’d delete an accidental drunk text, and issued an apology on X (formerly Twitter, for anyone who still remembers that bird logo).
Here’s what they had to say, with a big ol’ slice of humble pie:
“We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”
Translation? “We messed up big time, please don’t cancel us, Swifties. We’re already hiding under our desks.”
And that’s the story of how Billboard turned a Taylor Swift lovefest into a Kanye West cameo no one asked for. Lesson learned: When celebrating Taylor, leave Kanye—and wax figures—out of it.
We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.
— billboard (@billboard) November 28, 2024