The award for Best Female Video may have gone to Taylor Swift, but the spotlight was stolen by an irate Kanye West who stormed the stage at the Video Music Awards to deliver an impromptu rant about Beyoncé.
As audience members at home and at Radio City Music Hall watched in disbelief, the rapper grabbed the microphone away from the country singer as she delivered her acceptance speech on Sunday.
“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish,” West began, “but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!”
Swift's video for “You Belong With Me” beat out Beyoncé's “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).”
Beyoncé, who was in the audience, appeared stunned at the interruption. Swift, visibly shaken, was unable to finish her speech and walked off the stage as boos rained down on West.
The rapper’s outburst continued backstage.
“I’m never coming to MTV,” he yelled off-camera on video captured by “The Insider." “Get a real f---ing artist, get Britney f-ing Spears.”]
According to the New York Post, the rapper was drunk.
Ratings for MTV's VMAs have declined steadily over the past few years, according to Nielson Media Research. A video of the outburst posted on MTV's Web site had been viewed nearly 1.5 million times by mid-morning on Monday.
Later Sunday night, West apologized to Swift through his blog, according to news reports.
“I’m sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom," West reportedly wrote on his blog, which was down Monday morning.
