Kanye West made headlines again after referencing Taylor Swift in a since-deleted social media post. The rapper cited their long-standing feud as one reason he believes he has never performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. His comments resurfaced years of public tension between the two artists and sparked renewed attention to their controversial history.
Kanye West says Taylor Swift is one reason for his Super Bowl ban
In a since-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) on April 7, 2025, Kanye West cited his controversial past with Taylor Swift as one of three reasons he believes the NFL has never invited him to perform at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. “I never was allowed to do the Super Bowl because of three moments,” he wrote. “George Bush don’t care about Black people. The Taylor Swift movement moment. Wearing a MAGA hat” (via E! News).
West’s reference points to a long history between him and Swift that began at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when he interrupted her acceptance speech to say Beyoncé deserved the award. The incident sparked a public feud that continued for years, including West’s 2016 song “Famous,” where he referenced Swift without her permission, according to Swift.
In the same social media post, West added, “How it feel to be the best living and blocked from the main stage because of bein ahead of [his] time.” He continued, “(And I mean all of this was before I went full Nazi of course),” referencing antisemitic comments he began making publicly in 2022 and 2023.
Swift attended the 2025 Super Bowl to support her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce, while the NFL selected Kendrick Lamar—not West—as the halftime performer. Earlier that year, West criticized Swift for dancing to Lamar’s performance at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
West performed with Rihanna during a pre-Super Bowl event in 2015 but never headlined the official Halftime Show. After he made antisemitic remarks, Adidas and several other brands dropped him. In February 2025, he started selling Swastika-themed merchandise, prompting his talent agency to cut ties with him.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
