After days of backlash from fans, Keeping Up With the Kardashians star Kim Kardashian West has broken her silence about the 25-minute-long leaked footage of her husband Kanye West’s infamous phone call with Taylor Swift about his “Famous” lyrics.
The 39-year-old reality star posted several tweets on Monday, March 23, night defending herself after Swift spoke out about the leaked phone call via her Instagram Stories earlier that same day.
Kardashian West tweeted about how Swift “has chosen to reignite an old exchange – that at this point in time feels very self-serving given the suffering millions of real victims are facing right now,” and added she was “left without a choice but to respond” and accused the singer of lying.
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“To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that ‘Kanye never called to ask for permission…’ They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word ‘b–’ was used without her permission,” the reality star tweeted.
Kardashian West continued, “At the time when they spoke the song had not been fully written yet, but as everyone can see in the video, she manipulated the truth of their actual conversation in her statement when her team said she ‘declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message.’ The lie was never about the word b–, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation.”
She referenced the statement Swift’s rep released after West released “Famous.” Although neither Swift or her rep denied the existence of the phone call, they shot down West’s claims on Twitter and reports that Swift had signed off on the song – and the lyrics were actually her idea.
“3rd thing I called Taylor and had a hour long convo with her about the line and she thought it was funny and gave her blessings,” the rapper wrote in a now-deleted 2016 tweet, adding: “5th thing I’m not even gone take credit for the idea… it’s actually something Taylor came up with …”
“Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account,” Swift’s rep said at the time. “She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that b– famous.’”
In response to Kardashian West’s most recent claims on Twitter, Swift’s rep shared her “UNEDITED original statement” on Twitter. The rep wrote, “Kanye did not call for approval, but to ask Taylor to release his single ‘Famous’ on her Twitter account. She declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message. Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that b– famous.’”
In another tweet shared on Monday, Kardashian West claimed she “never edited the footage” but acknowledged posting “a few clips on Snapchat to make my point,” and added that “the full video that recently leaked doesn’t change the narrative.”
The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star also defended West’s “right to document his musical journey and process,” and said she would “never” have released the footage if Swift had not “forced me to defend him.”
In June 2016, Kardashian West told GQ Swift had told her husband she would “laugh” and tell media she was “in on it the whole time” in a phone call. A month later, the reality star branded the singer a snake via social media and leaked edited snippets from the call on her Snapchat account.
Swift’s rep was also quoted in the same article, saying, “much of what Kim is saying is incorrect. Taylor has never denied that conversation took place. It was on that phone call that Kanye West also asked her to release the song on her Twitter account, which she declined to do. Kanye West never told Taylor he was going to use the term ‘that b–‘ in referring her. A song cannot be approved if it was never heard. 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.”
Swift opened up about the 25-minute leaked footage via her Instagram Stories on Monday afternoon, while also directing her followers to organizations in need of assistance or donations.
“Instead of answering those who are asking how I feel about the video footage that leaked, proving that I was telling the truth the whole time about *that call* (you know, the one that was illegally recorded, that somebody edited and manipulated in order to frame me and put me, my family and fans through hell for 4 years)…SWIPE UP to see what really matters,” she wrote.
In the newly leaked footage of the infamous phone call, West can be heard asking Swift to release his new song on her Twitter account. “So my next single, I wanted you to tweet it … so that’s why I’m calling you. I wanted you to put the song out,” he told the singer – who ultimately declined doing this – on the phone.
After West shared the lyric – “To all my Southside n— that know me best/ I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex” – Swift expressed her relief that the lyric was “not mean,” and told the rapper that she “thought it was gonna be like that ‘stupid dumb b–.’”
Nevertheless, Swift decided to turn down West’s proposal for her to release his new track on her Twitter account. “You know, the thing about me is like, anything that I do becomes a feminine think-piece, and if I launch it … it’ll be less cool ‘cause I think if I launch it, it adds this level of criticism, ‘cause having that many followers and having that many eyeballs on me right now, people are just looking for me to do something dumb or stupid or lame,” she said at the time.
Later on during their conversation, the rapper and singer further discuss his lyric about her. West told Swift that Kardashian West preferred that he included “She owes you sex” instead of “might still have sex.”
“That’s the part that I’m kind of — I mean, they’re both really edgy, but that’s the only thing about that line is that it’s like gonna … the feminists are gonna come out, but I mean, you don’t have to give a f—, so…,” Swift said.
West responded: “Yeah, basically. Well, what I give a f— about is just you as a person and as a friend … I don’t wanna do rap that makes people feel bad.”
.@taylorswift13 has chosen to reignite an old exchange – that at this point in time feels very self-serving given the suffering millions of real victims are facing right now.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
I didn’t feel the need to comment a few days ago, and I’m actually really embarrassed and mortified to be doing it right now, but because she continues to speak on it, I feel I’m left without a choice but to respond because she is actually lying.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
https://twitter.com/treepaine/status/1242317695401541632
To be clear, the only issue I ever had around the situation was that Taylor lied through her publicist who stated that “Kanye never called to ask for permission…” They clearly spoke so I let you all see that. Nobody ever denied the word “bitch” was used without her permission.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
At the time when they spoke the song had not been fully written yet, but as everyone can see in the video, she manipulated the truth of their actual conversation in her statement when her team said she
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
“declined and cautioned him about releasing a song with such a strong misogynistic message.”
The lie was never about the word bitch, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
I never edited the footage (another lie) – I only posted a few clips on Snapchat to make my point and the full video that recently leaked doesn’t change the narrative.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
To add, Kanye as an artist has every right to document his musical journey and process, just like she recently did through her documentary.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
Kanye has documented the making of all of his albums for his personal archive, however has never released any of it for public consumption & the call between the two of them would have remained private or would have gone in the trash had she not lied & forced me to defend him.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
This will be the last time I speak on this because honestly, nobody cares.
Sorry to bore you all with this. I know you are all dealing with more serious and important matters.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 24, 2020
Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.
