Kanye West Infamously Stormed Taylor Swift's VMAs Speech 15 Years Ago: A Recap of the Viral Moment in Music History

Mar. 15, 2025

Kanye West and Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs.Photo:Christopher Polk/Getty

Christopher Polk/Getty

AsSwift accepted her first VMAfor Best Female Video for “You Belong with Me,” West infamously stormed the stage during her speech, proclaiming, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, butBeyoncéhad one of the best videos of all time!”

In the years since, Swift has shared her side of the story through her music. HerReputationalbum largely addresses the feud, and her recent albumThe Tortured Poets Departmentfeaturesa song titled “thanK you aIMee” that alludes to the drama as it notably capitalizes K, I, and M in the song’s title.

In fact, Swift subtly re-stylized “thanK you aIMee” to “thank You aimEe” asshe blocked West’s album from reaching No. 1on the Billboard 200 chart in August.

While Swift and West’s interaction at the 2009 award show goes down in VMAs infamy, their interaction on stage wasn’t the only big moment from the night. Relive the viral moment in music history ahead.

Taylor Swift arrives at the VMAs in a Cinderella carriage

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Taylor Swift shimmering on the red carpet

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

Swift had all eyes on her as she stepped out of her carriage and walked the red carpet in a silver sequin gown, which she paired with her signature red lipstick. The dress itself has become a historic moment in pop culture history, with the singer herself re-wearing it for her “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, in which she alludes to her feud with West.

During the episode, the actor recalled that he “was unaware that the Kanye thing was not a skit.” The actor said he then laughed about the interaction until his then-girlfriend turned around and he saw her face. “I was like, ‘Oh,” he said. “No, that … wasn’t good.”

Kanye West storms on stage during Taylor Swift’s VMAs speech

Shortly after accepting the award, West stormed the stage and interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech with the now-infamous proclamation, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”

The outburst was met with shocked faces from the crowd, including Beyoncé who seemed to mouth, “Oh, Kanye!” As Swift stood on the stage in shock, the entire crowd erupted in boos. During herMiss Americanadocumentary, Swift recalled the moment, noting that she initially thought the crowd was booing at her.

“It was so echo-y in there. At the time, I didn’t know they were booing him doing that,” she said. “I thought they were booing me.”

Taylor Swift performing outside Radio City Music Hall.James Devaney/WireImage

James Devaney/WireImage

It was certainly an iconic VMAs moment, so much so that it’s currently nominated for a new social category at the 2024 ceremony, VMAs Most Iconic Performance.

Taylor Swift poses with her Moonperson backstage

Lars Niki/Corbis via Getty

Later in the night, Swift made her way backstage to the press room as she posed with her very first Moonperson. While talking with reporters, Swift spoke about the West incident for the first time, revealing that she was previously a fan of the rapper before the interaction.

“I was standing on stage and I was really excited because I’d just won the award and then I was really excited because Kanye West was on stage … And then I wasn’t excited anymore after that,” she said at the time.

Taylor Swift shares the stage with Beyoncé

The night came to a dramatic conclusion as Beyoncé took home Video of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” at the end of the ceremony. During her acceptance speech, the singer shared a sweet moment with Swift as she asked her to come back out on stage and give the rest of her acceptance speech.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Though the night sparked Swift’s longtime feud with West, it also sparkedher longtime friendship with Beyoncé. In the years since, the two have publicly shown their support for one another in the music industry, including attending each other’s concert film premieres in 2023.

source: people.com