Jack Antonoff pokes fun at rumors he dissed Katy Perry by wearing earplugs during her VMAs performance
Jack Antonoff brushed off rumors he intentionally dissed Katy Perry by wearing earplugs during her 2024 MTV Video Music Awards performance Wednesday night.
The music producer took to X Thursday to sarcastically address critics who slammed him as “disrespectful” when a clip of him putting something in his ear while the “Roar” songstress sang went viral.
“I would like to tell you directly from me that i (sic) did in fact use earplugs the other night,” he wrote. “they were blue ‘hearos’ brand and im mortified to admit that i’ve been using them for a long time as well as buying them in bulk.”
Antonoff, 40, jokingly added it was “humiliating” for him to disclose that he not only uses the earplugs in extremely loud environments but “on planes and every night while” sleeping.
“there is nothing left to do but apologize and thank those who have covered this story because although it’s an embarrassment to my family and i, i do believe that this was a very important and pressing issue that needed to be exposed,” he quipped.
The “Rollercoaster” star continued, “i’m sorry to those i let down and today i will not being going to work and instead thinking about my earplug use and everyone that has been affected by it.
“the band and i have decided to keep all dates as scheduled,” he concluded, referring to his rock group, the Bleachers.
Several fans rushed to the comments to support Antonoff with one writing, “Thanks for promoting proper concert ear safety Jack bestie.”
“I also wear earplugs sometimes. This isn’t a crime bestie,” another added.
“thank you for finally speaking up about this,” a third sarcastically quipped.
On Wednesday, Antonoff enjoyed Perry’s performance alongside his wife, Margaret Qualley, and pals Taylor Swift and Suki Waterhouse.
While the “Lover” songstress, 34, and Waterhouse, 32, danced to Perry’s 2013 track “Dark Horse,” Antonoff was seen grabbing something and stuffing it inside his ear.
One critic shared the video on X, writing, “jack antonoff putting airpods in during katy’s performance … such loser behaviour.”
“jack antonoff hates katy perry so much that he even had used an airpod while she was performing at the vmas,” another wrote, as a third responded, “THAT man is so disgustingly disrespectful.”
Following Perry’s performance, the “Teenage Dream” singer, 39, was honored with the Video Vanguard Award, which was presented to her by fiancé Orlando Bloom.
Antonoff and Perry’s assumed complicated relationship might be due to the latter’s past feud with Swift.
Perry and Swift’s beef dates back to 2014 when Swift alleged an unnamed singer, many alluded to be Perry, “basically tried to sabotage an entire arena tour” by hiring “a bunch of people out from under [her],” during an interview with Rolling Stone.
At the time, Perry responded by cryptically writing on X (formerly Twitter), “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing,” referring to Rachel McAdams’ character as the bully in the 2004 film “Mean Girls.”
Swift’s 2014 song “Bad Blood” from her “1989” album is also rumored to be about Perry.
Amid the drama, Antonoff went viral for appearing bored and eating a banana when Perry hosted the VMAs in 2017.
That same year, Perry made an appearance on the “Late Night Show With James Corden” and claimed she attempted to make peace with Swift but was rejected.
The two, however, made amends with each other in 2019.
“It kind of was a process,” the “E.T.” singer explained on an Australian radio show with hosts Kyle and Jackie O.
“I sent her a literal olive branch and a note apologizing for my part in all of it when she started her ‘Reputation’ tour,” Perry added.
Over the years, the “Last Friday Night” singer and Swift have kept in contact over text and the latter has even made her ex-frenemy cookies.
Perry also attended Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Sydney earlier this year.
