No. 1 Kanye West surprises Taylor Swift
Madonna may have kissed Britney, but no VMA moment has ever been more outrageous, controversial or talked-about than when Kanye dissed Taylor Swift. At the 2009 VMAs, Yeezy showed up chugging Hennessy as he walked the red carpet with then-girlfriend Amber Rose; and the combination of alcohol and Ye’s always-volatile nature combined to create an epic moment in pop culture tomfoolery. When Swift won for “Best Female Video,” Kanye decided to rush the stage, snatch the mic from the stunned teenager and announce that “Beyonce had one of the greatest videos of all time!” It was a moment that shocked Swift, shocked Beyonce and shocked everyone who was watching. West was roundly criticized by virtually everyone, made a public apology a few nights later on Jay Leno’s talk show and went into self-seclusion for the better part of six months. That’s a moment.
