Billboard apologizes to Taylor Swift for using Kanye West's 'Famous' clip but Swifties aren't happy

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Taylor Swift recently found herself at the center of a brewing storm when music publication Billboard was blasted for using a bold video meant to honor her illustrious career.

After the backlash, Billboard has now issued an apology after fans were furious to see a clip in the video that featured a wax figure of Swift from Kanye West’s infamous 'Famous' music video.

Billboard apologizes 'deeply' to Taylor Swift after posting Kanye West's 'Famous' wax figure scene

The wax figure, which had initially sparked outrage in 2016, was part of a divisive music video for Kanye West’s song 'Famous.'

The clip showed nude wax figures of Swift and other celebrities, including Donald Trump, Rihanna, and West himself, lying in a bed.

The scene was widely condemned at the time as misogynistic and inappropriate.

It also reignited the long-standing feud between Swift and West, a rivalry that began at the 2009 MTV VMAs when Kanye interrupted Taylor’s acceptance speech, declaring, “Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”

Now, eight years after the initial controversy, Billboard has apologized for including the wax figure in its tribute video.

"We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her," the publication wrote on X shortly after midnight on November 28.

It added, “We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error," Metro reported.

However, fans reportedly remain skeptical about how such an inappropriate image made its way into a celebratory video.

The shocking legal drama behind Kanye West's 'Famous' exposed

A community note appended to Billboard’s apology pointed out that the wax figure originated from Kanye West’s 'Famous' video and described the video as "revenge porn," a term that has legal implications in many US states.

While legal experts have previously debated the classification of the 'Famous' sculpture, some believe Taylor might have had grounds to sue West for copyright infringement or defamation.

Reports suggests that California’s Right to Publicity law could also have been a possible avenue as it allows individuals to control the commercial use of their likeness.

At the time of Famous’ release, a source revealed Taylor’s outrage to Hollywood Life, “Taylor is furious after seeing Kanye’s video. She feels like she’s been assaulted.”

Swift denied Kanye’s claims that she had approved the lyrics which included the lines, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b*** famous.”

The feud escalated further when Kanye’s then-wife Kim Kardashian released snippets of a phone call between Swift and West, leading to public accusations and Kim branding Taylor a “snake” on social media.

Despite the controversy, Swift’s legacy as a pop icon remains unshaken.

In a 2019 interview with Vogue, she reflected on the impact of public scrutiny during her feud with West, “A mass public shaming, with millions of people saying you are quote-unquote canceled, is a very isolating experience… When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being.”

She added, "You're sending mass amounts of messaging to this person to either shut up, disappear, or it could also be perceived as, "Kill yourself."'

Billboard faces the wrath of Taylor Swift’s loyal fans

This latest incident comes after Billboard faced backlash after ranking Taylor Swift as the second greatest pop star of the 21st century, reigniting the fury of the Swifties who flooded social media with condemnation.

"This might be one of the worst apologies in the history of bad apologies #BillboardIsOverParty," one fan raged.

Another added, "Your apology is not accepted. this should have never happened in the first place."

Some fans accused the publication of malicious intent, saying, ““Error” but it took you hours to delete and you need to click the post button..”

“Why did it take several hours, two trending hashtags, and thousands of comments for y’all to apologize? you’re only sorry that you got caught,” one commenter wrote.

Another questioned the ranking, stating, "Karma is coming we will wait and see #BillboardIsOverParty."

One viewer wrote, "F*****g @billboard. This is what you get for placing her number 2 for that dvmb list."

"An absolute piss poor apology.. whoever made that knew exactly what they were doing. #BillboardIsOverParty," another commented.

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