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Billboard issued an official public apology to Taylor Swift after fans slammed the music magazine for “falsely” depicting the pop superstar in a video celebrating her music career.
The publication posted the video earlier this week when it announced that Swift, 34, had earned the No. 2 spot on its list of The Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century. An audio narration mentioned Swift’s 12 No. 1s on the Hot 100 chart, 14 No. 1s on the Billboard 200 and 14 Grammy Awards as part of the reason for her high spot on the list.
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While many Swifties initially reacted with frustration that their idol hadn’t secured the top spot on Billboard‘s list, others soon noticed another reason to direct anger at the magazine. In addition to footage spanning Swift’s professional life, including various red carpet appearances and select music video clips, the compilation that Billboard posted on social media also featured a clip of a nude Swift wax figurine that initially appeared in Kanye West’s “Famous” music video from 2016. The two artists have publicly feuded in the years since West, 47, interrupted Swift’s acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
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“You should apologize right now. What happened was truly disgusting!!!” one fan wrote on Instagram in reaction to Billboard’s inclusion of the “Famous” clip.
“You owe Taylor Swift an public apology,” another fan agreed, adding, “Your attitude as a ‘serious’ music portal was shameful.”
“BILLBOARD IS OVER,” one Instagram user declared.
Billboard released an official apology on Thursday, Nov. 28. “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 statement said. “We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”
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. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.
— billboard (@billboard) November 28, 2024
Despite the clip’s removal and the magazine’s public apology, some fans insisted that they “remember the first version” and “won’t forget how misogynistic you were toward Taylor and so many other pop divas🤢🤢🤢🤢.”
“Y’all did the bare minimum she deserves a better apology than what was given,” one Instagram user commented. “Thousands of photos and video clips exist of Taylor and you chose a clip of a doll in a video defaming her? Do better.”
“This is NOT a mistake,” one Instagram user alleged.
Next: Taylor Swift Fans Have Strong Reactions to ‘Terrifying’ Ornament of the Pop Star: ‘Who Is That’
