A viral clip from the VMAs ceremony has revived two pop stars’ years-old feud, but there is more than meets the eye.
Tom Disalvo
Charli xcx and Taylor Swift’s feud has re-entered the conversation after a video went viral of the former singer apparently shading Swift at the 2026 MTV Music Video Awards – but it’s not as it seems.
Swift collected three awards at the ceremony in Los Angeles today, including the first-ever Artist Director Honours as well as Video of the Year and Best Direction.
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In a questionable video that has quickly done the rounds on social media, Charli xcx can be seen giving Swift some major side-eye from the crowd as Swift accepts one of her awards.
In the viral clip, the camera pans to Charli xcx part-way through Swift’s speech, and her expressionless face and half-hearted applause sent fans into a frenzy.
“She is seething,” one X user wrote of the Brat singer’s reaction, with another saying “the person who aimed the camera at the audience right on Charli’s face deserves an award”.
While the VMAs moment revived rumours of a years-long feud between Charli xcx and Swift, fans were quick to point out that the viral clip had been edited.
The reaction shot of Charli in the VMAs audience was actually captured during Nirvana’s speech while accepting the Video Vanguard Award, not during Taylor’s award win.
“This is fake,” one X user confirmed, while another said “it’s edited”.
The clip is seemingly the work of one shady social media user who was playing into feud rumours that kicked off in 2024, when Charli xcx seemingly referenced Swift on her Brat album.
On the track Sympathy Is A Knife, Charli sings of an unnamed pop star peer who “taps my insecurities”.
Swift appeared to follow suit last year, releasing her own song, Actually Romantic, with lyrics about a “toy chihuahua” that many considered to be swipes at Charli xcx.
Charli xcx is married to The 1975 drummer George Daniel. Before marrying Travis Kelce, Swift famously dated The 1975 frontman Matty Healy.
Neither pop star explicitly name-checked the other in their songs – and didn’t comment publicly on the situation – but the feud rumours have persisted nonetheless.
The 2026 VMAs marked the first high-profile event that Swift and Charli xcx have both attended since Brat, but those hoping for some shady side-eyes should be reminded the clip is edited.
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Madonna turned heads with a costume that some said resembled a diaper, and host Snoop Dogg delivered a cheeky roast in his opening monologue.
See our full coverage of the 2026 MTV VMAs here.
