Olivia Munn's Joke That Made Taylor Swift Uncomfortable
Just like taxes, celebrity feuds are an inevitable part of life — albeit a far more interesting one. Who among us hasn't hit pause on a workday to scroll through Twitter for some entertainment, courtesy of the latest feuding superstars? But when it comes to drama, there's one long-lasting celebrity battle that stands out among the others. Back in 2009, Kanye West infamously interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at her first-ever VMAs after her song "You Belong With Me" won Best Video by a Female Artist. Stealing her mic (and her thunder) mid-speech, West uttered the immortal words, "Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!" Cut to Beyoncé's horrified face, as the crowd booed West and Swift stood awkwardly onstage. It was a moment that no one would ever forget.
The fallout was explosive, with Twitter in full meltdown mode, mostly in support of Swift. As former MTV correspondent Jim Cantiello reflected later to Billboard, "If you weren't watching the VMAs and you opened Twitter, it felt like you were missing out on the craziest TV moment of all time." Indeed! West and Swift would go on to throw shade — whether via song lyrics or social media disses — for years to come. And that iconic mid-speech interruption would become canonized in culture, later featuring as part of an award show joke between Olivia Munn and Swift herself that made everyone feel uncomfortable.
Olivia Munn Kanye'd Taylor Swift onstage
Four years after that VMAs moment, the time was ripe for a parody of Kanye West's "Imma let you finish" line... according to Olivia Munn, at least. In 2013, the actor (along with "The Big Bang Theory" star Johnny Galecki) presented Taylor Swift with the Favorite Country Artist award at the People's Choice Awards. Everything was going swimmingly until Munn awkwardly blocked Swift's way as she reached for the mic to start her acceptance speech. "If you want to thank me first, it makes the most sense," Munn told Taylor, who went along with the joke by saying, "Absolutely, you first."
It was awkward at best, but Munn made it more so as she grabbed the trophy from Swift, who — referencing West's VMA interruption — joked that "This always happens." Munn responded, "And it will always happen, Taylor. This is your lot in life." At that, even Swift looked uncomfortable, and no one in the audience was laughing. The "Ocean's Eight" star seemed to realize that she'd stepped over the line, and returned Swift's trophy to her, but the damage was done. The whole interaction was especially uncomfortable as the singer was newly single and attending her first red carpet event following her split from "One Direction" singer Harry Styles. Maybe it wasn't the right time for a West parody.
Taylor Swift is a good sport
Awkwardness aside, the moment proved that Taylor Swift has done a lot of growing up since the 2009 VMAs. Back then, she was just a curly-haired, seventeen-year-old, while Kanye West was almost double her age at 32. This time around, Swift was clad in a plunging Ralph Lauren gown and flaunting smokey eye makeup — but it was her reaction to Olivia Munn that truly showed the most maturity. In fact, her deadpan delivery of, "This always happens," impressed more than one person in the audience, including the next award winner on the live broadcast. "God, Taylor Swift was super charming and I'm trying to think of something to say and it's not happening," Adam Levine told viewers (via The Boot) as he came onstage to accept Maroon 5's award for Favorite Band. "She said, 'This always happens.' That's genius by the way ... Damn you Swift!"
Things came full circle for Swift and Kanye in 2015 when the "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" singer presented West with the Video Vanguard at the VMAs and parodied his infamous interruption. "I'm really happy for you and Imma let you finish, but Kanye has had one of the greatest careers of all time," Swift announced. Clearly, she knows how to take a joke (even one at her own expense) in stride.