In The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift devoted two songs to her eight-years-long beef with Kim Kardashian. It’s particularly telling, to me at least, that Taylor is still so mad at Kim specifically. I don’t doubt that Taylor still has a lot of smoke for Kanye West, but she’s not devoting whole-ass songs about how much she despises Ye. Is he too “easy” a target for Taylor? Kanye destroyed his own life and brand already – he’s a Nazi pariah, and he’s now unwelcome in the elite spaces he craves. If Taylor went after Ye, it would likely be seen as punching down. Plus, he would love the attention. So… she goes after Kim. Kim hasn’t said one word about Taylor on the record since 2019, when she appeared on Watch What Happens Live and said that everyone involved had “moved on.” Taylor was mad about that too, and she’s spent the past five years referencing Kim in interviews and music. In any case, Kim still isn’t saying anything on the record, but a “source” has something to say about it:
The release of Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department has reignited interest in the feud between the singer and Kim Kardashian. On “thanK you aIMee,” Swift sings about facing bullying, and the lyrics, coupled with the capitalization of the three letters in the title (KIM), led fans to think that the song is a dig at the SKIMS founder.
A source tells PEOPLE of Kardashian’s response to the track: “She’s over it and thinks Taylor should move on.”
Kardashian “doesn’t get why [Swift] keeps harping on it,” the source says. “It’s been literally years.”
In the chorus of “thanK you aIMee,” Swift sings, “All that time you were throwin’ punches, I was buildin’ somethin’ / And I can’t forgive the way you made me feel / Screamed ‘F— you, Aimee’ to the night sky, as the blood was gushin’/ But I can’t forget the way you made me heal.”
Later, she changes the chorus to sing: “All that time you were throwin’ punches, it was all for nothin’ / An our town, it look so small from way up here / Screamed ‘Thank you, Aimee’ to the night sky and the stars are stunnin’ / ‘Cause I can’t forget the way you made me heal.”
The song also references Swift removing “any real defining clues” about who the song is about, along with her admitting, “I changed your name,” which fans believed to be a reference to the song exploring her rift with Kardashian.
Don’t get me wrong, I am also a champion grudge-holder. I’m still holding on to grudges from decades ago. I have a memory like a steel trap for people who have wronged me. But my seething hatred for my enemies is contained, because I would never, ever give my enemies (especially Laura F–king Dern) the satisfaction of knowing that I carry these grudges with me. That’s what I don’t get about Taylor, honestly. Maybe it’s a Sagittarius thing for her versus a Virgo thing for me. Taylor is always so eager to paint herself as the heroine-victim, she has to let everyone know that she’s still thinking about that one person who “wronged” her eight years ago. Why give Kim the satisfaction of knowing that? That Taylor is still haunted by it, still writing songs about it, still torn up about it? In a very limited sense about this one siloed situation, I genuinely think Kim has handled this whole thing correctly for years, by refusing to apologize and largely ignoring Taylor. And Taylor hasn’t handled it correctly.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
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Why is refusing to apologize handling it correctly?
agree. I actually think Taylor mishandled the call stuff (her initial statement said she cautioned Kanye about the song being misogynistic, but the opposite is heard in both recordings, although you can definitely tell she’s uncomfortable).
BUT. if I were her, I would NEVER get over Kim laughing and taking pictures of the nude wax model Kanye had made of Taylor and featured in his video. that was foul and basically revenge porn, and I don’t think Taylor needs to get over that. and to not even issue an apology and expect her to just be fine with it? no.
Oh my I totally forgot about the nude wax!! So awful. And she’s never apologized! Kim was evil!
I came here to say the same thing. Abusers never apologize and accept any responsibility. Abusers also make you feel like you are the wrong one for even being mad. ThanKyou aIMee is about Taylor saying you helped me get where I am and a little dig about how her kids sing her songs.
That woman lied over and over with the intention to destroy Taylor just for fun. We expect a certain princess to set the record straight about who made who cry, why don’t we expect Kim to set the record straight.
I don’t think we should ignore the trauma caused by going from being loved by so many to being hated universally, all because someone decided lie, deceive and hurt.
Stop minimizing someone’s pain.
In the Time Woman of the Year article, Taylor talks about how dark that time period was for her. She basically stayed indoors and was very depressed. It definitely left a scar. My guess is she didn’t understand why those two were targeting her and still doesn’t.
Having said that, I’d moved on and never let them know it impacted/s me anymore.
All this that everyone in this section said, also Kim is posting pictures with all the people that betrayed Taylor (which as someone that loves low stake petty celebrity drama I am here for) but lets not act like she is now or ever has risen above this mess. Because she hasn’t.
