Bad blood: Meet Taylor Swift's many enemies -

Few people in the music industry have as many enemies as Taylor Swift. The country-turned-pop singer has amassed an empire, which was bound to attract some naysayers along the way. Swift has notoriously, and very publicly, feuded with former friends, industry titans, and her exes.

In the early hours of April 19, Swift dropped her new album 'The Tortured Poet's Department,' along with a deluxe extended version totaling 31 new songs. With any Taylor Swift release, fans are quick to dissect the lyrics and find out who she's taking aim at this time. It looks like Kim Kardashian is the most recent enemy to feel the subtle wrath of her pen. One of the songs is called 'thanK you aIMee,' with the letters 'K', 'I,' and 'M' not-so-subtly capitalized. Swift sings about a mean girl in school whose bullying left deep scars. "There's a bronze spray-tanned statue of you," she sings, but goes on to say that she's healed and grown stronger from the experience. "I changed your name and any real defining clues. And one day, your kid comes home singin' a song that only us two is gonna know is about you."

Swift's main beef with Kardashian relates to Kanye West's 2016 song 'Famous,' in which he claims to have made Taylor Swift famous. West claimed that Swift gave him permission to mention her in the song, but Swift denied it. Kardashian then came out on social media with a recording of a phone call between Swift and West, her then-husband, in which Swift appeared to give her approval. This made the public believe Swift was lying and both Kardashian and the social media users began referring to her as a snake. Swift claims that the recording was edited and misrepresented her. "You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar,” she says. “That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before," she told Time magazine after winning Person of the Year in 2023. 

In the song 'Cassandra,' there are many references to snakes. In Greek mythology, Cassandra is granted the power of prophecy by the God Apollo while he's infatuated with her. When she rejects him, he curses her so that none of her prophecies will ever be believed. Swift sings about being hated and called a liar, sitting in a jail cell filled with snakes. 

Check out the following gallery to uncover Taylor Swift's extensive list of enemies, including ex-boyfriends, ex-friends, and ex-business partners. 

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Kanye West -

The feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West has lasted over 10 years, starting with the 2009 VMAs. The rapper interrupted Swift's acceptance speech, ruining his reputation in the process. He later apologized.

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Kanye West - Swift snubbed him on her song 'Innocent,' and West retracted the apology. West then released 'Famous,' featuring the lines "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex... I made that b— famous." Swift was not happy specifically about the "b—" part.

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Kim Kardashian -

Swift showed up to the Grammys, criticizing those who "take credit for your accomplishments or your fame." West's wife, Kim Kardashian, was not happy. She told GQ "she totally knew that that was coming out [...] [West] even called to get it approved."

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Kim Kardashian -

Kim then posted several Snapchat stories, which confirmed that West called Swift for approval, which she gave. Swift tried to distance herself from the incident on Twitter, which started the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty.

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West -

But footage of that entire 2016 phone call has since been leaked, and it reveals that West only told Swift that the line would say, "I feel like Taylor might still have sex." While he does suggest he might say he made her famous, he specifically leaves out the "b—" part, which she said was one of her concerns.

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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West -

Kim had clearly posted edited videos, West had clearly omitted information, and afterward, Twitter was alive with the hashtag #KanyeWestIsOverParty. However, Swift has expressed that the incident still did major damage to her reputation, career, and mental health. 

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Scooter Braun -

Swift has been involved in a long and public feud with music producer Scooter Braun, who owned the masters of her first six albums. She wanted to regain ownership of her early music, but said she was unable to reach a deal with Braun. In November 2020, Braun announced that he was selling Big Machine Label Group, which includes the master rights, to the private equity company Shamrock Holdings for over US$300 million. Statements from Swift in the past suggested shady and unethical dealings on Braun's part which prevented her from regaining control of her masters. 

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Scooter Braun's attempt to silence her -

According to Swift, when she'd tried to make a deal with Braun to buy back her masters, he had insisted on her signing an NDA to ensure that she would never speak a negative word about him again. Obviously, the deal was never made. Swift also said Shamrock told her "Braun had required that they make no contact with me or my team, or the deal would be off."

