--- title: Kim Kardashian Talks Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift Saga description: Kim Kardashian makes no bones about defending Kanye West when asked about her husband's infamous on again, off again feud with Taylor Swift. canonical: https://time.com/4371498/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-taylor-swift/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-06-16T16:00:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:40.508Z og:title: Kim Kardashian: Taylor Swift ‘Dissed My Husband Just to Play the Victim Again' og:description: "I don't know why she just, you know, flipped all of a sudden" og:url: https://time.com/4371498/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-taylor-swift/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9f93b34e5bc2e58/69889829428a9e7c65cd3119/gq-kim-kardashian-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1000&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1000 og:image:height: 563 og:image:alt: GQ-Kim-Kardashian-Cover og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kim Kardashian: Taylor Swift ‘Dissed My Husband Just to Play the Victim Again' twitter:description: "I don't know why she just, you know, flipped all of a sudden" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9f93b34e5bc2e58/69889829428a9e7c65cd3119/gq-kim-kardashian-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1000&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kim Kardashian: Taylor Swift ‘Dissed My Husband Just to Play the Victim Again' > Sponsored content. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=6675bede-3204-4f9d-9a93-39fbbf1ec185&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: The Power of Taylor Swift [Watch (HLS stream): The Power of Taylor Swift](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/mUgZx3qP.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2015-06-22. One day after Taylor Swift publicly blasted Apple Music for not paying artists during the service’s free, three-month trial period, Apple reversed its position_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jun 16, 2016 4:00 PM UTC  GQ  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Jun 16, 2016 4:00 PM UTC [Kim Kardashian](http://time.com/4160495/kim-kardashian-google-searches-2015/) made no bones about defending [Kanye West](http://time.com/4370043/kanye-west-new-song-saint-pablo/) when asked about her husband’s infamous feud with [Taylor Swift](http://time.com/4371279/taylor-swift-tom-hiddleston-spotted/). In her [_GQ_ ](http://www.gq.com/story/kim-kardashian-west-gq-cover-story?mbid=social%5Ftwitter)[cover interview](http://www.gq.com/story/kim-kardashian-west-gq-cover-story?mbid=social%5Ftwitter) for the magazine’s July issue, Kardashian spoke about the most recent controversy to come out of the pair’s fraught relationship—Swift’s denial that [West was given permission](http://time.com/4235345/kanye-west-taylor-swift-famous-approval/) to rap the line, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b—ch famous,” in “Famous,” a track from _The Life of Pablo_. “She totally approved that,” the reality star turned media mogul told _GQ_. “She totally knew that that was coming out. She wanted to all of a sudden act like she didn’t. I swear, my husband gets so much sh—t for things \[when\] he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved. What rapper would call a girl that he was rapping a line about to get approval?” The lyric in question—which West said in a [tweet](https://twitter.com/kanyewest/status/698146344242958336?lang=en) that Swift thought was “funny”—garnered a strong negative response from the _1989_ artist after its February release, and even seemed to inspire her [acceptance speech for album of the year](http://time.com/4225261/2016-grammys-taylor-swift-kanye-west/) at the Grammys the following day. However, Kardashian claims that not only is there video footage of West receiving Swift’s approval, but that there were several witnesses to the telephone call. “Rick Rubin was there. So many respected people in the music business heard that \[conversation\] and knew,” she said. “I mean, he’s called me a b—ch in his songs. That’s just, like, what they say. I never once think, ‘What a derogatory word! How dare he?’ Not in a million years. I don’t know why she just, you know, flipped all of a sudden.… It was funny because \[on the call with Kanye, Taylor\] said, ‘When I get on the Grammy red carpet, all the media is going to think that I’m so against this, and I’ll just laugh and say, ‘The joke’s on you, guys. I was in on it the whole time.’ And I’m like, wait, but \[in\] your [Grammy speech](http://time.com/4225261/2016-grammys-taylor-swift-kanye-west/), you completely dissed my husband just to play the victim again.” A representative for Swift, in turn, issued a statement to the magazine in response to Kardashian’s claims, writing that “much of what Kim is saying is incorrect.” The statement goes on to directly address Swift’s feelings about the song in question: “Kanye West never played the song for Taylor Swift. Taylor heard it for the first time when everyone else did and was humiliated. Kim Kardashian’s claim that Taylor and her team were aware of being recorded is not true, and Taylor cannot understand why Kanye West, and now Kim Kardashian, will not just leave her alone.” [Read more at _GQ_](http://www.gq.com/story/kim-kardashian-west-gq-cover-story?mbid=social%5Ftwitter). ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Taylor Swift has twice been on Time's list of the 100 public figures that have made the most global impact. That's more times than many of her contemporaries in pop music. But then again, Taylor Swift is more than just Still singing. Most abnormal thing about my life is having sort of crowds form everywhere you go. When Taylor announced that she was moving from country music to pop with the release of her fifth album 1989, she risked alienating her fans. But far from that, Taylor continued her record of chart dominance. 1989 was her third consecutive album to sell more than a million copies in it's first week. A feat no other artist has ever achieved. [ MUSIC ] Nightmare dressed like a daydream. Aah! And proves her fans are fiercely loyal. She has them to thank for refusing to download leaked versions of 1989. It helps that she has a massive social media following. Over 50 million twitter followers. Taylor's sway among her young female fans has also helped her advocate awareness of feminism. In an era when many celebrities have disavowed the term, Swift openly embraces it. In order for us to have gender equality, we have to stop making it a girl fight and we have to stop being so interested in seeing girls try to tear each other down. It has to be more about cheering each other on. She has also championed fair pay for musicians Pulling her music off of Spotify because the streaming service has an option of free listening; And her open letter to Apple music asking to reconsider paying artists zero royalties for the first three months prompts even near immediate policy change. This isn't just about boosting her own coffers. Taylor has said she is able to support herself through touring, but she's concerned about newer bands or artists. As an advocate and a superstar who's deeply engaged with her fans, Taylor is way more than a singer. 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