Refusing to apologize when you’ve done wrong is never a win. But then again, Kim is known for treating even her own siblings like dirt, and not apologizing for it (i.e Rob).
Abusers always say “why don’t you get over it, its been so long already”. They would prefer rug sweeping to actually be accountable for what they did. Taylor is just healing as best she can with what she knows best, music. If she wants to write a song about it, who cares. Its her choice to heal that way.
So say we all.
Kim has changed ,she would have tried to squash it and even attend a Taylor concert, she DGAF anymore,ishe hasn’t event removed her Kate Middleton joke from her insta.
I don’t think she’s changed. I think she’s never cared about who she mows down. I also think that she believes she’s untouchable now so she doesn’t bother pretending to be a decent person anymore.
Why should Taylor get over it when Kim laughed as her husband put a realistic naked wax figure of Taylor in his videos; when she edited a phone call to make Taylor look bad.
Kim has never apologized.
Anyways, I don’t think the song is just about Kim. It sounds more like a high school bully, or an amalgamation of bullies.
The capitalized letters was pretty petty though lol
And Kim made her own video of those wax statues, showing herself pointing and laughing at those women’s bodies in her then husband’s rape fantasy. She has no place telling any of those women to get over it and should apologize to all of them
I feel like I’m at Taylor Swift apologist and even this Kim K stuff is eye roll inducing for me. Get over it, Taylor. OR is she doing it just so we keep talking about it? I read this site’s review of the album yesterday. I agree the lyrics are the most teenage and idiotic stuff ever. I usually think Taylor is pretty smart and savvy, but man do all these lyrics suggest otherwise. I literally can’t decide if Taylor is this brilliant marketer and poetic mastermind or a moron with really good luck and a great supporting cast of songwriters and marketers. This is how she gets me every darn time!
agree completely, poet??? not even close. Go away for awhile Taylor. Tried to watch the eras tour, finger waggling, hair flipping, huge ego on display, tried twice to watch. just couldn’t do it.
Aren’t we all people who can be 90% over something, rarely think about it, move on- but once in awhile it comes to our mind and we feel a little rage and think – yeah, I still hate that b***h.
I know I can
A lot of the ttpd songs I see through that lens. Taking a little wallowing memory.
Doesn’t mean you live there full time, but we are not perfect all forgiving creatures and sometimes our petty has its moment.
Let us have our petty moments.
I also think maybe Kim files that episode under – I was protecting my husband/ and pats herself on the back.
And ugh.
yeah, exactly! she also made a clear point about this album closing the door on the past for her, so I doubt we’ll hear about it again except for the reputation re-record.
I also don’t think it’s as childish as people are making it out to be. she points out in the song that she might have had a very different trajectory if she hadn’t experienced that and grown from it. 🤷
I agree.
Trauma takes courage to another level. If you are fortunate enough to face it and do the work that it takes then you can get to a place of awareness that is balancing. She acknowledges at the end about “ self inflicting “ too. Bravo Taylor.
Like all of us she is human.
Are these grown women or middle schoolers? It’s so ridiculous on both sides.
How is it ridiculous on Kim’s side? She would never mention it if Taylor didn’t keep referencing her in interviews and songs…
She never apologized for the revenge porn so she doesn’t get a pass.
Taylor is still two years younger than Kim was when it happened. Kim is vile.
I love when people say this stuff about age, and then act like all the petty shit they are doing in their neighborhoods aren’t happening. Please Taylor and Kim aren’t doing anything less mature than anyone else they just get more attention.
Girl. Let it go. You got caught. This does not help your case
This is one side of Taylor that makes me really feel weird about her. Remember it was Katy Perry who had to apologize to her first even though Taylor tried to ruin her career with a lot of power moves.
I read someone’s comment about this situation which said, this is Taylor’s final move to rewrite the Snakegate event. She needs Kim to apologize to her to accomplish that. She has been making these moves for a few years now, trying to change history of her own life story. Just to note, I believe Kim & Kanye are horrible people, but not just for what they did to Taylor. However, there is no excuse to put death wish on someone publicly and talk about their children in a song. Taylor is supposed to be the good person here, right?? How is she gonna feel when/if she has children in the future and Kanye talks about them in a song. This is all so weird, but Taylor has been weird since she left London.
Completely agree. I think Taylor CANNOT accept she was caught out. And she has this very childish way of managing it where she thinks if she just says something enough times she will convince everyone of her narrative. She can’t let it it go until her made up narrative has been validated and recognised by a Kim apology, which won’t happen. I seriously can’t believe a woman literally on top of the world is giving air time to Kim in her TIME interview and in her music. It’s just insanity to me. Why doesn’t Taylor have a good enough friend around to tell her this needs to stop? Why isn’t her mum telling her to stop?
