At the time, Kanye infamously declared that Beyoncé should have won instead — with Beyoncé being shown looking mortified in the audience as the rapper stole then-19-year-old Taylor’s big moment.
It was later reported that both Beyoncé and Taylor cried backstage after the incident, and when Bey won a different award later in the night, she invited Taylor up on stage to finish her interrupted speech.
Ever since, the two stars have appeared to be on friendly terms, with Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, being pictured attending intimate parties hosted by Taylor.
But in spite of this, the two stars’ respective fandoms have been at loggerheads with one another for years.
From arguing over who deserves the most Grammys to which singer is the better performer, Taylor and Beyoncé have regularly been pitted against each other online in the 14 years since the VMAs debacle.
Taylor Swift is bigger than Beyoncé ,f*ck the Grammys
But this fandom-on-fandom beef came to a head this year, with comparisons between the two singers reaching a fever pitch when they both embarked on hugely-acclaimed, sold-out tours over the summer.
The Swifties and the Beyhive have argued over which star had the most A-list VIP guests, who is the most talented, and have been using clips from the shows as apparent evidence of one or the other’s superiority.
Did Diana Ross, The Obamas, Paul McCartney, Lenny Kravitz, Zendaya and Tom Holland, Lizzo, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (and too many other names to list) go see Taylor Swift like they did Beyoncé? They are NOT the same. 🤭#RENAISANCEWorldTour
The situation escalated further when Beyoncé announced that she will be releasing a concert film of her Renaissance tour later this year — just weeks after Taylor announced her own Eras tour concert film.
is Taylor Swift really the only female artiste allowed to have a concert film? Some of these Swifties are giving unhinged saying Beyoncé is copying her with her Renessaince theater release
Meanwhile, Taylor’s fans have argued that she has more to offer overall than Beyoncé.
take away the big stage, the backup dancers, the fireworks. just the artist on her own. who do you think will perform better? beyonce or taylor. taylor just needs a guitar and she's good to go. while bey needs someone to play her some music. facts.
But despite what is going on between their fandoms, Taylor and Beyoncé put on a united front on Wednesday when the latter attended the LA premiere for Taylor’s concert film.
The two posed for photos together on the red carpet, and Taylor later took to her Instagram account to gush about the guest of honor.
Sharing a Boomerang video of herself and Beyoncé looking cozy together in an empty movie theater, Taylor wrote: “I’m so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce‘s influence.”
“The way she’s taught me and every artist out here to break rules and defy industry norms,” she went on. “Her generosity of spirit. Her resilience and versatility. She’s been a guiding light throughout my career, and the fact that she showed up tonight was like an actual fairytale. 😇🙏🥹”
Needless to say, this move left the Swifties and the Beyhive equally stunned — with many pointing out that it is incredibly rare for Beyoncé to make public appearances in this way.
And both Taylor and Beyoncé have won praise for their apparent attempt to end their fans’ feud once and for all.
“This is literally so iconic,” one person wrote on a Reddit forum. “Beyoncé usually doesn’t do this so the fact that she did shows the respect it exists between the two of them.”
“I hope people stop comparing them now,” the user went on. “They’re both so talented and devoted to their artistry that is pointless and rude to compare them. One talented woman can coexist with another talented woman, and the pitting them against each other needs to stop.”
“Beyoncé really went outside for Taylor, “ somebody else tweeted. “Like yall know that lady don’t leave her house unless it’s for a check. But Taylor is really her home girl and she had to pop out for her.”
Beyoncé really went outside for Taylor, like yall know that lady don’t leave her house unless it’s for a check. But Taylor is really her home girl and she had to pop out for her 😩😭
“Omg the fact that beyoncé skips most award shows and events but she attended taylor's premiere for her movie... powerful women supporting powerful women !!! that makes me so happy,” another wrote.
omg the fact that beyonce skips most award shows and events but she attended taylor's premiere for her movie... powerful women supporting powerful women !!! that makes me so happy
“Beyoncé and taylor just told y’all to shut up and behave,” one more wrote in reference to the beef, while someone else joked: “Beyoncé and Taylor Swift said put the guns DOWN.”