Taylor Swift wouldn’t perform at the VMAs unless all her drag queens received awards too
Taylor Swift at the 2019 MTV VMAs. (Getty)
When Taylor Swift invited the drag queens from her ‘You Need To Calm Down’ video to perform at the VMAs, she made sure they’d all get their crowns.
Swift opened Monday night’s VMAs by recreating the video for her LGBT-themed single ‘You Need To Calm Down’.
She was joined on stage by a bevy of drag queens, including Tatianna, Trinity K Bonet and Jade Jolie – who host John Travolta later mistook for Swift while handing out an award.
During the performance, the queens took centre stage with gold crowns in their hands as Swift sung the lyric: “We see you over there on the internet, comparing all the girls who are killing it / But we figured you out, we all know now, we all got crowns.”
After the show, Bonet revealed that the singer had taken the lyric literally, making sure that each of the queens got what they deserved.
“Taylor Swift made sure that each and every one of us gets two moon men for the awards that she won tonight,” she said in an Instagram story.
“[She] would not perform unless we got awards too.”
Beaming, she added: “I am going to have two moon men in my house with my name on it – this is my life!”
Bonet and the other queens joined Swift on stage again at the end of the show to accept the video of the year award.
Taylor Swift accepting the MTV VMA video of the year award. (MTV)
The ‘Shake It Off’ singer paid tribute to her cast, who she said “live their lives so authentically”.
“Thank you for being the example that you are,” she said.
Swift also used the opportunity to send a powerful message to the White House.
She thanked fans for signing her petition in support of the Equality Act, “which basically just says we all deserve equal rights under the law”.
Announcing that the petition has already collected half a million signatures, she added: “[That’s] five times the amount that it would need to warrant a response from the White House.”
‘You Need To Calm Down’ also won the video for good award.
Instead of accepting the trophy herself, Swift handed the mic to Todrick Hall, who co-executive produced the video.
Speaking directly to young LGBT+ people, he said: “If you are a young child out there watching this show who is different, who feels misunderstood, we need you more than ever to share your art, share your stories, share your truth with the world no matter what you identify as, who you identify as, who you love. This is just such a beautiful place.”
