Fans have known of a feud between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry for years, but in a twist likely no one saw coming, the latter has apologized and said she’s “ready to let it go.”
“I’m ready to let it go. Absolutely, 100 percent. I forgive her, and I’m sorry for anything I ever did, and I hope the same from her, and I think it’s actually ― I think it’s time,” Perry said during an interview with Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global Podcast over the weekend.
“There are bigger fish to fry, and there are bigger problems in the world. I love her and I want the best for her, and I think she’s a fantastic songwriter, and like, I think that if we both, her and I, can be representatives of strong women that come together despite their differences, I think the whole world is going to go, like, ‘Yeah, we can do this.’”
She added, “Maybe I don’t agree with everything she does, and maybe she doesn’t agree with everything I do, but like, I just ― I really, truly, want to come together, and in a place of love and forgiveness, and understanding and compassion.”
Perry then proceeded to sing a line from the “Frozen” song “Let It Go” before adding, “There’s a lot of other things out there in the world that people need to be focused on. God bless her on her journey. God bless her. Honestly. I want to operate in a positive, kind space. I want to be an example of kindness, compassion, love, and I forgive and forget. That wasn’t easy for me.”
TheWrap has reached out to Swift’s representative for comment.
Last month, the “Swish Swish” singer finally confirmed that something did happen between the two singers during her appearance on James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke”: “Honestly, it’s really like, she started it and it’s time for her to finish it.”
During an interview with Rolling Stone in 2014, Swift explained that her hit “Bad Blood” was about another female artist: “For years, I was never sure if we were friends or not. She would come up to me at awards shows and say something and walk away, and I would think, ‘Are we friends, or did she just give me the harshest insult of my life?’”
Swift then claimed that this artist “did something so horrible. I was like, ‘Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.’ And it wasn’t even about a guy! It had to do with business. She basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour. She tried to hire a bunch of people out from under me. And I’m surprisingly non-confrontational — you would not believe how much I hate conflict. So now I have to avoid her. It’s awkward, and I don’t like it.”
Perry explained that the feud did start with the backup dancers and that she had tried to speak with Swift about the elephant in the room but never heard back from the “Shake It Off” singer.
When Corden asked if “we can take this beef off the grill,” Perry responded, “I think, personally, that women together — not divided and, like, none of this petty sh- — women together will heal the world.”