Kim Kardashian West could be facing jail time after leaking her husband’s, Kanye West, phone call with singer Taylor Swift about the lyrics of the song Famous.
On Sunday night, another episode of the reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians aired. The main topic of the episode was the release of the “Famous” video clip, where Swift, along with other relevant people from the mainstream media, appear naked, laying on a giant bed. Right after the episode ended, Kardashian West posted a video on her Snapchat account of the alleged phone call where Swift approved West’s lyrics.
The phone call was made in Los Angeles, and West never told Swift that the conversation was being registered, sources told People. Then, the couple committed a felony by recording a confidential communication without a “two-party consent.” As Swift could state that she thought the call was private – alleging “expectation of privacy”- Kardashian West and his husband could be facing legal actions for disrespecting California’s penal code.
However, Swift knew that other people were in the room, so she was aware that the conversation was not exactly private. But recording the phone call is still illegal, and West could be facing a penalty fee of $2,500 and up to a year in prison, Gregory G. Brown, Esq. of Irvine-based business, family and trial firm Brown & Charbonneau told People.
There is no evidence of whether Kardashian West recorded the video or not, but she could be charged for sharing it on social media. Making public a private phone call without permission from all parties could threat Kardashian West to a $5,000 fine and up to one year in prison.
The feud over the ‘Famous’ lyrics has been going on since February
Kanye West’s seventh album The Life Of Pablo was released on February 14. The album includes the controversial song Famous, and a particular verse stood out of the rest, “I feel like me, and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous,” alluding the infamous episode where West interrupted Swift during her acceptance speech for the award for Best Female Video in 2009 MTV’s Video Music Awards.
Right after the song was released, Swift reacted. Although West stated that Swift approved the song through a phone call they had during the composition process of the record, her rep told People what the singer was never made aware of the lyrics “I made that bitch famous.”
West then publicly stated that the phone call was recorded. Afterward, Swift threatened to sue the rapper for recording the conversation without previous consent, and she then demanded to destroy any video.
On a later interview for GQ magazine, Kardashian West said that there was a video recording of the conversation between her husband and Swift, where she said she felt flattered by West for calling and letting her know of his intentions, and that “she totally approved that.”
In the conversation, West rapped the verse “For all my Southside n—- that know me best, I feel like me, and Taylor might still have sex.” Swift took it as a “compliment, kind of,” and thought it would be funny when media reacted, and she claimed to be aware of it the whole time.
That moment when Kanye West secretly records your phone call, then Kim posts it on the Internet. pic.twitter.com/4GJqdyykQu
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) July 18, 2016
Nevertheless, the “I made that bitch famous” verse was never mentioned. Swift heard the song the day it was released, and released a statement saying that Kanye never called for approval of the actual verse, which she called “misogynist.”
After the video had been posted by Kardashian West on Sunday night, Swift reacted on her Instagram account, posting a statement where she claimed she was never told that she would be called “that bitch” in the award-winning rapper’s lyrics.
Other celebrities took Twitter to speak about the situation, heating on the social media for hours. While Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner stood up for her sister, singer Selena Gomez and actress Chloë Grace Moretz backed up Swift. Other celebrities that got indirectly involved with the rant include pop star Justin Bieber, actress Ruby Rose, and singer Chris Brown.
Source: People