Billboard issued an apology to Taylor Swift after including a clip of Kanye West’s controversial Famous music video in a video celebrating her career achievements. The Instagram post honored Swift’s ranking as the second-greatest pop star of the 21st century, but mistakenly featured a scene showing a nude wax figure of Swift from West’s 2016 video. The inclusion drew backlash from Swift’s fans, given the infamous feud sparked by the song’s derogatory lyrics and visuals.
The Famous video, inspired by Vincent Desiderio’s painting Sleep, depicted wax figures of various celebrities, including Swift, lying naked in a shared bed. At the time of its release, it was widely criticized, with Swift’s friend Lena Dunham calling it “sickening” and “disturbing.” Many fans found Billboard’s use of the imagery deeply disrespectful, especially in a tribute meant to highlight Swift’s accomplishments.
In response, Billboard apologized publicly on social media, writing: “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.”
While the apology may smooth things over, the incident reignited discussions about the ongoing sensitivity surrounding the West-Swift feud and the lasting impact of Famous on Swift’s public narrative. Fans remain vocal about protecting Swift’s legacy from unwanted associations.
