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Bad Blood

9 of Taylor Swift's greatest celebrity feuds

An investigation.

NOBODY LOVES A celebrity feud more than Taylor Swift.

Let’s take a look back at some of her best, shall we?

1. Camilla Belle

Once upon a time, in 2008, a young country singer named Taylor Swift was dating Disney heartthrob Joe Jonas. Sadly the romance came to a premature end when Joe Jonas took up with actress Camilla Belle instead.

Swift channeled her heartbreak into — what else? — songwriting and penned a number entitled Better Than Revenge, which featured some rather questionable lyrics about Belle.

She’s not a saint/And she’s not what you think/She’s an actress, whoa/She’s better known for the things that she does/On the mattress, whoa

Sounds like something your judgmental aunty would say, no?

Many were critical of the lyrics and accused Swift of slut-shaming Belle. In an interview with The Guardian in 2014, Swift acknowledged that the lyrics were childish and immature, but didn’t really apologise for them either.

I was 18 when I wrote that. That’s the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realise no one take someone from you if they don’t want to leave.

Earlier this week, Belle made it clear that she hadn’t forgotten the incident and shared the following photo on Instagram.

*sips tea*

2. John Mayer

Audemars Piguet Beverly Hills Boutique Opening - Beverly Hills AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

John Mayer is what your Mam would call “a bit of a philanderer”. Over the years, he’s dated the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Simpson, Minka Kelly and Katy Perry. (He once described Jessica Simpson as being akin to “sexual napalm”. Nice guy.)

Oh, and he briefly dated Taylor Swift from mid 2009 to early 2010.

Here is her only tweet about him.

 

Touching.

That year, they collaborated on the song Half of my Heart and performed onstage together several times. It was during this period that the pair are said to have dated.

As you might expect, things quickly fizzled out between the pair and they each went their own separate ways. And that was that! Just kidding, Taylor Swift actually wrote a song about the whole thing.

In Dear John, she wrote:

Dear John, I see it all now that you’re gone/Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?/The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home/Dear John, I see it all, now it was wrong/Don’t you think nineteen is too young/To be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?

Damn.

John Mayer later stated he was “humiliated” and “caught off-guard” by the song.

I will say as a songwriter that I think it’s kind of cheap songwriting. I know she’s the biggest thing in the world, and I’m not trying to sink anybody’s ship, but I think it’s abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, ‘Wait till he gets a load of this!’ That’s bulls—.

In an interview with Glamour Magazine, Taylor Swift called John Mayer “presumptuous” for assuming the song was about him.

So there.

3. Katy Perry

This one has so many layers, but let’s start at the beginning.

Katy Perry and Taylor Swift used to be great pals. The kind of pals that used to send sickening lickarse tweets to each other.

Cut to 2014.

Following the release of 1989, Taylor Swift hinted in an interview that the song Bad Blood was about a fellow pop star who she accused of trying to “sabotage an entire arena tour” by hiring some of Swift’s people.

It soon became clear that she was referring to Katy Perry, who had reportedly hired some dancers from Taylor Swift’s tour. The dancers were actually Katy’s first, but Taylor was nonetheless disgusted and fired them on the spot.

In the interview, she said of Perry:

For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not. She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, ‘Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?’

The day the interview came out, Katy Perry tweeted this and the feud was on.

A few months later, when Taylor Swift became embroiled in a feud with Nicki Minaj concerning the VMAs, Katy Perry shared the following tweet:

Tweet by @KATY PERRY KATY PERRY / Twitter KATY PERRY / Twitter / Twitter

(Interestingly, Katy Perry’s other enemy Camilla Belle replied to this tweet saying, “Couldn’t have said it better…”)

In June, Katy Perry threw more shade at Swift when she released a perfume named Mad Love, which many assumed was a not-so-subtle dig at the song Bad Blood. (“‘Cause baby, now we’ve got bad blood/And it used to be mad love”)

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Last week, Taylor Swift’s ex Calvin Harris referenced the feud in his Twitter screed and accused Swift of trying to bury Perry.

Perry’s response? This GIF.

And this retweet.

kat Katy Perry / Twitter Katy Perry / Twitter / Twitter

The war rages on.

4. Demi Lovato

Premiere Hannh Montana the Movie LA AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Once upon a time, Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato were close pals.

They went out for dinner.