Her mom apparently used to wish Kim was dead, according to the song. So that’s where her mom falls on the issue!
I agree with Kim. It’s time for Taylor to move on.
Why? Kim was a bully here and Taylor the victim. So why does Kim get to say that Taylor should move on.
Kanye instigated the whole thing, Kanye put out the revenge p0rn. Kanye called her a b!tch, yet here we all are, screeching for Kim to be held accountable. Very interesting 🤔
I think it’s not up to any of us to tell her to move on, and frankly we don’t know if she has. Just because she’s using it as fodder for her lyrics doesn’t mean she’s stuck in some vicious cycle. But even if she is still feeling it, it’s not shocking to me. That crap with the nude wax figure is vile and I don’t think I would get over another woman participating in that.
I am just learning about the nude sex doll today! OMG!!
It was revolting.
I understand Tay’s lyrics as someone who just recently got over a 20 year old grudge against the management at my first job who made me feel about an inch tall and wrecked my self esteem for years afterwards.
It took coming into my own and being in a position to give THEM work before I was fully over it. Not that I was out there thinking about it every day but it definitely hit whenever someone mentioned them that they could be out there making comments about me if someone said Do you know X and would it get me fired, and spiraling from there.
As the lyrics say, was what they did forgivable? Yes. Was the way it made me feel like I couldn’t hack it and spent the next 20 years looking over my shoulder forgivable? I got there, but it took a while. I read these lyrics as Tay’s way of processing that.
Because you read her lyrics correctly I mean she literally says in the song she knows that she would not have all this without Kim. She is processing all of it and is like yeah this is how I feel about it, I am pissed but I know what you did to me got me all this so thanks I guess but also F you.
Here’s the thing at some point whether you are justified for wanting an apology you have to accept you aren’t getting it. And at this point I feel like Kim is like I’ll be damned if I ever give you the satisfaction of getting me to say sorry. She knows this is what Taylor wants so not addressing it, not acknowledging her is what she knows gets under her skin, and you should never give someone else that much continued power over you. So if you truly are healed and you think going through this has made you a better person, you realize that your healing is separate from any acknowledgement from the other party. The fact that she is still writing about it, mentioning it in interviews, dropping Easter eggs makes me question if she is over it.
That nude sex doll was nasty work and I don’t blame Taylor for not being over it.
I also think it’s not that deep for Taylor. People assign a lot of meaning to her songs when she’s said it’s a way she processes and I think for the average person who either a) doesn’t make a career out of vomiting their thoughts into song lyrics and/or b) doesn’t want to let anyone know anything bothers them (me, also a Virgo and champion grudge holder) this is like wow she really is still big mad! And I don’t think that’s the case. I think she writes stuff and makes music from it and people analyze it to death. She likely made her peace with that a long time ago in that it is part of what makes her so popular and is her style, plus it’s how she processes. I also think because we live in an era where she is a huge star and social media exists the only way she can be messy and human is through her music. Rock/music stars of the past were hot messes all day long but it didn’t all trickle out all day, every day. So she lets it out through her music, and probably doesn’t sit around and stew over it.
I’d also point out that the final song of the album seems to indicate she’s closing a chapter AND this thank you song isn’t on the original released album. Who knows how she arrived at what songs to drop and when and how, but it sort of gives a vibe of “fuck it here it all is, ok done.”
“I think she writes stuff and makes music from it and people analyze it to death.”
But, this song doesn’t even have a nuance for analysis. She emphasizes KIM in the song title and adds a death wish to her in the song. You can say that about some of her other songs, but this isn’t it. She has the talent to make it vague, to take Kim out of the song and make the song not a diss track. She chose not to do that.
That was not a comment on whether this song was opaque or obvious. That’s about her songwriting style and how she’s made peace with that part of her career because it makes her money and it’s how she processes according to her. Her style is what it is and it’s what works for her career.
I just don’t think there’s anything more to it and I don’t think she sits around stewing over Kim’s lack of apology. I think she gets inspired to write something, processes it through song and then it’s out there. I think she knows she’ll be asked about it and is fine at this point talking about it or admitting she thinks Kim is trash or whatever. Based on the song I’d bet she either saw or heard Kim was singing her songs with North on social media and was inspired to write something. And now everyone will talk about it, it will spike curiosity and people might listen to the song.
@bitsycs, ok but you don’t get to publish an obvious diss track and not get a lot of publicity about it. That is why we aren’t analyzing the music itself, but the subjects of the song. You said, we are analyzing to death and it is too much, but in this case, this is on the songwriter, not the public or media.
