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Taylor Swift is “classy” and “brilliant,” Parents Television Council president Tim Winter tells Gossip Cop in an exclusive interview.
Gossip Cop spoke with Winter on Monday morning to discuss the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, which provided no shortage of outrageousness with Miley Cyrus as its host. But while the advocate strongly believes the VMAs had “plenty” of lows, he did find some parts of the ceremony worth watching. And you can credit Swift for that.
The superstar had some of the night’s biggest moments, such as collaborating with Nicki Minaj, presenting Kanye West with his Video Vanguard Award, and bringing her “squad” on stage as she accepted Video of the Year. All of that has Winter praising Swift as “classy.” He tells Gossip Cop exclusively, “She can touch on subjects that are controversial, but she does it in a way that are positive, insightful, and brilliant.”
Winter was particularly impressed by Swift performing with Minaj after their dust-up last month. But given the Parents Television Council’s strong criticism of Cyrus’ “sexualitzation” on the VMAs stage, Gossip Cop couldn’t help but wonder if it was hypocritical to commend Swift for joining Minaj’s booty-popping performance. Winter thinks, in this case, the good far out weighs the bad.
“I think it shows the good side of what comes from a public disagreement, where people can come together and resolve something positively,” Winter says of Swift and Minaj teaming up. “Was it a production the PTC would give it seal of approval to? No. Was it something that was an edgy display? Absolutely. But if you step back and look back at the bigger picture of them performing together, it shows resolution to conflict that not just people in the entertainment industry but around the world [can use].”
Winter also named The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face” performance as another VMAs highlight. “The Weeknd had everybody up on their feet, had us up on our feet on in our living room. It’s a great song,” he gushes to Gossip Cop, noting, “There’s some spectacular performers out there who are entertaining positively and beautifully. And we got to see some wonderful performances.”
“It’s unfortunate that some folks feel the need to sexualize themselves, sexualize others, in order to entertain,” adds Winter. And then there’s Kanye West, who admitted in his rambling 13-minute speech that he “rolled up a lil’ something to knock the edge off” before the show. Winter complains to Gossip Cop, “His comment joined with so many others that seem to celebrate the use of illegal drugs, [which] is wholly inappropriate for 14-year-olds.”
Winter, of course, is referring to MTV giving the VMAs a TV-14 rating, as opposed to the TV-MA the Parents Television Council wanted for the show’s “mature” content. TELL US: What do you think of Winter naming Swift as one of the only good things about the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards?
