"The Tortured Poet’s Department": Does Taylor Swift diss Kim Kardashian in “thanK you aIMee"?

The capitalised letters in the song's title spell out the name KIM.

After dropping her latest album, Taylor surprised fans by revealing on Instagram that it's actually a "double album." Among the tracks is "thanK you aIMee," rumoured to be a diss aimed at reality star Kim Kardashian, as the capitalised letters in the song title spell out "KIM."

This alleged diss track adds a fresh layer to an ongoing feud that has captivated fans and divided celebrities for the past eight years. 

Kanye West and Taylor Swift’s History

While Kim and Taylor did not directly come at odds with one another until 2016, the feud can be traced back to 2009 when Kim’s ex-husband, Ye formerly known as Kanye West, interrupted Taylor’s MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech.

Taylor, who was 19 at the time, had barely begun to express her gratitude for receiving the Best Female Video award when 32-year-old Ye rushed to the stage to say, “I’m really happy for you; I’m going to let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time.”

Ye is said to have taken another jab at Taylor Swift in 2016 when he released his song “Famous”. The song, from his “Life of Pablo” album included the lyrics: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous.”

In her Grammy speech in 2016, Taylor Swift responded to Ye’s song. Accepting the award for Album of the Year, the "Blank Space" singer addressed young women, saying, "There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," allegedly referring to Ye.

Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift’s Feud

Kim Kardashian first became involved in Taylor and Ye’s feud when she was featured in the “Famous” video in 2016. The video included what appeared to be naked wax figures of various celebrities, with Ye placed between figures that resembled Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian, all depicted lying in bed together.

In the same year, Kim released video clips to social media of a phone conversation between West and Swift in which he appears to get her support for the provocative lyrics in “Famous.”

Swift responded by stating that she had not given approval for the song and that West had not played her the final version. She also released the song “Look What You Made Me Do,” as a part of her reputation album which includes the lyrics, “I got a list of names, and yours is in red, underlined” which has been rumoured to be targeting the famous couple.

During an interview with Time magazine after being named Person of the Year in 2023, Taylor Swift publicly addressed the feud for the final time, stating: “You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar.”

Taylor Swift’s Lyrics

In the track "thanK you aIMee", Taylor sings “All that time you were throwin' punches, I was buildin' somethin’ ”, also adding in the song “I built a legacy which you can't undo”. The lyrics may be alleging Taylor Swift's recent success, where her Eras tour was the highest-grossing concert tour of all time according to Time magazine.

In contrast, Kim and Ye filed for divorce in 2021, and according to Vice News, Kim and her sisters were not invited to the 2023 Met Gala. 

In the same year, Kim received a lot of criticism for her skincare brand SKKN BY KIM, with people online saying that they are getting bored of the influencer’s brands.