This year, my friends, marks the tenth anniversary of a landmark and dramatic moment in pop culture. It resulted in shock, awe, confusion, anger and, apparently, some unexpected tears from one celebrity in particular. According to a new oral history from Billboard, Beyonce's reaction to Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards was worse than the audience's on-screen What I actually saw was more emotional. Not only that, but her reaction clearly led to another memorable moment at the end of the show.
Okay, so, you remember — or at least heard about — the now-infamous “Kanye Interrupts/Imma Let You Finish” fiasco, right? Back in 2009, there was a slew of respectable women nominated in the Best Female Video category. Those artists included Beyoncé ("Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)") and Taylor Swift ("You Belong to Me"). Swift ultimately won Awards, and then...well, then Kanye West happened.
Shortly after Swift began her acceptance speech, West jumped on stage, grabbed the microphone, and said, "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you. I'll let you finish, but Beyoncé has the best One of the best videos ever! "
The unexpected on-air moment left Swift understandably speechless, and when the cameras turned to Beyoncé, she seemed shocked. What happened backstage, however, was a different story - West created a scene that actually made Bay cry.
Van Toffler, the former president of Viacom Media Networks Music and Identity Group, told Billboard that when he went backstage to try to defuse the situation, "Sure enough, Beyoncé and her dad were there, She was crying. She was like, "I didn't know this was going to happen, and I feel bad for her." "
Toffler went on to explain how Bay's emotional reaction backstage gave him an idea — an idea on how to get Swift the full recognition she deserves. "At some point, I let [Beyoncé] know that she might be on the podium at the end of the show," he admitted. "So wouldn't it be nice to have Taylor come up and have her moment? I have to show her that she needs to stay and maybe this is a way to bring things back to square one and let [Taylor] have her for a moment."
So, yes, Beyoncé knew in advance that she was going to win, and her handing the microphone to Swift during her acceptance speech was pre-planned. She wasn't forced to do it, but she did - and it ended up being a really cute gesture that proved just how kind and generous Queen B is.
It's fascinating to hear behind-the-scenes stories like this after all these years. Still, one very important question remains: Will the 2019 VMAs bring as much drama as the 2009 VMAs? Who knows, but regardless, it's sure to be full of surprises.
