Billboard magazine has issued a public apology to Taylor Swift after a video included in their celebration of her achievements sparked controversy. The publication had placed the 34-year-old singer-songwriter at No. 2 on their list of the greatest pop stars of the 21st century.
In an attempt to highlight Swift’s accomplishments, Billboard shared a video showcasing some of her major milestones. However, the video included a controversial clip from Kanye West’s 2016 music video for “Famous,” which featured a wax figure of a nude Taylor Swift, along with the infamous line “I made that [expletive] famous.”
This line was the focal point of a highly publicized dispute between Swift, West, and his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. Swift had previously claimed that she did not approve of West using the line, while Kardashian released a recording of a phone conversation that she said proved Swift had consented. Later, another recording surfaced that appeared to support Swift’s version of the events.
After facing backlash for including the clip in the video, Billboard issued an apology via social media. In their statement, the publication expressed regret for the error and removed the controversial video segment.
“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 read. “We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”
