Why Taylor Swift is skipping the MTV VMAs this year

taylor swift mtv vma

(Taylor Swift.Tim Whitby/Getty Images)

Taylor Swift, a frequent attendee of the MTV Video Music Awards, will not be attending this year's show on Sunday night, according to People.

A source close to the VMAs and Swift told People that the pop star was "never scheduled to attend the VMAs," but her absence is nonetheless noteworthy, as she has attended the show for the past four years.

Swift was not nominated for an award this year. Her last album, "1989," came out in 2014.

It may not be a coincidence that news of Taylor Swift's absence from the show directly followed MTV's announcement on Thursday that Kanye West will be given four minutes of airtime to do whatever he wants on Sunday's broadcast.

Tensions between Swift and West ran high earlier this summer after Kim Kardashian leaked video of Swift audibly supporting West's song "Famous," a song which she has since criticized as being misogynist.

At last year's VMAs, Swift won the video of the year award for her song "Bad Blood."

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