They complimented each other’s fragrance names.

And gave shout outs each other’s songs.

Just expressions of friendship every gal can relate to, right?

Things soured between the pair when Demi got jealous of all the time Taylor was spending with her BFF Selena Gomez. (See: the infamous “Ask Taylor!” video.)

Last year, however, it seemed that things were chill between the pair with Taylor openly enjoying Demi’s VMAs performance.

Earlier this year, however, it became clear that Lovato was done with Swift. For one thing, she criticised Swift’s $250,000 donation to Kesha in the wake of the singer’s sexual assault allegations against producer Dr. Luke.

Lovato accused Swift of using feminism for her own gain and throwing money at the problem, instead of speaking out about issues of importance.

Tweet by @Demi Lovato Demi Lovato / Twitter Demi Lovato / Twitter / Twitter

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And following all the drama over the past few weeks, Demi Lovato made clear whose side she was on by favouriting a pro-Kim Kardashian tweet…

demi2 Demi Lovato / Twitter Demi Lovato / Twitter / Twitter

And by following Calvin Harris.

dam Demi Lovato / Twitter Demi Lovato / Twitter / Twitter

The shady wagon.

5. Joe Jonas

DNCE Visit the Empire State Building AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

As mentioned earlier, Joe Jonas and Taylor Swift dated briefly between July and October 2008. In November 2008, Swift appeared on The Ellen Show to discuss her album Fearless and was asked if she had written any songs about her former flame.

There’s one that’s about that guy, but that guy is not in my life anymore, unfortunately. That’s an ouch.

She explained that the song Forever and Always was about Joe Jonas and then dropped the following bomb.

When I find that person that is right for me — and he’ll be wonderful — and when I look at that person, I’m not even going to be able to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18.

She also mentioned the phone breakup in her Saturday Night Live monologue. (“You might think I’d bring up Joe/That guy who broke me up with me on the phone”)

On their 2009 album, Lines, Vines and Trying Times, the Jonas Brothers seemed to allude to Taylor in the song Much Better.

I get a rep for breakin’ hearts/Now I’m done with superstars/And all the tears on her guitar/I’m not bitter

Damn.

Last summer, however, it seemed that they had put their differences behind them and went on a double date. (Sure, wasn’t Joe dating Taylor’s BFF Gigi Hadid at the time? Celebs — they’re so incestuous.)

6. Kanye West

2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Show AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know how this one started. On September 13th, 2009, Taylor Swift was onstage accepting the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video when Kanye West rushed the stage and uttered the immortal line:

Yo, Taylor, I’m really happy for you and I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!

In fairness, he kind of had a point ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Nonetheless, West was roundly criticised for ruining the 19-year-old’s moment in the limelight and literally appeared on Jay Leno to apologise for the incident.

I’m just ashamed my hurt caused someone else hurt.

Of course, Taylor Swift went on to write a song about the incident. In Innocent, she appeared to forgive Kanye West, writing, “It’s okay, life is a tough crowd/32, and still growin’ up now/Who you are is not what you did/You’re still an innocent.”

Last year, the pair seemed to make amends when Swift presented the rapper with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Kanye later sent Taylor an enormous bouquet of flowers and Swift hashtagged the photo #BFFS — the ultimate expression of friendship, if you ask us.

Unfortunately, it all went down the toilet when Kanye West released the song Famous in which he stated, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that bitch famous”

At the time, West maintained that he had sought Taylor’s approval and wrote that she “thought it was funny”.

Tweet by @KANYE WEST KANYE WEST / Twitter KANYE WEST / Twitter / Twitter

In a statement, Taylor Swift stated that Kanye had not called for her approval, but instead to ask her to plug the song on her Twitter account.

Taylor was never made aware of the actual lyric, ‘I made that [expletive] famous.

After the album’s release, Taylor Swift accepted the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and urged young women not to let people take credit for their success or achievements.

A few months later, Kim Kardashian made a bombshell revelation in GQ — not only did Taylor Swift approve Famous, but there was actually proof of her doing so in the form of a video.

In a statement to GQ, Taylor Swift once again asserted that she neither approved the song nor the ‘that bitch’ lyric.

Kim Kardashian’s claim that Taylor and her team were aware of being recorded is not true, and Taylor cannot understand why Kanye West, and now Kim Kardashian, will not just leave her alone.

