Taylor Swift reflects on her conflict with Kanye West: "For a year, I did not leave the house"
Taylor Swift, named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2023, looks back on her feud with Kanye West. The singer commented that these events greatly impacted her mental health.
7:58 AM EST, December 8, 2023
The dispute between Taylor Swift and Kanye West originated in 2009, at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. Kanye interrupted Swift's acceptance speech, contending that Beyoncé should have been the winner. The feud reignited in 2016 when West released a song, "Famous," containing the lyrics, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? Because I made her famous".
Despite Swift's immediate disapproval, West insisted that he had her approval for the release. In defense, Kim Kardashian shared a recording of the supposed conversation between the artists. However, over time, the audio proved to be manipulated. Recently, Taylor was named Time's Person of the Year for 2023. In the accompanying interview, she reflected on her row with Kanye. Swift labeled West and Kardashian as "trash" and acknowledged their involvement in negatively affecting her mental well-being.
Taylor Swift reflects on her feud with Kanye West: "My career was jeopardized"
"My career was jeopardized. [...] You get a completely fabricated recording of a phone conversation that Kim Kardashian edited and published, telling everyone that I'm lying. It pushed my mental health to the brink. I've never been in such a condition before. For a year, I didn't leave my house and was scared to use the phone," - Swift told Time magazine.
Swift also opened up about how she had distanced herself from her loved ones during that period. She began struggling with mental health issues that greatly affected her ability to trust and interact with people. Fortunately, as she mentioned, over time she learned how to transform her strong feelings into art.
"I pushed most of the people in my life away because I didn't trust anyone," - she further added.