February 12, 2016: Taylor Swift’s friends come to her defense after Kanye West releases “Famous”

Gigi Hadid, Karlie Kloss and Jaime King, among other members of Swift’s squad, took to social media to address West’s “Famous” lyric. The singer’s younger brother Austin even posted an Instagram video of himself “spring cleaning,” which showed the budding actor trashing his Yeezy 350 Boosts.

February 15, 2016: Taylor Swift responds to Kanye West during her Grammy Awards acceptance speechThe singer got the last

June 16, 2016: Kim Kardashian says Taylor Swift knew of the infamous Kanye West “Famous” lyric all alongIn the July issue of

GQ that year, Kanye West’s then-wife, Kardashian, asserted, “She totally approved that,” referring to Swift’s knowledge of the lyrics of “Famous” prior to the song’s release.Kardashian continued, “She totally knew that that was coming out. She wanted to all of a sudden act like she didn’t. I swear, my husband gets so much s— for things [when] he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved.”

June 2016: Taylor Swift’s spokesperson releases a statement following Kim Kardashian’s claims about Kanye West’s “Famous”

A spokesperson for the “New Romantics” singer swiftly addressed the matter, stating, “Taylor does not hold anything against Kim Kardashian as she recognizes the pressure Kim must be under and that she is only repeating what she has been told by Kanye West.” However, the statement emphasized that “that does not change the fact that much of what Kim is saying is incorrect.”The spokesperson clarified further, “Kanye West and Taylor only spoke once on the phone while she was on vacation with her family in January of 2016, and they have never spoken since. Taylor has never denied that conversation took place. It was on that phone call that Kanye West also asked her to release the song on her Twitter account, which she declined to do.”

June 24, 2016: Kanye West releases the “Famous” music video featuring a naked Taylor Swift sculpture

West’s release of the NSFW music video for “Famous” predictably stirred controversy, with its provocative imagery and controversial content.The video notably commenced with a snippet featuring Swift and background audio from their infamous encounter at the MTV Video Music Awards. Inspired by Vincent Desiderio’s 2008 Sleep painting, the visuals depicted naked sculptures resembling various public figures, including Swift, George W. Bush, Anna Wintour, Donald Trump, Rihanna, Chris Brown, West, Kim Kardashian, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner, and Bill Cosby, all sprawled naked on a large bed, covered by a singular bed sheet.Swift’s friend Lena Dunham voiced strong criticism of the video in a Facebook post. While expressing no personal animosity toward West, Dunham denounced the video, calling it “sickening” and “disturbing.” She urged the rapper to refrain from perpetuating gender stereotypes and objectifying women’s bodies.

July 17, 2016: Kim Kardashian explains why she defended Kanye West against Taylor Swift

On a July 2016 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the family discussed the longstanding feud between West and Swift in great detail, as well as West’s controversial rant during his appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he was recorded backstage calling Swift fake.When West’s assistant called Kardashian to let her know about the leaked audio recording from SNL, she got upset, though West didn’t seem too bothered. “My full-time job is your publicist,” she told her then-husband. “I care what people think.””Kanye says what he wants and he has no filter … and some people may not understand that,” Kardashian added during her interview. “Usually I try to stay neutral and just give moral support.”She was finally ready to take action when it came to that GQ interview, and she explained to sister Kourtney Kardashian, exactly why she felt the need to speak out.”I never talk s— about anyone publicly, especially in interviews. But I was just like, I had so had it,” she said “I wanted to defend him in it. She legitimately, quote, says, ‘As soon as I get on that Grammy red carpet I’m gonna tell all the press. Like I was in on it.’ “”And then she just didn’t like the reaction?” Kourtney asked.”Yeah, and you know just another way to play the victim,” Kardashian answered. “It definitely got her a lot of attention the first time,” – referencing when West jumped on VMA stage – “I just don’t think he should be punished for it still to this day.””I feel like I’ve had it with people blatantly treating my husband a certain way and making him look a certain way, and I’m gonna say how I feel,” Kardashian said during her interview. “Kanye is always so honest and speaks his mind. And you know, when we were first dating, people would always talk s— and he always had my back. At this point, I really don’t give a f— so I’ll do whatever to protect my husband.”She then went on to add that Swift even helped West rewrite the lyrics within the song.”I’m so glad that you said the truth,” Kourtney told her sister. “Yeah, I’m just speaking the truth,” Kardashian replied.At the end of the episode, Kardashian sat down with momager Kris Jenner to discuss the controversial interview and issues surrounded it. Jenner tried to play peacemaker, asking, “What would happen if you just called Taylor up and say ‘What happened? How did this go so south?’ I guess I don’t understand the motivation to flip … maybe she took it the wrong way. My advice would be to give Taylor Swift a call.””Thank you for your lovely advice,” Kardashian told her mother, “but I’m not going to take it.”