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Re-recording her old albums -

Before this, #TaylorIsFree started trending to celebrate the fact that as of November 1, 2020, Swift was reportedly legally allowed to re-record new versions of her first six albums, meaning she will fully own them. In a letter to fans she said she had already started, making for a historic move for the music industry.

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Big Machine Group -

As a refresher, Big Machine Label Group was sold to Swift's known enemy, Scooter Braun, and with that deal her first six albums came under his control. Since then Swift came up with an ingenious way to use her music without letting Braun pocket any profit—through a band called Jack Leopards and The Dolphin Club, which doesn't exist...

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Big Machine Label -

Sharp-eyed Swifties have discovered that the band whose cover of 'Look What You Made Me Do' appeared on an episode of 'Killing Eve' doesn't actually exist.  Moreover, the cover is produced by Nils Sjöberg—Swift's pseudonym. Fans also believe the singer on the cover is Swift's brother, Austin. This would all mean Swift made a fake band, who owns their masters, to sing her song to ensure that Scooter Braun receives no profit!

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Big Machine Label -

Adding more fuel to the fire, a "new" Taylor Swift live album was released in April 2020, and the singer wrote on Instagram that she did not approve the release, and that the recording is from a 2008 radio show performance. Then she added, "It looks to me like Scooter Braun and his financial backers, 23 Capital, Alex Soros and the Soros family and The Carlyle Group have seen the latest balance sheets and realized that paying $330 MILLION for my music wasn't exactly a wise choice and they need money."

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Scott Borchetta -

In a scathing open letter, Swift made huge claims about the CEO of her former label, Scott Borchetta, regarding his mistreatment of her as a client and his disregard for her feelings in selling the label to one of her other enemies.

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Scooter Braun -

In the letter, Swift also lamented the fact that Scooter Braun, manager to stars including Kanye West and Justin Bieber, now owned all of her masters, claiming that he had bullied her for years.

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Justin Bieber -

Bieber and many other stars called Swift out on unleashing her fans on Braun, but Bieber had also been personally called out in her letter, regarding a "joke" he had made on social media in reference to Swift's Kanye West scandal.

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Katy Perry -

Katy Perry had been feuding with Taylor Swift since 2012. On Twitter, Perry called Swift "the Regina George in sheep's clothing."

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Katy Perry - They both dated John Mayer, traded backup dancers, and sent snubs at each other in magazine profiles. Swift dropped 'Bad Blood,' and Perry returned with Mad Love, a perfume which took its name from Swift's lyrics. But they've put that all behind them now, with Perry even appearing in Swift's music video for 'You Need to Calm Down.'

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Miley Cyrus -

Cyrus and Swift were once close friends, but have drifted apart since 2015.

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Miley Cyrus - How come? Miley told The New York Times that she is "not trying to be in [Taylor Swift's] squad." The two have been tight-lipped ever since.

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Nicki Minaj -

Nicki Minaj is infamous for her online outbursts. Back in 2015, she lashed out at the MTV Video Music Awards for snubbing her, while nominating a "video [that] celebrates women with very slim bodies."

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Nicki Minaj - Swift took it personally, and tweeted, "I've done nothing but love & support you. It's unlike you to pit women against each other." The two traded snubs, and Swift offered a rare apology. Drama over—for now.

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Rihanna - Relatively speaking, Rihanna's feud with Taylor is miniscule, but there is something.

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Rihanna - It began when Rihanna distanced herself from Swift's squad, saying, "I just don't think that makes sense. I don't think our brands are the same." That being said, there has been no blood spilled.

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Lady Gaga - In a parallel universe, Swift and Lady Gaga could be sworn enemies. Gaga told Howard Stern that she thought Swift was "full of s—."

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Lady Gaga - However, the two became friends. In 2015, Gaga tweeted Swift, saying "your prince charming will come!" Days later, Swift got with Calvin Harris (although that didn't last).

