Swift vs. West: VMA 2016 Edition

The 2016 VMA nominations are in and there's a big name missing from the list: Taylor Swift. Despite scoring a total of 10 nominations at last year's awards, Swift came up empty handed this year. Interestingly, Kanye West's "Famous" is nominated for Video of the Year, a title that Swift’s “Bad Blood” won at the 2015 VMAs, and Best Male Video. Was the currently controversial pop starlet snubbed? 

MTV released the 2016 VMA nominations Tuesday, July 26th, via a Facebook video showcasing the nominees through a mural painted at the First Street Green Art Park in New York. People were quick to notice that Swift, a usual mainstay at awards shows, was not among the nominees. 

This news comes at the heels of Kim Kardashian West’s now infamous snapchat recording of West asking Swift for permission to use her name in a lyric for “Famous”. This video directly contradicted Swift’s previous claims that no such permission was given and painted Swift as someone who plays the victim to manipulate situations in order to control her media persona. 

Public reaction to Kardashian West’s snapchat showed support for the Wests and huge disdain for Swift’s side of the story. Does Swift’s exclusion from the 2016 VMA nominations suggest that MTV has also picked Team West?