14 DAY TRIAL // Beyonce was recently named Billboard’s Woman of the Year and, while putting in a press appearance on the occasion, she also addressed the one question that had been on everyone’s mind since this year’s edition of the MTV Video Music Awards. Speaking to MTV, the singer admitted she knew of Kanye West’s intention of storming on the stage during the acceptance speech for Best Female Video.
However, what she did not know was that he planned to do so no matter who won the award, Beyonce says. According to the singer, Kanye assured her as they announced the nominations that she literally had the award in the bag, and then told her that he had thought of coming up on stage to speak up for “art” in general. However, when West saw that Beyonce did not win, he stormed onstage nonetheless, much to her dismay, she adds.
“Well, I knew his intentions, and I knew he was standing up for art; and he told me before, when they said the nominees, he’s like, ‘You have this award.’ And when they didn’t call my name he was, like, completely shocked. And when he walked on the stage, I was like, ‘No, no, no!’ and then he spoke, and I was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no!’” Beyonce says of the rude interruption that literally went to make history afterwards.
Not everything ended in disaster, though, as we also reported at the time. To make up for Kanye’s disrespectful and insulting interruption, Beyonce chose not to have her acceptance speech when she was called up on stage to pick up her award for Best Video, and asked Taylor Swift to hold hers instead. “But in the end, it ended up being a great night, and Taylor Swift did get her moment – and I didn’t have to make an acceptance speech.” Beyonce explains laughing.
Since the incident, Kanye West has apologized on various occasions, including twice on his blog, once on Jay Leno and once in person to Taylor Swift. The media backlash against him has been anything but mild, with some even speculating that it was the harsh criticism that made fans not buy tickets for his and Lady Gaga’s Fame Kills tour, which was canceled just recently.