On July 17, 2016, Kim Kardashian broke the internet once again. This time, however, it wasn't for posing nude; it was for 'exposing' Taylor Swift as a liar to the world. I saw the Facebook trending news item about Taylor and Kanye and Kim but didn't quite understand what was such a big deal about this incident. So, with further digging, I have put together an article explaining exactly what happened and why it's such a big deal.
In February of this year Taylor Swift and Kanye West began a very public feud over lyrics to Kanye's song Famous. Taylor released a statement damning the misogynistic lyrics that suggested she and Kanye might have sex as a result of Kanye spearheading Taylor's rise to fame.
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous
God damn
I made that bitch famous
An anonymous source quickly chimed in to TMZ to allege that Taylor had previous knowledge of these lyrics and had approved of them before the release. Taylor's team, of course, quickly and vehemently denied this allegation. But where the waters truly seemed to get muddy was when Kanye chimed in with his own version of events.
Kanye quickly responded stating that Taylor knew and approved of the lyrics before the release of the song, claiming that he had called Taylor before hand to ask her opinion of the song. Although Taylor never explicitly denied the phone call taking place she and her team denied any of the narrative Kanye was spinning. Instead they suggested that the phone call resulted in Taylor cautioning Kanye about the misogynistic lyrics, and that Kanye never informed Taylor that he would be calling her a bitch. The argument went back and forth between the two artists with Taylor going so far as to indirectly call Kanye out in her Grammys acceptance speech.
"As the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there, there will be people along the way who will try to undercut your success. Or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame."
Finally, on Sunday events came to a spear head with Kim Kardashian releasing a series of videos to her snapchat in which Taylor is clearly heard on the phone with Kanye approving the lyrics in which he suggests they might still have sex. She can even be heard saying that it's "like a compliment, kind of". In light of the video evidence Taylor quickly posted a screen cap of a note on her phone in which she continues denying parts of the Kimye narrative.
And while, yes, it's true that there is no video evidence of Kanye sharing the lyric "that bitch" with Taylor, the video itself is quite damning to Taylor's account of events. In the aftermath reports have surfaced that Taylor threatened Kanye with legal action months ago to delete the recording of the conversation (an allegation that seems to be backed by the fact that her note has search in the upper right hand corner, showing that the note was not being composed immediately before the screen cap was released), and, conversely, that Taylor is going to sue Kimye for recording the conversation when she had no idea she was being recorded (a felony in the state of California).
So, what happens now? If Taylor can prove that she or Kanye were in California at the time of the recording, that she was unaware of being on speakerphone, and that Kanye never asked her permission to record the conversation, then she could legitimately sue Kim and Kanye for breaking California's wiretapping law. This crime has two streams of punishment: if convicted of a misdemeanor Kim and Kanye could face up to a year in county jail and/or a $2,500 fine; if convicted of a felony they could face up to three years in state prison and/or a $2,500 fine for their first offence.
Whether or not this case goes to trial it has already done serious damage to Taylor Swift's reputation. Since the video was released a multitude of celebrities have taken sides, and people already in feuds with the singer clearly or subtweet-ly showed their support for Kim and Kanye. Further, it has shown the public that what Taylor says is not always the complete truth, leading fans to ponder what else the singer may be lying about.
So, is this battle staged? Will Taylor Swift actually take Kanye West and Kim Kardashian to court over a recorded phone call? Why is the world so intrigued by this story? Perhaps the world shall never know.
