Kim Kardashian’s Snapchat “takedown” of Taylor Swift happened way back in 2016, but Kardashian never offered an apology in all the years since, TMZ reports. Full footage was even released in 2020, showing Swift was never told that Kardashian’s then-husband, Kanye West, planned to use the word “bitch” to describe her in his “Famous” lyrics. Swift took particular issue with that label.
Swift said in her Time interview released yesterday that the scandal was like “career death” and deeply hurt her. “Make no mistake—my career was taken away from me,” she said. “You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar. That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard.”
Sources with direct knowledge told TMZ in a report published today that Kardashian never reached out to say she was sorry to Swift, even after the Time article yesterday brought the leaked phone call back into the public discussion and revealed how greatly Swift was harmed by it.
Swift still believes Kardashian and West are in the wrong, the sources added, and she was “dumbfounded” when Kardashian maintained her position even after full footage of the call came out in 2020 and exonerated Swift.
Kardashian had posted on then-Twitter at the time, “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. 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 bitch, It was always whether there was a call or not and the tone of the conversation.”
Swift’s publicist Tree Paine responded to Kardashian on Twitter, reposting her original statement and pointing out to Kardashian that “when you take parts out, that’s editing.”
In the years since, Kardashian has divorced West and even posted Instagram Stories with Swift’s music in the background.
Despite all Swift went through, the sources revealed that she is open to an apology from Kardashian, but only if it is made publicly. One source said that “a public shaming calls for a public ‘I’m sorry.’” Then, Swift would “bury the hatchet” with Kardashian.
The insiders added that Kardashian and Swift have no relationship at this point. Kardashian has not commented on the Time piece, instead keeping her Instagram Stories focused on friends, family, and business.
Senior News and Strategy Editor
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.