KEY POINT
- Bebe Rexha said Taylor Swift contacted her during the 2019 Grammys dress controversy.
- Rexha said several designers had declined to create a custom look for her because of her size.
- She revisited the experience while speaking with E! News at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
Rexha discussed the experience on the red carpet at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27. During an E! News interview, she was asked about Swift’s history of supporting women in music and connected the question to an experience from seven years earlier.
Rexha recalled that she had struggled to secure a dress for the 2019 Grammys when Swift reached out to her. The singer said the personal contact stood out because she and Swift are the same age and because relatively few people had contacted her during the situation.
“For her at such a high level to make me feel like I belonged was really, really nice,” Rexha told E! News.The difficulty came as Rexha prepared for one of the biggest award ceremonies of her career. She had received two Grammy nominations that year, including Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
Rexha later explained that her team had approached multiple designers about creating a custom red-carpet dress. According to her account, several declined because they considered her size outside the range they wanted to dress.
At the time, Rexha said she wore between a size 6 and 8. She publicly addressed the situation through an Instagram video and argued that fashion designers should not make women feel excluded because of their body size.
Her comments turned the personal wardrobe problem into a broader discussion about representation and access to high-fashion designs for women who do not fit traditional runway measurements.
Rexha’s public response also produced a direct offer from designer August Getty. Getty responded to her post by telling the singer that every woman is beautiful regardless of size and offering to begin sketching a gown for her.
That response provided Rexha with a designer willing to work with her after she had described difficulty finding someone for the ceremony.
Why Taylor Swift’s Gesture Stayed With Rexha
Rexha’s latest comments show that Swift’s involvement was memorable to her even years after the original controversy. Rather than focusing only on the fashion dispute, Rexha emphasized the significance of receiving personal encouragement from another major artist.
The timing of her recollection was also notable. Swift was receiving the inaugural Artist Director Honors at the 2026 VMAs, recognizing her work in music video direction and visual storytelling. PEOPLE reported that Swift also received 11 nominations at this year’s ceremony.
For Rexha, however, the connection went back to a much earlier moment. Her account centered on the private support she said Swift offered when she was dealing with public criticism and difficulty finding a designer for the Grammys.
The 2026 VMAs brought the two singers together in a setting where Swift was being recognized for her creative work behind music videos. Rexha attended the ceremony as an artist and used the red carpet interview to revisit an episode that had shaped how she remembered Swift’s support.
E! News reported that Rexha appeared at the VMAs in an all black Dreaming Eli dress, while Swift received the first Artist Director Honors during the ceremony.
Rexha’s own recollection is the central account of Swift’s 2019 outreach. She said some people contacted her at the time, but singled out Swift’s gesture because of the singer’s stature in the industry.
The 2019 incident also prompted August Getty to offer Rexha a gown after she publicly challenged designers who had declined to dress her.
No new collaboration between Rexha and Swift was announced in the supplied material. Rexha’s comments instead brought renewed attention to their earlier interaction while Swift’s 2026 VMAs honor highlighted her expanding role in music-video direction.
