# Kanye Interrupting Kanye Interrupting, also known as "Imma Let You Finish," is a snowclone meme and image macro series born from Kanye West's infamous interruption of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. West grabbed the microphone from Swift to declare that Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" was "one of the best videos of all time," spawning hundreds of thousands of tweets, Photoshop edits, and video mashups within hours[1]. The moment became one of the defining memes of the late 2000s and a template for interruption humor that spread across every major platform. ## Origin On September 13, 2009, the 25th annual MTV Video Music Awards were broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall in New York[10]. When 19-year-old Taylor Swift won Best Female Video for "You Belong With Me," Kanye West walked onto the stage, took the microphone from her, and declared: "Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time… one of the best videos of all time!"[4] The audience booed him off the stage, and MTV cut to commercial before Swift could finish her speech. West was reportedly asked to leave the venue immediately[4]. He had been spotted on the red carpet beforehand carrying a bottle of Hennessy[8]. Later that evening, he posted an all-caps apology on his official blog, which was deleted within hours[10]. When Beyoncé won Video of the Year for "Single Ladies" later in the ceremony, she invited Swift back on stage to complete her interrupted speech[1]. - **Platform:** MTV broadcast (source event), Twitter (initial viral spread) - **Creator:** Patrick St. John (first notable mashup video), community-created format - **Date:** 2009 ## Overview The meme uses a still image of Kanye West holding a microphone on the VMA stage, often Photoshopped into unrelated scenes to make it look like he's interrupting historical events, fictional characters, or everyday situations. The accompanying text follows a snowclone format derived from his actual words: "Yo [person], I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but [someone/something else] had one of the best [things] of all time." Variations range from simple image macros with the catchphrase to elaborate video mashups splicing West's audio into other speeches and broadcasts[4]. ## How It Spread The reaction on Twitter was instant and massive. According to tracking firm Trendrr, 293,024 tweets about Kanye West were posted in the hour following the incident[1]. The topic dominated Twitter's trending list through September 14th and 15th[4]. Celebrities including Pink, Katy Perry, Ricky Martin, and Dane Cook weighed in publicly on the platform[4]. Coverage hit People Magazine, CNN, MTV, and the New York Daily News that same night[4]. The moment took a political turn when ABC News reporter Terry Moran tweeted that President Obama had called West "a jackass" off the record[10]. Though the tweet was quickly deleted, Politico and Huffington Post picked up the story, and TMZ posted the actual audio on September 15th[4]. West appeared on the premiere of Jay Leno's new primetime show on September 14th, where Leno asked what his recently deceased mother would have thought of his behavior[2]. West said he was "ashamed," and the emotional exchange was covered by Rolling Stone, MTV, and Huffington Post[4]. The following morning, Swift appeared on The View and said West hadn't contacted her, though she reportedly received a phone call from him shortly after the segment[4]. Meanwhile, the internet went to work. Freelance graphic designer Patrick St. John uploaded a mashup video of West's rant spliced into President Obama's September 9th healthcare speech, which had been interrupted by Representative Joe Wilson shouting "You lie!"[4]. The Obama mashup was featured on the O'Reilly Factor and in the New York Times, racking up over 4.7 million views and inspiring nearly 500 spinoff Kanye Interrupts videos[4]. By September 14th, threads appeared on 4chan, IGN, and Neoseeker[4]. A Twitter account called @KanyeInterrupts began tweeting phrases in the snowclone format[4]. The single-serving site IsKanyeWestADouchebag.com launched, and Tumblr filled with "Imma Let You Finish" image macros[4]. The blog imaletyoufinish.com appeared the next day, followed by dedicated Tumblrs like Kanyegate and Kanye Interrupted[4]. Compilations of the best edits were featured on Urlesque, Mashable, MTV, and the Daily Mail between September 15th and 18th[3]. Tech blog Gigaom analyzed the meme's spread patterns[4]. On September 17th, "Imma Let You Finish" was named Urban Dictionary's Word of the Day[4]. The meme's reach prompted a satirical backlash. A kanyelicio.us tool let anyone add a giant Kanye interruption popup to their own website, which NBC New York begged people to stop using, writing: "It honestly wasn't that funny in the first place"[9]. ## How to Use The classic format follows Kanye's original phrasing. Start with "Yo [person], I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but [alternative] had one of the best [things] of all time." The [person] is whoever is being interrupted, and the [alternative] is something you're claiming is better. For image macros, people typically Photoshop the still of Kanye holding the microphone into an unrelated scene, like a historical photo, movie still, or fictional setting. The joke works best when the interruption is absurdly out of context. Video mashups splice the audio of West's actual speech into other broadcasts, speeches, or YouTube videos. The Obama healthcare mashup set the template: find a serious moment, cut in Kanye's "Imma let you finish" audio, and play it straight. The format also works as a text-only snowclone on Twitter or in comments. Any situation where one thing is being praised can be "interrupted" by claiming something else is better. Common convention keeps the tone hyperbolic and slightly unhinged, matching West's original energy. ## Cultural Impact The incident generated mainstream news coverage for days. President Obama's off-the-record "jackass" comment, leaked by a reporter and then confirmed by TMZ audio, blurred the line between politics and pop culture in a way that foreshadowed the social media age[4]. West's Jay Leno appearance, where the host brought up his deceased mother, was analyzed for its raw emotional weight across entertainment media[2]. Twitter's infrastructure was tested by the volume of reactions. The 293,024 tweets in a single hour represented a significant volume for the platform at the time and helped establish the VMAs-to-Twitter pipeline that award shows still rely on[1]. Billboard later compiled an oral history of the event featuring MTV executives, producers, and journalists who were present[8]. Ryan Milner's academic study *The World Made Meme* used the Kanye interruption as a case study for how memetic media enables participatory conversation, calling memes "a lingua franca of online life"[7]. The format's snowclone structure made it endlessly adaptable, from political commentary to absurdist humor to brand marketing. ## Fun Facts - The original blog apology was written entirely in caps lock, matching West's typical blogging style at the time. It was deleted within hours but preserved by the LA Times, MTV, and Spin[4]. - "Imma Let You Finish" was named Urban Dictionary's Word of the Day on September 17, 2009, just four days after the incident[4]. - The kanyelicio.us interruption tool became so overused that NBC New York published an article titled "Please, Stop Making Kanye 'Interrupt' You," calling it "a dead gag"[9]. - West had been drinking Hennessy on the red carpet before the ceremony, according to MTV's VP of talent relations[8]. - Beyoncé's reaction, caught on camera mouthing "Oh, Kanye" in horror, became its own minor meme moment[10]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Kanye Interrupting? Kanye Interrupting is a meme based on Kanye West grabbing the microphone from Taylor Swift during the 2009 MTV VMAs to declare Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" was "one of the best videos of all time"[4]. The moment spawned image macros, video mashups, and a snowclone catchphrase. ### Where did Kanye Interrupting come from? It originated from the live broadcast of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York[10]. The first viral mashup video was created by freelance designer Patrick St. John[4]. ### What does Kanye Interrupting mean? The meme is used to humorously interrupt any praise or statement by inserting a claim that something else is better, following the "Imma let you finish, but…" format[4]. It's about absurd, unsolicited one-upmanship. ### How do you use Kanye Interrupting? Photoshop Kanye holding a microphone into any scene, or use the snowclone text: "Yo [person], I'm really happy for you, Imma let you finish, but [thing] had one of the best [category] of all time"[4]. ### Is Kanye Interrupting still popular? The meme peaked in 2009-2010 and saw revivals at the 2012 BET Awards and 2013 MTV Movie Awards[4]. A 2023 TV Tropes discussion noted it was iconic for its era but less recognized by younger internet users[6]. ### How many tweets did the Kanye interruption generate? According to Trendrr, 293,024 tweets were posted about the incident in the hour immediately following it, with tens of thousands more continuing the next morning[1]. ### Did Obama really call Kanye a jackass? Yes. ABC News reporter Terry Moran tweeted the off-the-record comment, and TMZ later posted the actual audio on September 15, 2009[4]. ### What happened on Jay Leno's show? West appeared on the September 14, 2009 premiere of Leno's primetime show and said he was "ashamed," getting visibly emotional when Leno asked what his late mother would think[2]. ### Did Taylor Swift and Kanye make up? Swift said on The View that West hadn't contacted her, but she reportedly received a phone call from him shortly after the segment in which he apologized and she accepted[4]. ### What was the most popular Kanye Interrupts video? Patrick St. John's mashup of West's rant spliced into Obama's healthcare speech reached over 4.7 million views and spawned nearly 500 spinoff videos[4]. ### Did anyone recreate the interruption in real life? Jay-Z parodied it at the 2012 BET Awards by interrupting West's own speech[4], and Aubrey Plaza walked on stage during Will Ferrell's speech at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards[4]. ### How did the meme affect Kanye's career? He went silent for months, then returned with *My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy* in 2010[10]. EW noted the incident cemented his persona as "the bad guy that everyone loves to hate"[10]. ## References 1. [300,000 Kanye West Tweets Interrupt Twitter | Mashable]() 2. [Kanye West On Jay Leno: I’m Ashamed [VIDEO] | Mashable]() 3. [Top 10 Kanye West Interruption Parodies | Mashable]() 4. [Kanye Interrupting - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Kanye West]() 6. [The Most Popular Rapper Memes to Use for Anything in Life]() 7. [Just a Face and a Caption: Interrupting Meme - TV Tropes Forum]() 8. [[PDF] [EPUB] The World Made Meme: Public Conversations and Participatory Media Download]() 9. [2009 VMAs revisited: kanye's obnoxious interruption of taylor swift - richyrocks english]() 10. [Please, Stop Making Kanye ‘Interrupt’ You – NBC New York]() 11. [Revisiting Taylor Swift and Kanye West's infamous 2009 VMAs moment]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/kanye-interrupting Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library