Billboard has issued an apology to Taylor Swift and her fans after adding an unauthorized nude deepfake clip of her from Kanye West's 2016″Famous” video.
West's “Famous” video fueled the fire in his years-long feud with the singer. Prior to the video release, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian allegedly edited a phone call conversation between West and Swift to imply that the singer gave the rapper permission to use her likeness in the song.
The music video contained nude wax figure images of Kardashian, her stepfather Caitlyn Jenner, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Swift, and more. The “Lover” singer has spoken out about her dislike for the song and what it has done to her mental health and reputation.
“Instead of answering those who are asking how I feel about the video footage that was leaked, proving that I was telling the truth the whole time about that call (you know, the one that was illegally recorded, that somebody edited and manipulated in order to frame me, and put me, my family, my and fans through hell for 4 years)…SWIPE UP to see what really matters,” Swift said on social media at the time while linking the World Health Organization site.
Billboard Apologizes To Taylor Swift
Swift was named the No. 2 “Greatest Pop Star Of The 21st Century” by Billboard. While the publication was celebrating the singer's accomplishments by creating a compilation video of her achievements, they included a deepfake nude image of her when discussing Swift's feud with West and Kardashian.
“We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her,” Billboard said in a statement posted on its social media pages. “We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”
Billboard's apology follows a popular fan account for the singer criticizing Billboard's inclusion of the video.
“@billboard the decision to include that clip in a video supposedly celebrating Taylor’s success is beyond nasty,” the fan account wrote. “It’s not just disgusting and disrespectful, it’s an outright slap in the face to an artist who, whether you acknowledge it or not, has single-handedly defined this generation’s music scene. This isn’t just an oversight; it’s a deliberate attempt to humble her, and it’s extremely pathetic. You owe Taylor a massive apology because this kind of treatment is absolutely unacceptable and unprofessional.”
Several Swifties responded to the now-viral tweet about Billboard using the controversial video.
One fan suggested Swift take legal action, “This is disgusting, Taylor should sue.”
Another fan said that she should make her team aware of this, “Heights of disgust seriously. i hope taylor and her pr team do something about this.”
“Exactly! Taylor has redefined music and deserves respect, not cheap shots. This was beyond unprofessional, and Billboard should be ashamed. Time to own up to this disrespect,” another fan responded.
Swift has not yet responded to Billboard's apology.