LAS VEGAS—Saying the pop superstar’s opener felt strikingly familiar, music fans accused Taylor Swift of ripping off Beyoncé Wednesday when she gave birth to twins during her performance at the Billboard Music Awards. “Sure, Beyoncé doesn’t own the copyright on pregnancy, but to the millions who watched last night as Taylor delivered a baby boy and girl onstage at the MGM Grand, it sure felt like plagiarism,” wrote entertainment blogger Emily Brooks, who cited Swift’s “total lack of creativity” in imitating Beyoncé so closely, from the birthing of fraternal twins right down to the ultimate decision to undergo an emergency C-section at her doctor’s discretion. “I understand that great minds often think alike, but this was way over the line. Even the sound Taylor made during labor before being rushed into the NICU was basically a carbon copy. You can’t just go around stealing other people’s ideas—especially when you’re stealing from the queen.” Brooks added that it was particularly unscrupulous for Swift to bring Jay-Z out onstage and announce that she had named her newborn children Sir Carter II and Rumi Carter II.
