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Billboard apologized to Taylor Swift on Thursday after the publication included footage an unauthorized nude wax figure of her in a video posted to social media.
Billboard has been unveiling its list of the top pop stars of the 21st century over the past few months. The outlet placed Swift in the No. 2 spot on Wednesday and supplemented the announcement by posting a video on Instagram breaking down her career.
The video featured a clip from the music video for rapper Ye’s 2016 song “Famous” that depicts a nude Swift. The music video shows several wax figures of naked celebrities, including Swift, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump and more.
Billboard played the clip during a portion of its video in which a narrator explains Swift’s feud with Ye and his then-wife, Kim Kardashian.
“We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her,” Billboard said in a statement posted on its social media pages. “We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error.”
Representatives for Billboard and Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Swift previously called the “Famous” video “revenge porn” in a Tumblr post from 2019. Her fans, known as Swifties, were quick to criticize Billboard’s video and launched a campaign to get Billboard to apologize for its use of the clip.
The hashtag #BillboardIsOverParty trended on X on Wednesday night as fans made posts calling out the publication.
Many called the outlet disrespectful for including the unauthorized nude depiction of her within a video celebrating her work and accomplishments. But some of the ire shared under the hashtag was also directed at the publication’s decision to crown Swift the second-best pop star on its list.
Billboard is expected to share its No. 1 pick for greatest pop star of the 21st century on Tuesday.
Daysia Tolentino is a culture and internet reporter for NBC News.
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