Leave it to Kanye West to produce one of the most infamous moments in VMAs history before the 2009 show was even an hour old. It happened after Taylor Swift’s victory in the Best Female Video category for “You Belong To Me,” which beat out Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).” Just moments after Swift accepted the Moonman and began her acceptance speech, Kanye West stormed the stage, taking the microphone from Swift to announce Beyoncé deserved the award.
VMAs 2009 in photos: Kanye’s stage invasion, Madonna pays tribute to MJ and more.
“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!,” Kanye shouted to a mortified Swift and the speechless audience. And as quickly as he ran onstage — MTV cut away to show Pink, and when they flashed back to Swift, West already had the mic in his hand — he was off, leaving a shocked Swift in his wake.
Everyone at the Radio City Music Hall looked stunned, as the cameras captured an astonished and horrified Beyoncé still in her seat. Soon after, the audience gave a standing ovation in support of Swift. To add insult to injury, after Kanye handed the microphone back to Swift, her time was up, and MTV cut to a video featuring Tracy Morgan and Eminem.
Photos from the red carpet: VMAs 2009.
According to sources at the VMAs, Swift was seen hysterically crying backstage after Kanye’s outburst, making it convenient that her performance of “You Belong to Me,” which immediately followed the acceptance speech, was prerecorded. Wale, who is serving as MC for the house band, told the crowd, “You can’t fault a man for speaking his mind,” which was promptly met by boos from the Radio City Music Hall crowd.