And, well, the rest is history…

7. Diplo

2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards - Arrivals AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

This is probably the stupidest feud of all.

In November 2014, music producer Diplo decided to tweet about Taylor Swift’s arse.

Then he made a gag at the expense of Taylor Swift fans.

Swift’s BFF Lorde quickly put the producer back in his place…

Tweet by @Lorde Lorde / Twitter Lorde / Twitter / Twitter

Now, why might Diplo tweet disparagingly about Taylor Swift’s arse? It might have something to do with the fact that he was dating Swift Enemy #1 Katy Perry at the time.

A few months later, Diplo stated that he regretted starting the feud before adding that he knew “lots of of secrets” about Taylor.

Taylor Swift is very strategic with her friends and enemies. And I know lots of secrets. I can’t divulge, but I know a lot of stuff about her. And I’m scared. I’m scared for my life.

Fortunately, Taylor Swift appears to have reassured him that his life is not at risk. Here they are living it up at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

8. Nicki Minaj

2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Show AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Ah yes, another VMA-themed feud.

Last year, Nicki Minaj sent a series of tweets in which she bemoaned Anaconda’s snub at the MTV Video Music Awards. She wrote, “If I was a ‘different’ kind of artist, Anaconda would be nominated for best choreo and video of the year as well.”

U couldn’t go on social media w/o seeing ppl doing the cover art, choreo, outfits for Halloween… an impact like that & no VOTY nomination?
When the ‘other’ girls drop a video that breaks records and impacts culture they get that nomination.

Tweet by @NICKI MINAJ NICKI MINAJ / Twitter NICKI MINAJ / Twitter / Twitter

Swift, who was nominated for Bad Blood, interpreted the thread as a dig at her and sent the following tweet.

Tweet by @Taylor Swift Taylor Swift / Twitter Taylor Swift / Twitter / Twitter

And then all hell broke loose.

Tweet by @NICKI MINAJ NICKI MINAJ / Twitter NICKI MINAJ / Twitter / Twitter

Tweet by @NICKI MINAJ NICKI MINAJ / Twitter NICKI MINAJ / Twitter / Twitter

Taylor Swift was later forced to apologise for, well, missing the point entirely.

And they performed on stage together during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

So much drama.

9. Tina Fey & Amy Poehler

22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards - Show - Los Angeles AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are two of the funniest women in the world, but even they aren’t immune to Taylor Swift’s wrath.

At the 2013 Golden Globe Awards, Fey and Poehler made a relatively harmless gag in which they instructed Taylor Swift to stay away from Michael J. Fox’s son.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Taylor Swift made it clear that she was not down with the joke and stated that Tina and Amy would go to hell for what they did.

You know, Katie Couric is one of my favorite people, because she said to me she had heard a quote that she loved, that said, ‘There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.’

Amy Poehler later said that she felt bad if Swift was upset. “I am a feminist and she is a young and talented girl. That being said, I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons. Mostly boring tax stuff.”

Tina Fey, meanwhile, said that it was a “fairly benign joke”.

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Amy and Tina later threw shade at the singer when they hosted Saturday Night Live and poked fun at Taylor Swift’s squad in a Bad Blood parody.

What’s more, Tina Fey also included a reference to Swift’s “special place in hell for women” line in an episode of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Lesson? Tina and Amy are savages. 

10. Calvin Harris

 

Another love gone sour.

Calvin Harris and Taylor Swift were steady eddy between 2015 and 2016. In that time, they posed for insufferable photos together (see: “Swan goals“) and generally seemed inseparable.

But then they broke up and scrubbed their social media accounts of any and all evidence of their relationship.

Last week, Taylor Swift’s team of PR wizards informed the world that Taylor Swift had co-written Calvin Harris’ summer bop This Is What You Came For. Harris didn’t take too kindly to the leak and went on a massive Twitter rant.

download Calvin Harris / Twitter Calvin Harris / Twitter / Twitter

download (1) Calvin Harris / Twitter Calvin Harris / Twitter / Twitter

download (2) Calvin Harris / Twitter Calvin Harris / Twitter / Twitter

download (3) Calvin Harris / Twitter Calvin Harris / Twitter / Twitter

He told her to “focus on the positive aspects of YOUR life because you’ve earned a great one” and peaced out.

Imagine the song this will inspire, though.

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