July 17, 2016: Kim Kardashian releases video footage of Kanye West’s phone call with Taylor Swift

Following an episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” Kardashian promptly took to Snapchat to provide evidence, sharing a series of videos capturing a phone call between her then-husband, West, and Swift, discussing the lyrics of “Famous” and their history.In the video, Swift is heard saying, “It’s like a compliment,” after West reads the lyrics to her, including the controversial line, “For all my Southside n—– that know me best / I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex.” West expressed gratitude to Swift for her understanding, stating, “What I give a f— is you as a person, and as a friend, I want things that make you feel good.” Swift, in turn, thanked West for informing her about the lyrics, stating that she appreciated the “heads up.”Swift’s response continued with, “I never would’ve expected you to like tell me about a line in your song. I mean, I don’t think anybody would listen to that and be like, ‘Oh, that’s a real diss.’ You gotta tell the story that way that it happened to you and the way you experienced it.” She concluded by suggesting that if asked about it, she would handle it humorously, stating, “Joke’s on you, guys. We’re fine.”Kardashian’s intervention was motivated by her loyalty to West, as per a source who stated, “Kim is super loyal to Kanye and will always do anything to have his back. She is even more protective of him than she is of herself. She thinks he’s misunderstood and couldn’t stand that people thought he was a liar.”The incident prompted a surge of support for Kardashian on the internet, with the hashtag #KimExposedTaylorParty trending. In response, Swift’s representative informed PEOPLE, “Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyrics, ‘I made that bitch famous.'”

July 17, 2018: Taylor Swift defends herself after Kim Kardashian releases Kanye West phone call footag

Swift wasn’t about to sit back and watch all this happen – she quickly responded to the videos with a post on Instagram.

“Where is the video of Kanye telling me he was going to call me ‘that bitch’ in his song? It doesn’t exist because it never happened. You don’t get to control someone’s emotional response to being called ‘that bitch’ in front of the entire world,” she wrote in a note.

”Of course I wanted to like the song. I wanted to believe Kanye when he told me that I would love the song. I wanted us to have a friendly relationship. He promised to play the song for me, but he never did. While I wanted to be supportive of Kanye on the phone call, you cannot ‘approve’ a song you haven’t heard. Being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination.”

“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 continued. She captioned the post, “That moment when Kanye West secretly records your phone call, then Kim posts it on the Internet.”

July 17, 2016: Taylor Swift’s squad defends her against Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

Swift found support from her A-list squad, who rallied to defend her amidst the controversy.

Selena Gomez took to Twitter, expressing, “There are more important things to talk about… Why can’t people use their voice for something that f—ing matters? Truth is the last thing we need right now is hate, in any form.

Chloë Grace Moretz also criticized Kardashian’s actions in releasing the videos, prompting Khloé Kardashian to respond in defense.

Ruby Rose, another member of Swift’s squad, weighed in with a tweet directed at Khloé Kardashian: “Yo Khloe I thought you were rad when I met you but this is awful and this is a 19-year-old girl. Nobody likes being bullied or made to feel worthless.. Yet so many people will go above and beyond to make others feel that way.”

Martha Hunt added her voice to the chorus of support, tweeting, “It’s pathetic how quick our culture is to sensationalize a fabricated story.. Take interest in the real problems going on. Spread love.”

