“The dumbest excuse ever” — Internet reacts to Billboard’s statement on placing Taylor Swift in no.2 on the Greatest Pop Stars of 21st Century lineup

Social media users had a lot to say about Billboard's explanation of the ranking of Taylor Swift as the second greatest pop star of the 21st century. On Tuesday, November 26, Billboard proclaimed that its staff ranked Taylor Swift in the no.2 position on the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century lineup. The no.1 position was bagged by Cowboy Carter hitmaker Beyonce.

Soon after the announcement, outrage ensued over Swift's position on the list as many fans felt the Blank Space hitmaker deserved the top spot. Billboard themselves released a statement clarifying Swift's no.2 position. The publication wrote in its statement:

"The fact that controversy will likely tear through the internet over her being just one small space below No. 1 is just another testament to her power, but regardless, her placement shouldn’t leave Swifties upset for too long — especially considering how much later in the millennium she got her start, both in the genre and music in general."

However, Swifties were not satisfied with the clarification and thought that it did not make any sense. One X (formerly known as Twitter) user who went by @sleezeSTAN, commented:

"that's the dumbest excuse ever,"

Netizens criticized Billboard (Image via X/@theswiftmuseum)

Similar reactions followed as Swifties thought that the publication's reply felt "condescending". Fans simply could not understand why Taylor did not receive the no.1 position. Here are a few X reactions to the publication's statement:

"what is billboard smoking 😭", asked one X user.

"...why does this read so condescending. Feels like I just got pat on the shoulder and called little girl.", asked another user.

"what are they even talking about. taylor outsells and out does every other artist idc", added yet nother netizen.

Swifties were not fans of Beyoncé receiving the no.1 position on the list and claimed that the rankings were rigged.

"they had been paid good by jay z", claimed one X user.

"In other words, Jay-Z’s check cleared", added a second user.

"Nah this is NOT it. She’s in the number one spot for EVERYTHING and Beyoncé isn’t even near her. Just another thing that’s rigged against her.", thought another fan.

"Let's bfr she's 1st, I love Beyonce but if we're talking only 21st century taylor swift is just miles ahead", added yet another user.

---

Billboard issued an apology to Taylor Swift

The Swiftie backlash against Billboard wasn't over as the publication faced controversy from Taylor Swift's fanbase after an Instagram video commemorating Swift's greatest achievements went wrong. The publication released the video to celebrate Swift's aforementioned no:2 ranking on Tuesday.

The video showcased some of Swift's best moments and greatest hits. However, the video also contained a fake clip of a naked Taylor Swift wax figure. The clip was taken from Kanye West's infamous 2016 track Famous. The track also saw West take several shots at the singer.

The inclusion of the clip resulted in immense backlash, prompting Billboard to take down the video and issue an apology on Wednesday, November 27. The publication wrote:

"We are deeply sorry to Taylor Swift and all of our readers and viewers that in a video celebrating Swift’s achievements, we included a clip that falsely depicted her. We have removed the clip from our video and sincerely regret the harm we caused with this error."

---

Taylor Swift has yet to respond to her placement on the Billboard list or the publication's controversial Instagram video that has now been deleted.