TIME named Taylor Swift its 2023 Person of the Year and unveiled its cover story on the mega pop star on Wednesday (December 6). During the conversation, Swift reflected on her contentious relationship with Kanye West, who she said essentially forced her to leave the country after “framing” her in 2020.
West claimed Swift gave her permission to reference her on the single “Famous,” which comes with the line: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b#### famous (G######)/I made that b#### famous.” There was an alleged phone call between West and Swift in which she supposedly is told about the lyrics and gives the green light. She later claimed it was fabricated.
Swift told TIME she moved to a different country following the infamous phone call with West. As she explained, “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. 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.”
The unedited conversation (above) was leaked online and painted a much different picture of the one Kim Kardashian originally released in 2016. Swift acknowledged the leak in March 2020 but used it to bring attention to her favorite charities in an effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kardashian fired back at Swift, accusing her of lying (again): “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,’” she tweeted. “They clearly spoke so I let you all see that.
“Nobody ever denied the word ‘b####’ was used without her permission. At the time when they spoke the song had not been fully written yet, but as everyone can see in the video, she manipulated the truth of their actual conversation in her statement when her team said she declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. The lie was never about the word b####, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation.”
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 “b####” was used without her permission.
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
But Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine, refuted Kardashian’s claims, saying, “I’m Taylor’s publicist and this is my UNEDITED original statement. Btw, when you take parts out, that’s editing. P.S. who did you guys p### off to leak that video? 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 lyrics, ‘I made that b#### famous.’”
Many of Swift’s fans believe she got the last laugh. She’s raking in millions from her ERAS Tour and subsequent concert film, while West is not only divorced from Kardashian but still buried in a heap of controversy over his antisemitic comments.
