Taylor Swift Reacting to 'Cringe' Miley Cyrus Video Goes Viral
It may not seem that long ago, but 2013 was a very different time. "Selfie" was the word of the year, everyone was doing the Harlem Shake and Sharknado was the surprise hit that no one saw coming.
It was also the year that Robin Thicke's controversial hit "Blurred Lines" took over the airwaves, earning millions of dollars in profits for the then-36-year-old and his collaborators Pharrell Williams and T.I.
However, it was Miley Cyrus's performance with Thicke at the 2013 VMA awards that stole the show. Dancing around in PVC underwear and a giant foam finger, the 20-year-old's decision to twerk against Thicke's crotch shocked the audience—including Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez.
The pop stars' reactions went viral again on Wednesday, as fans celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the show-stopper.
"Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift reaction to Miley's 2013 VMA's performance will always be iconic," wrote @MileyUpdates, who posted a clip of the awards show to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The split-screen footage shows Thicke and Cyrus performing in one corner, with the former teen icon suggestively dancing around the stage. As she bends over to twerk, the crowd goes wild, with audience members shrieking.
The bottom corner shows Gomez and Swift seemingly enjoying the show. Although the video is blurry, 21-year-old Gomez seems unable to tear her eyes away from Cyrus and Thicke, while Swift laughs and applauds the pair on the stage.
Nevertheless, when Cyrus begins to twerk, their reaction immediately changes. The duo gasp, putting their hands over their mouths, with Swift grabbing actor Reeve Carney on her left in shock. She then puts her arm around Gomez, before the pair clap for the performance.
At the time, rumors swirled that Swift disapproved of Cyrus's performance, with the singer allegedly calling it "disgusting" and "grotesque," according to Life & Style.
Swift's rep denied the claims, but Cyrus seemingly responded to the rumors anyway, telling Rolling Stone: "I thought that's what the VMAs were all about!"
"It's not the Grammys or the Oscars. You're not supposed to show up in a gown, Vanna White-style. It's supposed to be fun!"
The resurfaced footage had X users in hysterics, receiving 1.1 million views in just 24 hours.
"Taylor was always living for extra performances," commented @melotraumass.
"Taylor was like 'you go girlllll,'" said Dezmond. "Selena was just shocked."
"I love how taylor is jus being supportive and living for the whole thing," wrote @szas_a**cheeks. "I can only imagine what selena was thinking since they're both former disney stars."
"This is why I wish Miley didn't respond to the rumor where Taylor called it grotesque," said C. "Because it was clearly untrue taylor was dancing and supporting Miley through the whole performance."
"She out of all people would've understood Miley's true 'Breakout' era!" commented @BrookieRex.
"The way they grasped each other for emotional support," wrote @Wicked_Living, alongside a laughing face emoji, while @Fqxziz said: "this cringe performance of Miley is better vocally than all the performances of these so called 'singers.'"
Cyrus will be releasing her latest single "Used to Be Young" on August 25, exactly 10 years to the day of that infamous VMAs performance. Coincidentally, Gomez will also be dropping her new song "Single Soon" on the same date, sparking memes about the pair's rumored feud.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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