July 27, 2016: Kanye West claims victory in his feud with Taylor Swift

“I’m so glad my wife has Snapchat, ’cause now y’all can know the truth,” West told the crowd about his then-wife’s actions at a Drake concert he crashed. After the duo performed their collaboration “Pop Style,” West couldn’t resist bringing up the infamous #KimExposedTaylorParty snaps.

“And can’t nobody talk s— about Ye no more!” he said before launching into his “Famous” verse about Swift.

August 28, 2016: Kanye West says he was not trying to “take down” Taylor Swift

It appeared that West was ready to put an end to the ongoing feud. During his speech at the 2016 VMAs, he refuted the notion that he was attempting to “take down Taylor,” emphasizing that his intentions were rooted in love. He stated, “That’s why I called her.”

Following the awards, he further conveyed this sentiment by tweeting a photo of someone wearing a shirt featuring half of Swift’s “1989” album cover and half of his own “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” cover.

October 6, 2016: An earlier version of Kanye West’s song “Famous” leaks with more controversial lyrics about Taylor Swift

The song that sparked the controversy could have potentially ignited even more if its original version had been released as initially recorded.

In early October, an earlier recording of the song surfaced online, featuring a controversial lyric targeting Swift: “I feel like Taylor Swift still owe me sex / I made that bitch famous,” he raps. The lyric then shifts to mention his ex Amber Rose: “I feel like Amber Rose still owe me sex / Why? I made that bitch famous / Not really, but somewhat famous,” he continues.

A source close to the situation, speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, described the demo as revealing. “Now you know why Kim only posted an edited three minutes of video footage to Snapchat and not the hour-long conversation that they had,” the source stated.

August 23, 2017: Taylor Swift announces a new album and seemingly references Kanye West feud

Almost a year after Kardashian exposed the secretly recorded phone call on her Snapchat between her then-husband West and Swift, Swift made a significant announcement: the release of her sixth studio album, Reputation. Teasing the news, Swift posted a series of mysterious Instagram videos featuring a serpent. This cryptic imagery seemed to symbolize her reclaiming the snake emoji that had been frequently used in her Instagram comments section, often implying that she was deceitful.November 10, 2017: Taylor Swift slams Kanye West in new song ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’

Swift’s ongoing feud with West is notably referenced in her first single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” from her sixth studio album, Reputation. However, it seems she dedicates an entire track to the rapper in “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” Unlike her earlier Yeezy-inspired track, “Innocent” (2010), which was a heartfelt, understated ballad, her 2017 offering is unapologetically bold — yet likely just as heartfelt.

With lyrics like, “There I was giving you a second chance / If only you weren’t so shady / But you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand / And therein lies the issue / Friends don’t try to trick you / Get you on phone and mind-twist you,” Swift delivers her message over sirens and booming bass, creating a theatrical bop.

“Forgiveness is a nice thing to do,” she sarcastically adds before erupting into laughter. “I can’t even say it with a straight face.”

January 14, 2019: Kim Kardashian says there’s no more “Bad Blood” between Kanye West and Taylor Swift

In January 2019, Kardashian cleared the air during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, during the show’s “Squash That Beef!” segment. When asked about if her feud with Swift over the leaked phone calls was still ongoing, she said she was “over it.”

“I feel like we’d all moved on,” Kardashian added of the tension between them. Later in the show, she also added that she’d rather be stuck in an elevator with Swift than Drake — another star who’s had a complicated history with her then-husband West.

March 2019: Taylor Swift laughs off feud with Kanye West

In a candid cover story interview with Elle, Swift hinted at her turbulent relationship with the Wests and reflected on how she learned to overcome bullies.

“I learned that disarming someone’s petty bullying can be as simple as learning to laugh,” Swift, whose Reputation era was marked by snake imagery, expressed in Elle. “In my experience, I’ve come to see that bullies want to be feared and taken seriously. A few years ago, someone initiated an online hate campaign by labeling me as a snake on the internet.”

The singer revealed that the “hate campaign” had a profound impact on her, but repurposing the symbol her detractors used to torment her helped her “Shake it Off.”

