File this one under Kanye West actually wanting to dial down the controversy.
A rep for the polarizing rapper told TMZ that reports of Taylor Swift kicking him out of the Super Bowl for purchasing tickets in front of her suite are “a completely fabricated rumor.”
Former NFL player Brandon Marshall made the accusation on Monday, February 12, on his “Paper Route” podcast, though it appears he initially confused Swift, 34, for Katy Perry, who was not at the game.
“So Kanye West pulls up to the Super Bowl. Kanye West buys a ticket right in front of Katy Perry’s booth, so any time they are gonna be showing Katy Perry, Kanye’s face was going to be there — he had a mask on with his logo on the mask,” Marshall said before correcting himself and clarifying that he meant Swift, not Perry. “So Taylor Swift gets pissed off [and] she makes a call or two — everybody is involved — [and] he gets kicked out the stadium.”
Marshall presented no evidence, however, and CBS showed West, 46, in the crowd during the broadcast, indicating that he was not, in fact, removed from Allegiant Stadium.
“It is not true,” West’s rep told TMZ.
That doesn’t mean West got through Super Bowl LVIII without turning heads. West was photographed with his wife, Bianca Censori, at the game, wearing a crucifix mask that obscured his entire face. The mask is from Alexander McQueen’s 1996 “Dante” collection and includes a crucifix extending from the eyebrows down the length of his nose.
According to Page Six, he also received a “lukewarm welcome” when he entered the Raising Cane’s suite, where his former friend Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly ignored him entirely.
Still, it doesn’t appear that West and Swift went toe-to-toe. The two share a turbulent history, starting in 2009 with West’s infamous interruption of Swift at the 2009 VMAs. In 2016, West name-dropped her in his song “Famous,” allegedly without her permission. West’s then-wife, Kim Kardashian, later released audio that seemed to show Swift did, in fact, give her OK. The feud over that song didn’t stop there, however, as the music video depicted several celebs, including Swift, naked in bed with West. Swift referred to it as “revenge porn.”
Swift has since seemingly referenced West in her own songs as well, from “Innocent” to “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”
While Swift has not commented on the alleged Super Bowl non-incident, she could be forgiven for that. She’s been busy celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ second straight championship with boyfriend and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
