Ye's Shocker Instagram Choice: Now Only Following Taylor Swift

In a shocking turn of events that opened eyes, rapper and fashion billionaire Ye, aka Kanye West, made an unexpected statement regarding the status of his affair with Taylor Swift. Hours before the 67th annual Grammy Awards on February 2, Ye posted a cryptic message on his Instagram Story where he declared that he was now following only one person: Swift. The post had a photo of his Instagram page, saying "1 following," and his later story had Swift's profile being the only person he follows. By Saturday night, Ye had unfollowed all of them, including wife Bianca Censori, TMZ said.

Ye Celebrates Grammy Nomination With Taylor Swift

In addition to his sudden social media move, Ye also posted on Instagram a milestone in his music journey. His collaborative work with Ty Dolla $ign, "Carnival," is a Grammy nominee for Best Rap Song. Ye expressed gratitude to the Grammies on social media, writing in a caption, "Thank you to the Grammies for nominating Carnival," with an image of a Grammy award. The tweet also mentioned Swift, Ty Dolla $ign, Playboi Carti, Rich the Kid, and the Recording Academy, referencing the crossovers across the music industry. Whether Ye attends the Grammy at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is still unknown. Both Swift and Beyoncé, up for Album of the Year, will likely be there, Beyoncé with 11 nominations piling up.

The Rocky Past Between Ye and Taylor Swift

The past between Ye and Swift has been one of rock and not rosy moments, the two artists' meetings being among the most turbulent moments in the history of music. It all started in 2009 when Ye stormed Swift's acceptance speech during the MTV Video Music Awards and proclaimed that Beyoncé was the artist deserving of the Best Female Video award. Though the two managed to bury the hatchet, tensions resurfaced again in 2016 when Ye declared in his "Famous" song that the infamous VMA incident had catapulted Swift's career to success.

The scandal became even more severe when Swift publicly maligned the song. Ye then claimed that he had received Swift's approval for the lyrics by phone, which Swift had denied. This was followed by a public confrontation, including a dubious move on the part of Kim Kardashian, who posted an edited recording of their conversation, portraying Swift as dishonest. But a leaked audio recording later confirmed that Ye had not read all of the lyrics of the song to Swift, particularly the incendiary line, "I made that b—- famous."

Swift's Reaction and Psychological Toll

Swift later spoke about the effect the entire experience had on her, describing the psychological toll in a December 2023 interview with TIME. She thought of how the publishing of the manipulated phone call had hit her forcefully, leaving her at a stage of emotional agony she had never experienced before. "I moved to another country. I didn't leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I avoided most people in my life because I did not trust anyone anymore," she said. Swift's declaration helps highlight the enduring impact of the public spectacle and the psychological burden it placed on her.