Why Taylor Lautner Regrets Laughing When Taylor Swift Got Interrupted By Kanye West At The VMAs

August 2024 · 5 minute read

Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner dated briefly as both of their stars were rising. The two met while working on the film Valentine's Day, where they played each other's love interests. The two shared a very public moment together when Lautner presented Swift with her first moonman at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

The moment should've been a happy one, but instead, Kanye West ran up on stage, grabbed the microphone from Swift's hand and said Beyoncé should've won. Beyoncé later invited Swift on stage to re-do her acceptance speech.

This is a moment Lautner said he wishes he could go back and handle differently. During the exchange between Swift and West, Lautner can be seen laughing. He later clarified that he thought the whole thing was a pre-planned skit.

Taylor Swift Met Taylor Lautner On The Set Of The Movie 'Valentine's Day'

Swift and Lautner met when the two appeared alongside each other in the film Valentine's Day. The two were spotted out together several times since and Swift talked about Lautner when promoting the film on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"Is that part of the movie when you all go to some kind of game together?" DeGeneres asked as a picture of the two at a hockey game appeared on the screen. "Is that part of the movie too?"

"I really like hockey a lot and it turns out so does he," Swift said coyly. DeGeneres then asked if Lautner was a good kisser, which caused Swift to break out laughing.

After Swift mentioned Lautner in her monologue while hosting Saturday Night Live, she opened up to InStyle about getting close to the actor. She also said having the same name made things difficult on set.

Related: Taylor Swift Secretly Co-Wrote Calvin Harris' Hit With Rihanna And It May Have Led To Their Breakup

"It would be confusing on the set with two Taylors in the same scene. They were like, 'Taylor, on your mark – no, not you, the other one!' So halfway through the shoot, I said, 'How about you guys call me Swifty and call him Taylor?'" she said.

Taylor Lautner Talked About The VMA Incident During A Podcast With His Wife

Following Swift's mention of him in her monologue, Lautner returned the favor when he hosted SNL afterward. He also mentioned that he should've stood up for Swift when Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Lautner was the presenter of the award and there are many shots where it looks like he is laughing in the background. Lautner addressed this incident when he spoke to his wife, Taylor Dome Lautner, on the podcast The Squeeze.

She asked him, "If you could go back to one moment in your life, what moment would that be and what would you say to yourself?"

"Probably the 2009 VMAs, when I presented the award to Taylor and was unaware that the Kanye [West] thing was not a skit," Lautner answered.

"I’m deceased," his wife jokingly said in response.

Lautner said that while West was interrupting Swift, he was under the impression the whole thing was just a pre-planned skit.

Related: Conan Gray Gave A Surprising Answer When Asked If He Heard Taylor Swift's New Album, Midnights

"I presented the award to her," Lautner recalled. "I took five steps back and was standing five feet behind her. And, yeah, in the middle of her giving her ‘thank you’ speech, Kanye jumps on the stage."

He continued, "I can barely hear it. I can’t see them — I’m just assuming that this whole thing was a practiced and rehearsed skit because why else would Kanye West be jumping up on the stage, interrupting Taylor Swift?"

Lautner said that while he laughed at first, he soon realized it "wasn't good" when Swift turned around and he saw her face.

Taylor Lautner Joked About Taylor Swift's New Re-Recording Of 'Speak Now'

In May 2023, Swift announced that she would be releasing her re-recorded version of "Speak Now." The album included a song titled "Back to December," which a lot of people assumed was about Lautner. The reason for this assumption is that the two broke up in December.

Since the news broke, many have been reacting online, including Lautner. Lautner joked online that he "felt safe," but that he was "praying for John."

Lautner was referencing John Mayer, whom Swift dated and many believe she wrote the song "Dear John" about him. The lyrics don't paint Mayer in a positive light, despite the fact that Swift never confirmed they were about him.

Mayer would go on to tell Rolling Stone in 2012 that the lyrics made him "feel terrible."

"Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do," Mayer said.

"I never got an email. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I'd already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you've ever been, someone kicked you even lower?"

Related: Do Taylor Swift's Parents Care About Who She's Dating? Here's Everything They've Said About Her Relationships

When speaking with The Happy Hour on TODAY Show Radio on SiriusXM, Lautner said that while he was kidding, posting it might not have been a good idea.

"I don't know if it was the wisest thing to say," Lautner reflected. "I was definitely joking, but clearly it's taken off."

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