How Did We Get Here? A Timeline of the Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian Drama

The power in the 10-year feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West has constantly shifted over the years (Kanye releases a song, Taylor fights back, Kanye talks about it in an interview, etc.), and it seems like that “bad blood” is still not behind them. Four years after the #PhoneGate incident between Taylor and Kanye, a YouTube account leaked a supposedly unedited version of the call between the artists. After Taylor briefly addressed the phone call on her Instagram Story, Kim Kardashian broke her silence on the matter yet again in a series of tweets. So, how the hell did we get to this point? You’ll likely remember the 2009 MTV VMAs debacle that started it all, but there has been plenty of fuel for the fire in between. Let’s take it back to the very beginning.

Sept. 13, 2009: The Moment That Started It All

Sept. 13, 2009: The Moment That Started It All

At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” snagged the award for best female video. During the singer’s acceptance speech, though, Kanye West took the microphone from her hand, told her he would let her finish, and insisted that Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video was one of the best videos of all time. Bey’s video, for the record, took home best video of the year.

Sept. 14, 2009: Kanye’s First Apology

Kanye immediately did some damage control after the incident. He appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jay Leno and said, “I immediately knew in the situation that it was wrong . . . I would like to apologize to her in person.” He also broke down in tears when Jay asked how his late mother would have felt about the situation.

Sept. 15, 2009: Taylor Breaks It Down on Her Side

The next day, Taylor shared her inner monologue on The View. “Ouch,” Taylor said when asked what she was thinking as he made his outburst. “And then, ‘I guess I’m not going to get to thank the fans.'” The hosts of the show then brought up the aforementioned Jay Leno interview and asked if she’d be willing to meet with him. “Sure,” she answered. “I mean, he has not personally reached out or anything. But, if he wanted to say hi.”

Sept. 15, 2009: Kanye Takes Taylor’s Cue

Sept. 15, 2009: Kanye Takes Taylor's Cue

Shortly after Taylor’s chat on The View, Kanye reached out to make an official apology. “Kanye did call me, and he was very sincere in his apology, and I accepted that apology,” Taylor said in an interview with ABC News Radio. And that was that.

Sept. 7, 2010: A Signature Kanye Twitter Rant

Sept. 7, 2010: A Signature Kanye Twitter Rant

Just under a year after the fateful night in question, Kanye fired off more than 30 tweets in the kind of Twitter rant we’ve come to expect from him. The rapper, of course, went through a score of tangents but directly mentioned Taylor at one point. During yet another apology for his actions, he also revealed that he’d written a song about Taylor.

Sept. 12, 2010: Taylor Returns to the VMAs Stage

Sept. 12, 2010: Taylor Returns to the VMAs Stage

The following year, at the 2010 MTV VMAs, Taylor sang a new song from her soon-to-be-dropped Speak Now album. The song was called “Innocent,” and it was widely speculated that Taylor meant to address the whole Kanye mess. The performance seemed to confirm the rumors, as Taylor projected clips of the 2009 incident on a large screen before she started singing.

Sept. 12, 2010: Kanye Comes Forward With a Song of His Own

Sept. 12, 2010: Kanye Comes Forward With a Song of His Own

Taylor wasn’t the only one who seemed to have the fated interruption on her mind a whole year later. On a bit of a subtler note, Kanye performed “Runaway,” a new song that one might call an unconventional apology. He does wax poetic about his poor treatment of women within the lyrics, but he also calls for a “toast to the douchebags” and assh*les. Seeing as his Twitter storm cited a new song about Taylor, it was widely agreed that this was it.