Taylor Swift recently opened up about the emotional toll she experienced after Kim Kardashian released a portion of a 2016 phone call between Swift and Kanye West.
Speaking to Time after being named the publication’s 2023 Person of the Year, Swift revealed the impact of the incident on her mental health and career.
During the infamous call, which was related to West’s song Famous, Swift appeared to approve of lyrics that she later denied endorsing.
Kardashian released edited clips that portrayed Swift in a misleading light, leading to a public fallout.
Swift expressed how the incident felt like a “career death” and described it as her career being taken away. She emphasised that Kardashian’s editing and publicising of the call made her appear dishonest, leading to significant damage to her reputation.
The singer recounted the toll it took on her mental health, causing her to move to a foreign country and avoid leaving her home for a year. Swift admitted she became wary of phone calls and distanced herself from people, as trust became an issue.
Despite the leaked unedited version of the call in 2020, which did not contain the derogatory language West used in the song, the damage had already been done.
Swift revealed how the incident affected her relationships and described the psychological impact, saying, “I went down really, really hard.”
Swift had previously accused West and Kardashian of manipulating the 2016 call when the full conversation leaked in 2020. In response to Kardashian’s denial and defense of West, Swift maintained her stance, emphasizing the impact on her and her family.
While Swift has moved on from the feud, she occasionally makes subtle references to past incidents.
During an August concert in Mexico City, she acknowledged fans chanting her name, contrasting it with past interruptions, likely alluding to West’s infamous stage incident at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
The rapper infamously ran on stage and yanked the microphone from her while she was accepting the award for Best Video by a Female Artist. He told the crowd the award should have gone to Beyonce, which understandably upset Swift and her fans.