“I can’t tell you how hard I had to keep from laughing every time my 63-foot inflatable cobra named Karyn appeared onstage in front of 60,000 screaming fans,” she shared. “It’s the Stadium Tour equivalent of responding to a troll’s hateful Instagram comment with ‘lol.'”

“It would be nice if we could receive an apology from those who bully us,” Swift continued, “but perhaps all I’ll ever get is the satisfaction of knowing I could survive it, and thrive in spite of it.”

April 26, 2019: Kim Kardashian seemingly references Kanye West and Taylor Swift feud on Instagram

Just three months after indicating that she had moved beyond her feud with Swift, the reality star appeared to throw shade at the “Look What You Made Me Do” singer on her Instagram Story. Coinciding with the release of Swift’s highly anticipated single “ME!,” the makeup mogul shared a collection of snake jewelry, which fans interpreted as a not-so-subtle jab at the Grammy winner. This inference stemmed from the association of the snake emoji with the fan response to the Snapchat video from several years prior.

June 2019: Taylor Swift calls Kanye West’s “Famous” music video ‘revenge porn’

At the core of her battle with Scooter Braun over his June 2019 purchase of Big Machine Records, which effectively gave him ownership over Swift’s masters, was his affiliation with the Wests and participation in their feud.

After she learned the Braun had acquired her musical catalogue, she opened up about her emotional response in a lengthy Tumblr post.

“All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years,” she continued. “Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it.”

She included a screenshot taken from Justin Bieber’s Instagram account of an August 2016 post, in which the “Sorry” singer shared a Facetime call between himself and Braun — who is alongside on-and-off client West, whom Braun was not managing at the time. “Taylor swift what up,” Bieber captioned the post.

Swift then called out West’s infamous “Famous” music video directly. “Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked,” the singer said. “Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.”

August 8, 2019: Taylor Swift says that she finds a silver lining through songwriting in her feud with Kanye West

In her September 2019 Vogue cover interview, Swift delved into her decision to address her grievances with West through her music, a medium she knows best.

“I knew immediately I needed to make music about it because I knew it was the only way I could survive it,” she expressed, referring to her Reputation track “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.” “It was the only way I could preserve my mental health and also tell the story of what it’s like to go through something so humiliating.”

Swift recounted feeling like she was navigating “a grieving process,” experiencing “so many micro emotions in a day” – a familiar sensation during times of loss, embarrassment, or shame.

“One of the reasons why I didn’t do interviews for Reputation was that I couldn’t figure out how I felt hour to hour,” she explained, describing her fluctuating emotions. “Sometimes I felt like: All these things taught me something that I never could have learned in a way that didn’t hurt as much.”

“Five minutes later, I’d feel like: ‘That was horrible. Why did that have to happen? What am I supposed to take from this other than mass amounts of humiliation?'” Swift continued. “And then five minutes later I’d think: ‘I think I might be happier than I’ve ever been.'”

Swift, known for her hit “You Need to Calm Down,” emphasized how her prolonged ordeal with the Wests has helped her break free from the confines of her previous image as “America’s sweetheart.”

“And then having that taken away and realizing that it’s actually a great thing that it was taken away, because that’s extremely limiting,” she elaborated.

While acknowledging the lessons learned and growth achieved, Swift indicated that the Wests should not expect an immediate reconciliation. “We’re not going to go straight to gratitude with it. Ever. But we’re going to find positive aspects to it. We’re never going to write a thank you note.”

August 25, 2019: Taylor Swift reveals her diary entry after Kanye West interrupted her 10 years earlier

In extras from her Lover release, Swift shared a 2009 diary entry from the week of the initial incident, offering a glimpse into her thoughts at the time. “Ahh… the things that can change in a week,” she wrote. “If you had told me that one of the biggest stars in music was going to jump on stage and announce that he thought I shouldn’t have won on live television, I would’ve said, ‘That stuff doesn’t really happen in real life.’ Well … apparently …. It does.” This candid reflection highlights the shock and disbelief she experienced in the aftermath of the incident.

