Why Billboard apologized to Taylor Swift
What's the story
Billboard recently came under fire from Taylor Swift's fans, aka "Swifties," after including a controversial clip in their tribute video. The music publication had ranked Swift as the second greatest pop star of the 21st century. However, their celebratory video featured a clip from Ye's (formerly Kanye West) 2016 music video Famous, which features a naked wax figure of Swift—an inclusion that sparked outrage among her fans.
Fan outrage
Swifties demanded public apology for 'disgusting' tribute video
The controversial clip from Ye's music video not only featured a naked wax figure of Swift but also had lyrics implying he and Swift "might still have sex" because he "made that b_ch famous." This sparked an outrage among Swift's fans who stormed social media to express their disgust. From demanding a public apology to calling Billboard's attitude "shameful" and "disgusting," the comments were varied.
Apology issued
Billboard removed the controversial clip and issued an apology
In the wake of the backlash, Billboard quickly removed the controversial clip from their video and issued a public apology. The music publication expressed deep regret for including a clip that "falsely depicted" Swift in a video celebrating her achievements. They sincerely regretted the harm caused by this error and took immediate action to rectify it by sharing a revised version of the tribute video without any footage from Famous.
Twitter Post
Here's the post by Billboard
We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s
— billboard (@billboard) November 28, 2024achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We haveremoved the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.
Fan disappointment
Swift's fans were already upset over Billboard's top spot
Before the video controversy, Swift's fans were already upset that Billboard had given the top spot for the greatest pop star of the 21st century to Beyoncé, not Swift. The inclusion of footage from Ye's Famous in the tribute video was the last straw. The controversial rapper, who has had a long-standing feud with Swift, was ranked seventh on Billboard's list.