Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian and Ye feud timeline: VMAs to 'The Tortured Poets Department'
Look what you made her do — again.
On Friday, Taylor Swift reignited her years-long feud with reality TV royal and SKIMS mogul Kim Kardashian nearly 15 years after the moment that sparked a timeline of events featuring ups, downs and a "never getting back together" between the pair.
In Swift's new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," she apparently takes aim at Kardashian in a pair of songs: "Cassandra" and "thanK you aIMee." The latter's title features Kardashian's first name in capital letters. Then, in the song's lyrics, Swift throws more shade at Kardashian.
'Cassandra', 'thanK you aIMee':Read more about the new 'Tortured Poets Department' songs
"I don't think you've changed much and so I changed your name and any real defining clues; And one day, your kid comes home singin' a song that only us two is gonna know is about you," Swift said in an apparent reference to the daughter of Kardashian and Ye (formerly Kanye West), North West. Early last year, North West posted a TikTok featuring Kardashian, with the two dancing to "Shake It Off," from 2014's "1989."
If you aren't "Keeping Up" with their feud, here's a refresher about the beef between the two frenemies.
2009: Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift at 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
At the 2009 MTV VMAs, Ye produced something other than music: controversy. As Swift was accepting a VMA for best female video, beating Beyoncé's video for "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," he stepped on stage and grabbed the mic out of the Swift's hand with a pointed proclamation.
“Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish,” Ye said. “But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!”
This moment set the stage for the existing beef between Swift and Kardashian who was married to the Chicago-born rapper from 2014 to 2022. A year after the VMAs, Swift performed her song "Innocent," which is reportedly about this incident.
2009: Kim Kardashian says, 'I'm the biggest Taylor Swift fan'
2009 was also the year that Kardashian answered "Taylor Swift, Love Story," referring to the song off Swift's second album "Fearless," when asked what the No. 1 song on her iPod was during a red-carpet interview with Entertainment Tonight.
"I love Taylor Swift; I'm the biggest Taylor Swift fan. I'm watching her on Twitter. I just signed up for Twitter. I'm watching you Taylor, following!" Kardashian told ET at the time.
'Tortured Poets' release live updates:Taylor Swift drops 15 extra songs at 2 a.m.
2015: Taylor Swift presents Kanye with MTV Video Vanguard Award, a lifetime achievement award
At the 2015 VMAs, six years later at the same award ceremony where Ye interrupted her, Swift introduced the "Stronger" rapper and gave him the MTV Video Vanguard Award, a lifetime achievement award.
"I guess I have to say to all the other winners tonight, I'm really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Kanye West has had one of the greatest careers of all time," Swift said during the introduction. "Right now, I am honored to present the 2015 Video Vanguard Award to my friend, Kanye West."
During his 10-minute long acceptance speech, Swift celebrated with Kardashian.
2016: Kanye West releases 'Famous' song, says 'I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex"
In 2016, the beef between both West and Swift was reheated — and Kardashian cooked up her own feud with the "Style" hitmaker.
That year, Ye released "Famous," which included the controversial lyrics, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why?" before using an expletive and saying he made Swift famous.
The song received mixed reactions, but West clapped back, saying he received Swift's approval to include the lyrics. However, Swift denied that she approved of the lyrics at the time.
"I did not diss Taylor Swift and I’ve never dissed her," he posted on Twitter, now X, at the time, adding that "I’m an artist and as an artist I will express how I feel with no censorship."
He also claimed he'd asked Kardashian "for her blessings and she was cool with it" and that he'd "called Taylor and had a hour long convo with her about the line and she thought it was funny and gave her blessings."
"I’m not even gone take credit for the idea … it’s actually something Taylor came up with … She was having dinner with one of our friends (whose) name I will keep out of this and she told him I can’t be mad at Kanye because he made me famous! #FACTS" he added.
Kanye West explainshow 'Famous' changed his life
At the time, Taylor Swift's publicis,t Tree Paine, released a statement to USA TODAY about the release of "Famous."
"Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single 'Famous' on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, 'I made that (expletive) famous,'" Paine said.
2016: Kim Kardashian releases audio recording of West family's view of 'Famous' controversy
In February 2016, at the 58th Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift accepted the album of the year award for "1989," which established her as a pop music powerhouse after completing a successful crossover from the country genre.
“To all the young women, there are going to be people along the way who try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” Swift said in her speech. “But if you just focus on the work and don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday, when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there. That will be the greatest feeling in the world.”
Pop culture experts and media pundits speculated that the acceptance speech was about Kardashian and West. Then, in July that year, Kim Kardashian released something of her own — and it wasn't music.
Instead, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star posted videos on Snapchat of Swift appearing to support West's "Famous" lyrics during a phone call between Swift and the rapper.
Next came the famous statement: “I would very much like to be excluded from this narrative, one that I have never asked to be a part of, since 2009,” Swift posted on her social media accounts. The backlash was swift, with Ye's fans responding to her message in droves, calling her a snake for seemingly lying about not approving Ye's lyrics.
2017: Taylor Swift releases snake-themed single, music video 'Look What You Made Me Do' and 'Reputation' album
After the controversy, Swift retreated from the public and started a private relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn.
Following this self-imposed exile, Swift bit back in her sixth album, "Reputation."
The music superstar wiped her Instagram clean and returned in August 2017 with an aptly named lead single, "Look What You Made Me Do" which features defiant lyricism.
The first few lines of the song go, "I don't like your little games, don't like your tilted stage/ The role you made me play of the fool/ No, I don't like you." The lyrics seemingly referred to West's "The Life of Pablo" tour stage in addition to her "role" in the feuds between herself and the couple.
"Reputation" addressed a series of her publicized friendship fallouts and falling in love with Alwyn. Later, Swift released a revealing Netflix documentary "Miss Americana," which explored this time in her life and the shedding of her public All-American girl persona.
2020-2021: Extended recording between Taylor Swift and Kanye West leaked, Kardashian and Ye divorce
In 2020, an extended version of the recording between Kardashian and Swift was anonymously leaked. The recording brought renewed attention to the feud and showed a more complete account of Swift and Kanye West's conversation, according to Variety and TODAY.
“Instead of answering those who are asking how I feel about video footage that was leaked, proving that I was telling the truth the whole time about *that call* (you know, the one that was illegally recorded, that somebody edited and manipulated in order to frame me and put me, my family, and fans through hell for 4 years), swipe up to see what really matters,” Swift wrote in an Instagram story after the leak.
She sent viewers to Feeding America's and the World Health Organization's websites to donate "if you have the ability."
A year later, Kardashian filed to divorce Ye. The pair share four children: North, Saint, Chicago "Chi" and Psalm.
2023: Taylor Swift calls out Kim Kardashian in Time Person of the Year interview
In December, during a wide-ranging interview for her honor as Time magazine's 2023 Person of The Year, Swift called out Kardashian. The profile touched on the "Famous" controversy and explored Swift's entire career, from country starlet to global superstar.
"You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar," she told Time.
"That took me down psychologically to a place I've never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn't leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn't trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard."
Revelations from Taylor Swift's Timeinterview including Kim Kardashian, Ye feud
April 2024: Taylor Swift calls out Kim Kardashian in new song title lyrics
In "thanK you aIMee," which is reportedly about Kardashian, Swift acknowledges that conflict "made her heal."
In classic Swift fashion, she got creative with her capital letters on the track "thanK you aIMee," a song about a mean schoolgirl. Or is it? The "KIM" most often associated with Swift is Kardashian, who famously referred to Swift with a snake emoji.
There are also several mentions of snakes on "Cassandra." Snakes are commonly associated with the Kardashian/West vs. Swift feud.
Another lyric in "thanK you aIMee" indicates the names on the track can't be trusted: "I changed your name and any real defining clues. And one day, your kid comes home singin' a song that only us two is gonna know is about you."
Contributing: Bryan West
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