I literally never said it was too much, it was simply saying: this is what happens with Taylor songs, people want to figure out what they’re about because her style has always been taking the personal and turning it into songs. In this case, it was fairly obvious.
All I’m saying is that this is her style, it drives people to talk about it, which then drives people to listen to the song, and then profit for Taylor. What I don’t think is that she actually sits around much thinking about Kim and her lack of apology. I think she draws inspiration from her life and makes music and because she does that, people talk and it makes her money/success. That’s it.
Didn’t she literally give an entire Time interview about it?
She can’t get over it because she is usually the bully and this one time someone bullied her. That’s it, that’s the beef. Also, if you were healed, you wouldn’t be still talking about it
Is that how it works? If you’’ve healed from some trauma, you don’t talk about it anymore? Interesting take.
Kim has been using Taylor’s songs on her socials (with North, even!) and keeps hiring people in Taylor’s circle for SKIMS ads; I can see why when combined with re-recording Reputation and processing the last six years on Tortured Poets she’d be “…and another thing!!!” about it. I would like the song better if she hadn’t made it so clear who it’s (at least mostly, though I think there’s other targets mixed in) about.
Oh my, not everything is about Taylor (“but, what if it is?” lol). SKIMS ads are using popular people. North has been dancing to a lot of music, Kim is trying to connect with her daughter. If they have been blasting a lot of her songs, I would understand. But, she can’t say to her daughter not to listen to Taylor. I also saw North making fun of Taylor’s dancing, which Kim removed from the account immediately not to anger swifties. She doesn’t care about Taylor anymore, she has been trying to deal with Kanye.
Interesting that Kim is telling Taylor to move on when she’s never once apologized for the edited recording or the revenge porn doll of Taylor. Taylor has every right to feel however she feels about the situation. Also, wasn’t Kim using Taylor’s song in an instagram story and singing a song on TikTok with North pretty recently? So she doesn’t like for Taylor to mention her but she’s totally fine with making headlines for using Taylor’s music? Laughable
Not a Swiftie and I don’t care for her music.
One of my favorite singers/songwriters said that ” I write songs because it’s cheaper than therapy. I can’t write things out of thin air. A lot of the stuff I write is because of a situation I’ve been in, a scenario I’ve been a part of; life experiences in general.”
He’s made profit from that, and so has TS. You can’t put a date on someone’s processing. Also, we don’t know when the songwriting for this song started. It may not have been started recently, but floated in her mind as she processed what she considers a big deal to her.
Anyway, Swifties will buy whatever she puts out, so she’ll be fine. Kim will be fine. Not to mention that TS’s output is fairly prolific so this will be forgotten about in a year or so. IMO
The problem with some of Taylor’s lyrics (and song titles) is that they are so specific. She goes way out of her way to make sure everyone knows exactly who she’s talking about, which seems excessive and unnecessary. If it’s really just her own personal form of therapy then she always has the option of writing these songs and not releasing them? It’s not like she was lacking material for her double album, and the song is really not very good (in my opinion). If you really find it necessary to release a diss song then at least make it catchy like “Bad Blood!”
I also get that she believes that she is deserving of an apology but it seems clear that she is not going to get one, so what does she really gain from continuing to engage in this one-sided war for eight years and bringing other people (her mom and Kim’s kids) into it?
Kim has nothing to apologize for and I hope she continues to Gray Rock Taylor.
lol Kim absolutely should apologize. Revisit her antics.
As I limp into the final inning of my life, one of the few skills I find myself looking to model for the younger generations is the ability and willingness to make a genuine, full and unqualified apology to someone. I don’t get why people feel like it diminishes them in some way to own a mistake, to shut the door, to be the bigger person and take the blame, all so that an ugly incident can be put behind everyone. When I say life is too short to let these incidences, however painful, fester, I really mean it. Now, in this case, it may be a desire to keep your name in people’s mouths, any publicity is good publicity, so I shrug at the tempest in a teapot of it all. But neither of these two people come off as very mature.
I don’t listen to Taylor Swift music (nothing against her, I just like indie folk music), but I read the articles posted here and will read posts about her on fashion websites etc. She says that writing songs is therapeutic for her. And I think for those that say she should be “over it” are entitled to their opinions, I suppose, to be diplomatic about it. But to me, I think if people that are listening to some of these songs that discuss real or perceived bullying, relational aggression or outright aggression, etc take comfort in them, or relate to them in some way, that is really important. It may be a form of healing for her to write. But my guess is that she also writes some of these songs for her fans, both young and old, who need to be reminded they aren’t alone. Music helps me heal in my own struggles. I know The Head and the Heart or the Avett Brothers or Of Monsters and Men etc didn’t write any of their songs for me. But it is a huge comfort to listen to music that addresses things I am struggling with. Like “what’s up” by 4 non blondes got me through high school. Why is Taylor Swift’s music any different for those that relate to it?
