Taylor Lautner on When He Realized Girlfriend Taylor Swift and Kanye West Weren’t Joking at VMAs 2009

Taylor Lautner recently shared his major regret in his relationship with ex Taylor Swift. The Twilight actor admits he wasn’t thinking straight at first during the infamous moment Kanye West grabbed the microphone from the singer at the 2009 VMAs while she was accepting the award for best female video of the year. 

Lautner opened up about his confusion in the moment during the debut episode of his new podcast The Squeeze, which he hosts alongside his wife, Tay Dome Lautner. The actor, who presented his then-girlfriend with the award at the 2009 award ceremony, clarified that he “was unaware that the Kanye thing was not a skit.”

“I presented the award to her,” Lautner told his wife. “I took five steps back and was standing five feet behind her. And, yeah, in the middle of her giving her ‘thank you’ speech, Kanye jumps on the stage.” Swift was mid-acceptance speech for her award when West stormed the stage and infamously said, “Yo Taylor. I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!”

Lautner revealed that when West began speaking he could “barely hear” what he was saying. “I can’t see them, I’m just assuming that this whole thing was a practiced and rehearsed skit because why else would Kanye West be jumping up on the stage, interrupting Taylor Swift?” he explained. While viewers might be put off to see him “laughing” and “giggling” in the background while West made his comments, Lautner explained he was merely trying to be supportive of what he presumed was a bit. 

“I’m like, ‘I can’t hear them, but this is probably really funny right now,’” he recalled. Lautner only realized something had gone wrong when he saw Swift’s face. “He jumped off. She finished [her speech],” he said. “The second she turned back around and I saw her face for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh no. That wasn’t good. Probably should’ve said something.’”

Lautner would eventually defend Swift’s honor in 2013 while hosting Saturday Night Live. During the actor’s opening monologue, the actor fought and punched the head off of a mannequin version of West before going in for a near-kiss with a mannequin version of Swift in a recreation of the moment.