September 18, 2019: Taylor Swift shares her side of the story behind her phone call with Kanye West

In her most in-depth and candid interview in years, Swift opened up to Rolling Stone in September 2019 about the time surrounding her infamous phone call with West. She offered new details about various “events that led up” to the call, adding that they were what caused her “to be pissed off when [West] called me a bitch.”

She explained that she grew “really sick of the dynamic between he and I,” adding that he reached out to reconnect in private on several occasions only to act differently in public, which she continued to look past “because all I ever wanted my whole career after that thing happened in 2009 was for him to respect me.” She continued, “I hate that about myself … but that’s where I was.” She revealed they’d “go to dinner and stuff” and he “would say really nice things” about her music at the time, and she alleged that West even called her ahead of the 2015 VMAs to ask her to present the Video Vanguard Award to him as a public display of their reconciliation. “I was so stoked that he asked me that,” Swift said.

But when West got on stage and made a comment about MTV using his and Swift’s interaction to boost ratings, “I realized he is so two-faced,” she said. “That he wants to be nice to me behind the scenes, but then he wants to look cool, get up in front of everyone and talk s—.”

By the time “Famous” came out, Swift was done with the ups and downs of their drama. “When I heard the song, I was like, ‘I’m done with this. If you want to be on bad terms, let’s be on bad terms, but just be real about it.’ “

March 20, 2020: The full phone call between Kanye West and Taylor Swift leaks online

Four years after Kardashian shared the edited phone call between West and Swift discussing his “Famous” lyrics, extended portions of the lengthy conversation were leaked online late on March 20, 2020.

In clips posted to Twitter, the rapper is heard asking Swift to release his new song on her Twitter account. “So my next single, I wanted you to tweet it … so that’s why I’m calling you. I wanted you to put the song out,” he tells the Grammy winner on the phone.

After telling Swift he included a “very controversial line” about her in the song, the pop star nervously asks West what the lyrics are. A wary Swift asks if it’s “gonna be mean,” and West acknowledges even then-wife Kardashian initially felt it was “too crazy” but had come around. “It’s like my wife’s favorite f—ing line,” he says.

“So it says, ‘To all my Southside n—– that know me best/ I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex,” continues West with a chuckle. Responds Swift with a laugh: “That’s not mean.”

Further discussing his proposal to have her release the song, Swift — who expresses relief that the lyrics aren’t about her being “that stupid dumb bitch” — tells West she needs to “think about it because it is absolutely crazy.”

“I’m going to send you the song and send you the exact wording and everything about it, right? And then we could sit and talk through it,” West tells Swift, who has long contended she never heard the song before its release, at the end of the call.

After “Famous” was released in February of 2016, Swift’s rep told PEOPLE the singer “declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyrics, ‘I made that bitch famous.'”

Days later, Kardashian liked a tweet referencing the leak, stating, “The video showed nothing new. We all knew that. I’m so confused right now,” reads the tweet.

March 23, 2020: Taylor Swift responds to the leak of her full phone call with Kanye West

DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/GETTY IMAGES (2)

“Instead of answering those who are asking how I feel about the video footage that 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,” wrote Swift on Instagram Stories on March 23, referencing the leaked call.

“The World Health Organization and Feeding America are some of the organizations I’ve been donating to. If you have the ability to, please join me in donating during this crisis,” continued Swift, directing fans to organizations that are in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

March 24, 2020: Kim Kardashian responds to the leak of the full phone call between Kanye West and Taylor Swift

That same evening in late March, Kardashian returned to Twitter — albeit “embarrassed” to do so — to clap back at Swift’s remarks.

“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…’ They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word ‘bitch’ was used without her permission,” tweeted Kardashian.

Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, replied this time, re-sharing her very first statement on the matter, and asking, “P.S. who did you guys piss off to leak that video?”

December 6, 2023: Taylor Swift says feud with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian felt like a “career death”

During an interview with TIME, Swift reflected on the tumultuous feud between her and West and Kardashian, calling it a “career death” of sorts.

“Make no mistake — my career was taken away from me,” she told the outlet. “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.”

Swift continued: “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.”