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Demi Lovato - This feud began in 2016, when the New York Supreme Court ruled that Kesha must stay under contract with Dr. Luke, who allegedly abused her. Lovato spoke out on the issue, and Swift didn't.

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Demi Lovato - On Twitter, Lovato targeted "self-proclaimed feminists to start speaking out or taking action for women's rights." Soon after, Swift donated to Kesha's legal fees. Lovato wasn't all that impressed, and tweeted "take something to Capitol Hill."

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Lorde -

Lorde was just 16 when she topped the charts with 'Royals.' She was also 16 when she made scathing remarks about Taylor Swift.

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Lorde - "Taylor Swift is so flawless, and so unattainable, and I don't think it's breeding anything good in young girls," she told Metro. "That's f—n bull—," she added. Lorde later apologized, and the two made up.

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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler - This comedy duo came for Taylor Swift while hosting the Golden Globes. "You know what, Taylor Swift? You stay away from Michael J. Fox's son," said Tina Fey. "She needs some me time to learn about herself."

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Tina Fey and Amy Poehler - Swift hit back with a vengeance. "'There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women,'" Swift told Vanity Fair, quoting Madeleine Albright. Poehler replied, "I do agree I am going to hell. But for other reasons," as reported by THR.

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Kendall Jenner - Kendall Jenner was once a part of Swift's squad. However, her relationship with Harry Styles (Swift's ex and, eventually, Jenner's) and siding with Kim Kardashian has caused the two to drift apart.

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Zayn Malik -

After Swift asked Apple Music to pay their artists during its trial period, Zayn Malik retweeted a meme that shaded Taylor Swift. He also clashed with Calvin Harris. However, it appears they have made up, and even recorded a song together.

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Joe Jonas - After Jonas and Taylor Swift broke up, Swift told the world that he broke up with her over the phone.

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Camilla Belle - After Joe Jonas dumped Swift, he started dating Camilla Belle, who became the subject of Swift's song 'Better Than Revenge.' "She's not a saint and she's not what you think/ She's an actress, whoa/ She's better known for the things that she does/ On the mattress, whoa," Swift sung.

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Calvin Harris - Once lovers, Harris and Swift split up in September 2016. Harris went on to shade the singer on social media, but the two are on good terms now.

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John Mayer - When Mayer and Swift broke up, she targeted him in the song 'Dear John.' "Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong/ Don't you think nineteen's too young?" she sang. She targeted him again with her 2023 song 'Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,' which she wrote when she was 32—the age he was when they started dating. A particularly damning line goes, "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first."

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Jake Gyllenhaal -

Gyllenhaal dated Swift back in 2010. When they went their separate ways, Swift made Gyllenhaal the subject of 'We Are Never Getting Back Together,' according to Elle.

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Jake Gyllenhaal -

Fans have speculated for years that the song 'All Too Well' from Swift's 2012 'Red' album is all about Gyllenhaal too. When Swift began re-recording and releasing her past songs due to a copyright dispute with her ex-management, it renewed her fan's vitriol towards her ex. Gyllenhaal became the target of a great deal of online hate from Swifties after she released the re-recording of 'All Too Well' in 2021.

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Jake Gyllenhaal -

Several months later, he finally spoke about the incident in an interview with Esquire. He started by acknowledging that it's normal for musicians to sing about their relationships: "It is her expression. Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don't begrudge anyone that." However, he also felt that Swift should have stepped in at some point as he felt that her fans got a little out of control. "At some point, I think it's important when supporters get unruly that we feel a responsibility to have them be civil and not allow for cyberbullying in one's name."  

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Harry Styles - After Styles and Swift broke up, it's said that he became the subject of her album '1989.' He returned the favor on 'Perfect,' singing, "If you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about/ Baby, I'm perfect."

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Chloë Grace Moretz - Moretz was someone else who refused to join the Swift squad. However, they seem to be on good terms.

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Ed Droste -

One of Taylor Swift's more unlikely enemies is Ed Droste. In 2015, the indie rocker tweeted a tabloid article that targeted Swift. He has since deleted Twitter.

See also: 99 problems? Jay-Z's biggest feuds

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