Taylor Swift’s friend Jack Antonoff has broken his silence after fans criticized him for “covering his ears” during Katy Perry’s performance at the VMAs on Wednesday.
The music producer, who attended the ceremony with his wife Margaret Qualley in support of Swift and her seven wins, took to X (formerly Twitter) to address his critics.
Antonoff confirmed that he did in fact wear earplugs as a precaution during the three-hour show that saw Perry and 15 other musicians take the stage.
She then launched into a sarcastic apology, revealing to fans that she frequently uses earplugs and mocking that her habit had been “exposed” by online trolls.
“I’d like to tell you straight up that I did in fact use earplugs the other night. They were ‘Hearos’ brand in blue and I’m mortified to admit that I’ve been using them for a long time and also buying them in bulk,” Antonoff began.
Taylor Swift’s friend Jack Antonoff (left) has broken his silence after fans criticized him and saw him “covering his ears” during Katy Perry’s performance at the VMAs on Wednesday.
Perry performed a 20-minute medley of her biggest hits during the awards ceremony on Wednesday night before accepting the coveted Video Vanguard award.
I’d also like to be honest and get ahead of myself by saying that I don’t just use them in environments with 100+ databases. It’s humiliating to admit that I use them on airplanes and every night while I sleep.
“I can only apologize and thank those who covered this story because, although it is a shame for my family and me, I believe that this was a very important and urgent issue that needed to be brought to light,” he continued.
“I’m sorry to those I’ve let down. I won’t be going to work today and instead will think about my use of earplugs and everyone who has been affected by it.”
He concluded the humorous post by noting that despite the fake controversy, he and his band Bleachers “have decided to keep all dates as scheduled.”
The backlash began on X on Wednesday when a video surfaced of Antonoff standing with his arm around his wife Margaret before raising his hands toward his ears during Perry’s 20-minute performance.
Meanwhile, everyone surrounding the rocker, including Swift, Tyla and Suki Waterhouse, could be seen dancing to Perry’s live vocals.
Both he and Qualley stood motionless in another clip with the music producer’s arm firmly around their waist, while Swift stood next to them and enthusiastically sang Perry’s “California Gurls.”
In another clip, Swift and Waterhouse were dancing to Dark Horse, while Qualley stood holding her bag next to them and Antonoff rummaged behind him, standing up and inserting something into his ears.
Critics were quick to notice the odd behavior and shared their theories online, with some suggesting she was listening to something on AirPods rather than Perry’s performance.
Perry was celebrating his legacy and accepting the Video Vanguard Award.
“THAT man is so disgustingly disrespectful to stop your wife from dancing with someone and having AirPods on during her performance because of a one-sided dispute while you have never been acknowledged either in person or in public,” one user fumed, alongside a clip of the group in the audience.
The music producer, who attended the ceremony with his wife Margaret Qualley in support of Swift and her seven wins, took to X (formerly Twitter) to address his critics.
Antonoff confirmed that he did in fact wear earplugs as a precaution during the three-hour show that saw Perry and 15 other music stars take the stage.
He then launched into a sarcastic apology, revealing to fans that he frequently uses earplugs and poking fun at being “outed” by online trolls.
“I know she desperately wanted to dance,” one user wrote on the social media platform, referring to Qualley’s rigid stance.
Others defended the producer’s actions, pointing out that it is not uncommon for music producers to wear earplugs at loud events to protect their hearing.
“Uhhhh, he had earplugs (they look like loop plugs) to protect his hearing (as you should if you produce music or even if you’re at a loud concert in general),” one eagle-eyed user noted.
They added: “And he was hugging his wife like that all night. It’s not that deep.”
“He doesn’t wear AirPods, he puts in earplugs to protect his hearing. This is pretty common practice at loud concerts, especially when you have a job where protecting your hearing is important.
“Isn’t it more likely that he’s just wearing ear protection and hugging his wife?” another argued.
Swifty superfans know Antonoff as the mastermind behind some of the pop star’s biggest hits, including Anti-Hero, Cruel Summer, August, Bejeweled and I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.
While there is no active feud, some fans have pointed out that Antonoff has criticized Perry’s music in the past.
In an interview with GQ, Antonoff praised Swift’s songwriting and called songs released by Perry and Gaga “disposable, by comparison.”
“Taylor Swift is great because she’s the closest thing to Michael Jackson that there is today: to great pop music,” he said at the time.
“There’s a difference between her and Gaga and Katy Perry and Lily Allen and all that. It all seems disposable, in comparison.
The backlash began on X on Wednesday when a video surfaced of Antonoff standing with his arm around his wife Margaret before cupping his hands over his ears during Perry’s 20-minute set.
Both he and Qualley stood motionless in another clip with the music producer’s arm firmly around their waist, while Swift stood next to them and enthusiastically sang Perry’s “California Gurls.”
Critics were quick to notice the odd behavior and shared their theories online, with some suggesting she was listening to something on AirPods rather than Perry’s performance.
Critics were quick to notice the strange behavior and shared their theories online, while some defended the music producer.
Perry received the 2024 Video Vanguard Award at the ceremony, celebrating her achievements as an artist over her career spanning more than two decades.
“Katy is a musical powerhouse and a true pop culture icon,” Bruce Gillmer, chief music content officer for Paramount+ and president of music, music talent, programming and events for Paramount, said in a statement after she was announced as the next Vanguard Award winner, according to AP.
Swift made history Wednesday night at the VMAs, becoming the most decorated solo artist at the ceremony.
The 34-year-old pop megastar was the big winner at this year’s event, taking home seven awards, and now has a total of 30 VMA wins to her name.
Beyoncé also has 30 VMA wins, but only 25 as a solo artist, because five of those wins came when she was part of Destiny’s Child.