All Taylor is doing is showing that Kim lives rent-free in her head. Years later. It looks really petty and I get it. She hates Kim. But Taylor has so much going for her and she needs to stop focusing on toxic people who aren’t even in her life.
I think we need to stop telling people how to process their trauma & when that process should be over.
Kanye was/is obsessed with Taylor. What he did to her, repeatedly, was psychotic. The lyrics, the video, the phone call, the microphone. He fixated on her & that is horrifying & terrifying.
Added, the bystander holds the power to stop it. Instead, Kim actively went along with it. She inserted herself into the horribleness & now doesn’t get to call time out.
I think this is a really good point. Taylor can do whatever she wants about this and process however she likes.
Also the less wordier version of what I said above is that I think Taylor processing through a song is functionally the equivalent of me, a non famous person who doesn’t write songs, saying “I hate that b*tch” when someone’s name comes up who I don’t like/has wronged me. People saying she needs to move on/rent free/whatever is eyeroll worthy to me for both of these reasons (what was done was really f*cked up & that I think her writing a song is the equivalent of a regular person saying I still hate them).
Honestly, I disagree that Kim or any bystander has the “power to stop” an abuser. But she certainly didn’t have to escalate the situation.
Did they record her without her consent and then serve a “curated” version to the public where important bits and pieces were missing?
Yeah, there’s no getting over that.
The header photo could absolutely be Megan Fox if you change the eyecolor to blue. Surgery and filler convergence!
How do we even know this song is about Kim? Also, two songs were mentioned but only the Thank Yous Aimee one is referenced.
The song sucks, honestly, and the lyrics are weak. As far as grudge songs go, she should have done a lot worse.
This isn’t “trauma” and to suggest it is shows an ignorance of what real trauma is. This is a petty, 8 year old fight.
She hasn’t healed from it either if she’s still writing songs about it. I’m going with moron with a really good marketing team.
I truly think people are missing the point and actively ignoring what Taylor said in the instagram caption and liner notes on this album. This album isn’t about one person, it is about her processing her life, it is why people are confused about some of the songs because outside of a few very clear songs their aren’t Joe songs or Matty songs or this one Kim (maybe two) song, the characters are intertwined they mix because after ending things with Joe things got messy for her. This was who she thought was the one, the end of all her endings. It wasn’t so now she is processing all her relationships but the Joe/Matty mess (like all serious and jump offs) are intertwined and it’s messy but it’s also done. She is past it, if you listen to the entire 31 songs when you get to the manuscript (which is clearly about John or Jake) she has processed her past, really healed from it and is in a place to move on to a health spot. That is what the album is.
Truly it is some of her best most honest writing (if you don’t go out of your way to cherry pick lines) it also her most raw and it is different then anything she has done. But again I think the Kim song is her really dealing with that episode and more accurately Kim’s part in it and processing it. I think it is her way of also saying yeah I won’t keep this going but I hate the bitch so don’t ask me about her or think we can be ok cause we can’t this isn’t a Katy Perry situation. Now that being said it isn’t a great song so I’d have left it off the album because it isn’t her best work but i get what she is doing, and she owes Kim nothing.
Anyway when you spend less time trying to guess the man and realize it about Taylor and her feelings it puts the album into a lot of perspective.
It’s a tragic day when Kim Kardashian is the mature one in a situation. Taylor really, really needs to grow up, in so many ways. It’s like she’s stunted in her teens.
I think comments like these are really missing some key points – Kim was part of the problem. She recorded Taylor without her consent and stood by while her spouse did awful things to Taylor. Now it is Taylor’s fault she can’t get over the distress THEY caused her? Unbelievable.
It is so entitled to help F over someone and then be mad and act like they are bitter if they haven’t forgiven you on your presumptuous timeline
To be fair I very much dislike everyone involved in this, Kim, Kanye, and Taylor Swift (some more than others). But you can’t deny they’re ALL phenomenally messy and reactive (possibly as a result of their insane level of fame).
Kanye could have simply not started any beefs (lol). Kim could have simply apologized or reached out to Taylor behind the scenes (as her mom wanted to — Kris is smart), or at least not escalated the antagonism. And Taylor could have laughed, moved on, and enjoyed world pop culture dominance.
Man 2016 doesn’t seem like that long ago at all!