Taylor Swift has gone through a LOT of ups and downs at the VMAs over the years, and we've rounded up all the biggest highlights!
Ahead of Taylor Swift’s big performance to open the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 26, we’re looking back at her history at the award show. She attended her first VMAs in 2008, but 2009 was the year that REALLY had people talking about her. Not only did Tay give an incredible performance of her song “You Belong With Me” on the Subway and streets of NYC, but she was awarded Female Video of the Year at the show! Of course, what everyone really remembers is what happened while she was accepting that honor.
Yes, we’re of course talking about Kanye West storming the stage, grabbing Taylor’s microphone, and declaring that Beyonce should have won the award. Taylor was left completely speechless and shell-shocked, and people still talk about the incident to this day! The next year, Tay put on a brave face and returned to the VMAs, where she performed a song called “Innocent” about the incident.
The 2015 VMAs were another iconic year for Taylor. She walked the red carpet with several members of her girl squad, including Selena Gomez and Gigi Hadid, to celebrate her highly-nominated video, “Bad Blood,” which took home Video of the Year. Before this show, Taylor and Kanye also squashed their beef, and she took the stage to present him with the Video Vanguard Award. Of course, it wasn’t long before they had another falling out, but we’ll always have the 2015 VMAs to look back on!
That year, Taylor also hit the stage for a surprise performance during the award show. In the days leading up to the event, she had gotten into a bit of a Twitter feud with Nicki Minaj. They revealed that they settled their differences, then proved it when Taylor joined Nicki for her performance that opened the show.
There’s plenty more where these came from, though! Click through the gallery above to check out some more of Taylor’s most memorable VMA moments.
