Amber Rose says she may have sparked Kanye West–Taylor Swift VMAs drama: ‘It backfired’

LOS ANGELES: Model Amber Rose has recently reflected on her involvement in the widely discussed 2009 MTV Video Music Awards moment when rapper Kanye West interrupted singer Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech.

Speaking on a podcast appearance, she suggested that her actions before the event may have unintentionally contributed to what followed. The incident, which took place during Swift’s win for Best Female Video, remains one of the most talked-about moments in pop culture history. 

Amber Rose recalls encouraging Kanye West before Taylor Swift's VMAs interruption

Rose appeared on the latest episode of the 'Ball in the Family' podcast, where she reflected on the events leading up to West’s infamous interruption of Swift at the music awards. She revealed that before the ceremony, she encouraged West to bring a bottle of cognac and enjoy the moment.

She said, "I'm like, 'Babe, you got that bottle of Hennessy upstairs, like, you a superstar. You need to get the Henny… We need to be, you know, just taking shots of Henny on the carpet, I'm hyping him up. He like, 'Yeah, yeah, let me go get the Henny.'"

After they drank together ahead of the event, Rose admitted, "It kind of backfired." 

During the ceremony, Taylor Swift was accepting her first VMA for Best Female Video for 'You Belong with Me', when he unexpectedly walked onto the stage and interrupted her speech. "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'ma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time!" West declared into the microphone.

Looking back on the moment, Rose said she was caught completely off guard and barely had time to process what was happening, "I'm just sitting there and then he's on stage and I’m like, 'Oh" she recalled. "I was not expecting that… Do I agree with how he did it? No. But was he right? Yes."

The incident sparked a years-long feud between West and Swift. Although the two briefly appeared to reconcile in 2015 when the 'Cruel Summer' singer presented West with MTV’s Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs, tensions resurfaced the following year after the rapper released his song 'Famous,' which included a controversial lyric directed at Swift.

Taylor Swift recalled emotional fallout from Kanye West controversy

Rose and West ended their relationship in 2010 after dating for two years. Years later, the controversy surrounding West’s song 'Famous' reignited tensions, also drawing media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian into the public dispute.

Following the release of the track, Kardashian defended her then-husband by sharing footage of a phone conversation between West and Swift that appeared to show the pair discussing the song before its release. The leaked recording quickly intensified public scrutiny surrounding the situation and fueled renewed debate online.

In a 2023 interview with TIME, Swift reflected on the emotional toll the controversy had on her personal life and career. "Make no mistake — my career was taken away from me," she told the outlet.

She further said, “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."

She continued, "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.”